What's New? | OM System OM-1 Mark II vs OM-1

Alex and Olivia take the new OM SYSTEM OM-1 II to the coast and Williamson Park to put it through its paces and see if its a worthy upgrade from the OM-1. Watch the full video to see what Alex and Olivia get up to and what their overall verdict is.
OM-1 II body only is launching at £2199
Pre-order Now:
OM System OM-1 II: bit.ly/4bihOPS
OM System OM-1 Mark II & M.Zuiko 12-40mm F2.8 PRO II Lens: bit.ly/3UlNlue
OM System M.Zuiko Digital ED 150-600mm F5.0-6.3 IS Lens: bit.ly/3ShzQsS
OM System M.Zuiko Digital​ ED 9-18mm F4.0-5.6 II Lens: bit.ly/47TUJQG
Equipment used to create this video:
Sony ZV-E1 Full-frame Mirrorless Vlog Camera: bit.ly/440q9DF
Sony FE 24-70 F2.8 GM II Lens: bit.ly/36N4er8
Rode Wireless Go II Microphone: bit.ly/42Z8gVp
ProMaster Professional Carbon Fibre Tripod & Head: bit.ly/3CYffBw
ProMaster Filter 82mm Variable ND - Digital HGX (1.3-8 stops): bit.ly/3LQ1IQ7
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Blog at www.wilkinson.co.uk/w/blog/
#OMSystem #MicroFourThirds #OM1II

[@WilkinsonCameras]

For everyone asking about firmware updates for the OM-1, OM System have just shared this (21/02/24): explore.omsystem.com/gb/en/firmware?olycmp=nws-2024_02_21_Dealer_OM1_FirmwareUpdate-email-EU-link-CTA_OM1_Firmware_Update#om1

[@topper45]

I admire your honesty and agree with you that the Mk2 is not worth the upgrade from the OM1. I bought mine directly from Olympus just before xmas with a £450 voucher off new. I think that is a much better value proposition than the Mk2 at nearly £1,000 more.

[@AriDimitris]

Was your system on backorder for a long time? I waited almost 3 months for mine and in the meantime the mark 2 came out which was frustrating but I feel better after reading your post

[@topper45]

@@AriDimitris Actually, it came within three days. I put the money I saved into buying an "as-new" 300/4 pro from MPB, which has made me very happy indeed.

[@andrewrorke2532]

The human subject detection is important enough for me to upgrade my original OM-1. The gradient and the filter is a very nice bonus as well.

[@WilkinsonCameras]

Yes, indeed. We really enjoyed using the gradient filter!

[@clintjohnson5914]

Thank you for the very complete demonstration of the new features. I get the feeling some of the "visionaries" were way over hyping this new body and to me it seemed like a $2400 USD firmware update. This was the best use of the graduated ND that I have seen,,,and I've been watching them all day. My interest definitely has been piqued. I didn't buy the OM-1 because I felt like it didn't do anything for me that my EM1 MKIII did already..this camera may have me selling and saving.. Thanks again.

[@pbasswil]

So glad OM System has rescued this system from Olympus's scrap heap. There's really nothing to complete with it at this size, with such fully professional features for stills (and with such a terrific range of high quality lenses). To see them continue to improve it and add features is fantastic. I hope they sell enough of these to finance the Mark III !

[@WilkinsonCameras]

We couldn't agree more! Thanks for watching 😊

[@joeyret.617]

Thanks for your review. I agree with the commentors that will be keeping their Om1 for now. My OM1 is only 13 months old, so its not the time to upgrade. But I hope OM Systems will keep supporting the original OM1 with future software updates. OM wishing well in going forward.

[@Emerald_City_]

My first watch on your channel. A pleasant surprise! You deserve many more views. You read my mind, concentrated on just what I came to hear, in a clear, easy to follow manner. One area for possible improvement could be your verbal articulation, but I think even if you don't practice it may come with time.

[@DeadeyeDaily]

OM-1 User. I'm sold on the new Mark II version. The blackout free shooting, improved AF, deeper buffer... these are the big selling points for me! Thanks for a great video! Very informative :)

[@Swaggerlot]

Really? Have you used an OM-1?

[@philellinger4851]

I'm a little disappointed the improvements aren't more substantial, but for fairly specific personal reasons I'm still seriously thinking of buying one of these. I pre-ordered the OM-1 when it was first announced, and I really love it. But to do that I traded in my EM-1 Mkiii. Since then, I've sometimes regretted not having a backup body, for security in case of camera problems, but even more to minimize lens changing, usually done in a rush. Also, my main interest is bird photography, so many of the improvements in the Mk ii will be particularly helpful for me. So, I'm imagining myself with my much loved and used telephoto (the amazing 150-400 x1.25) on a new Mk ii, usually in my hand, and my current OM-1 with my 12-40 f2.8, or maybe my 40-150 f2.8 or even a wide angle, ready to grab without changing lenses if I want to take a landscape or just something bigger or closer. And an ever-growing collection of BLX-1 batteries (5 now, 6 if I go ahead), compatible with either body. I just need to decide if I can bring myself to spend all that money, but knowing me, I probably will, now I've started dreaming!

[@philellinger4851]

And I did! And I love it - much improved success rate for my bird photography.

[@simonc8265]

Enjoyed this. Thankyou. Good demo of gnd. As om1 that turned my head. 14 but raw... Ditto... But feels like next upgrade will be the one... Pricing defies the gravity of the upgrades.

[@snowwalker9999]

I do not own any OM cameras so these upgrades are good enough to make me want the camera. I read somewhere that in video this camera has very negligible rolling shutter which makes this camera a complete simple hybrid package.

[@rayjenkins2754]

As you say, " A small change, but for some worth it ! " Having the option of assigning a right side - bottom button to be the delete or bin button - essentially having all back side controls within reach of ones right hands thumb - is a biggie for me. My left hand & arm was injured during birth which limits its usefulness in terms of a cameras controls. For me the OM 1 mk II remedies this issue. I've built a telescoping post that can be screwed into the bottom of my G9, which my left hand can grip onto. Also I've a device called a ' fingaZoom ' which lets me use a middle finger of my right hand for working the camera's zoom ring. The 2 cameras I'm considering for a future purchase are the G9 mk 2 or the OM 1 mk II . Thanks for doing this vid.

[@WilkinsonCameras]

Hi Ray, thanks for watching. Great to hear that you've found some adaptations to enable you to use the cameras more easily and that the minor detail of the Bin/Menu button option on the OM-1 Mark II is going to actually be a huge advantage to you. We also have a G9 Mark II review, hopefully this will prove useful to you as well: kzbin.info/www/bejne/a4fCoH5jlNqNe6c

[@user-do3sf8ds3p]

I have the OM-1 and would like to see a side by side comparison of the eye detection accuracy. With the OM-1, using eye detection, the focus is often just a little bit of. Placing the focus point manually on the eye gives me more accurate results. If this has really improved it could be a reason on it's own to upgrade.

[@kbruff2010]

Most excellent review.

[@WilkinsonCameras]

Thanks! 😁

[@italogiardina8183]

A great camera for any consumer looking to add to big data, due to all that capacity to capture even more images than its predecessor.

[@gordon3988]

Think of ‘kaizen’. Here is a good example of some asked for improvements to an already good camera. I doubt it would be worth an upgrade from the OM1 for most folks, but it is still one of the best photo centric cameras for a certain niche. If video is your main game,then there are other choices, but for most folks it sounds like it would meet your needs, at least for social media. If you do adventures in all sorts of weather this might be the best choice there is. Nice overview!

[@albrechtn]

...well done review...thanks...

[@WilkinsonCameras]

Thanks for watching!

[@ItsGeoffScottSimpson]

Nicely presented and lovely Lancashire accent.

[@WilkinsonCameras]

Thank you! 😃

[@mahoneytechnologies657]

Looks Good,

[@r51234x]

Hi,I'm wondering if they are the same size. I'm looking to buy a skin for it and they do not sell om1 markii skins yet. I can get the om1 skin if they are the same size from alphagvrd. I protect all my cameras with their skins. And macbook aswell. But now I'm just hoping of you could kindky tell if there's an size or shape , different buttons. Thank you.

[@sosomelodies659]

I'm excited about the live graduated ND feature.

[@WilkinsonCameras]

We'll second that! 😁

[@photoman3579]

THIS CAMERA IS AMAZING...!

[@Trigger-xw9gq]

Do the front & rear dials stick out a bit more, or are they just a more grippy material?

[@WilkinsonCameras]

No they don't, just the added grippy material!

[@pobreprofe]

The GND thing, can be a preset saved in lightroom, right? I don't know if it will be much different

[@WilkinsonCameras]

You can do this also in Lightroom but it's important to be able to capture the image in camera with as much dynamic range as possible. This will then give you more flexibility in post to edit the highlights and shadows opposed to taking a photo with a blown-out sky and trying to preserve the highlights in post editing software.

[@mediajunkienl]

Since the AF system has had an overhaul, has the c-af tracking been improved? This has always been an achilles heel of the om-1 / em-1 cameras, and made me envy Sony Alpha users.

[@notanothershrubbery]

You mention that you can assign a setting to the bin button. My now aging EM5 Mark 2 can assign settings to numerous buttons and dial stops. Are their other buttons or dial stops, to which one can assign custom settings?

[@WilkinsonCameras]

Most of the buttons and dials are customisable to an extent. It’s very easy to set it up to your exact requirements. What’s key about the bin button is the new ability to assign this as an alternative Menu button whilst in shooting mode (as opposed to when reviewing images). The standard menu button being on the top left of the camera means it’s covered when using the viewfinder and means you can’t change settings in-menu without taking your eye away. Lots of professional wildlife photographers fed back to OM that they’d like another menu button option… and now they have one! 😊

[@user-dj8hv3br9t]

Thanks for the video. Videography has the same problem as the previous models. When walking with IBIS switched on, the image floats a bit as if you were filming through flickering heat. The digital IBIS also seems to jump when moving too much. It is only slightly visible here. But if you shoot a complete movie, it gets annoying in the long run. So I guess nothing has improved. That is disappointing

[@WilkinsonCameras]

Thanks for watching! To be fair I think with most digital IBIS in a vairety of cameras has a limit on how far you can push it. It's not designed to fully elliminate gimbals or give you the smoothest footage. It's there to support handheld filming. Personally found this particular digital IBIS to be better than others. I guess it all depends on what it is you're filming and how much movement is required.

[@Swaggerlot]

Its great that the MKII allows you to take continuous frames with the 150-400, but that still doesn't work with the MK1. One can only assume its a defective firmware.

[@mirkoregina8733]

I have a pen-f but I would like to replace it with a definitive M43 mirrorless used for travel and family in addition to a professional all-round camera also valid for low light ceremonies...I'm undecided between om-1II or gh7...+ Em- 10 mIV instead of pen-f. What do you recommend?

[@rockporttwentyseven]

does the graduated filter applies to raw?

[@samson40a]

Would be good if you could download extra subject detection categories. I have no interest in birds but might want another option that might be available? I have seen comments elsewhere asking for similar as they don’t shoot trains, cars etc. being able to add features as you see fit could be a value add?

[@WilkinsonCameras]

Thanks for watching 😊What would you like to see OM System add in future releases/updates? Currently, the OM-1 / OM-1 Mark II have subject detection options for Cars/Motorcycles, Planes, Trains, Birds, Cats/Dogs/Similar mammals, as well as Eye AF and face detection. The Mark II brings Human detection with better recognition for human bodies, etc.

[@r51234x]

Seeing as they have canceled the 2.0 upgrade to the om1 and put the better af software in the markii I think they will are the om1 obsolete. I think if they do any upgrades it will be for the mark ii. The af on the om1 is ok but nothing to right home about. Ather reviews have said there is greater improvement in af with ai in the markii. The nd filter option looks amazing aswell. The way I see it if you want current updates go with the markii cuz them shelving the 2.0 for the om1and adding them to the m2 doesn't leave very confident for future updates.

[@kbruff2010]

is the CCD protected when the lens is removed? like a shutter door, etc.

[@angelisone]

how come my cellphone has a micro sensor [ATG Ulefne Note 17Pro+ (420p thermal camera)] that has 108M and this new company can't make the OM-1 II to twice the M of 50M? only improvement or I see "Olympus" changed to "OM System" on the front of the camera. kinda like throwing out $6,500.00 for a dated 25M on a Sony A9 III.

[@WilkinsonCameras]

The number of megapixels a sensor has doesn’t determine the quality of the sensor or other technology within the camera (not even getting into the lenses).

[@angelisone]

@@WilkinsonCameras I guess my Chinese camera that has an aps medium format of 100M is not good. ATG/DJI (Asia) sold under the named, ATG Gold X2D 100C IR and Hasselblad X2D 100C,

[@WilkinsonCameras]

@@angelisone we’re not familiar with counterfeit / Chinese copy cameras so couldn’t comment on whether or not it’s any good. We’re a UK based company selling legitimate products to camera enthusiasts, creators and professionals. Our channel / store probably isn’t really suited to your buying habits and tastes 🙂

[@pesto12601]

Sounds like buying a used Om-1 if the better upgrade option for those with older systems.... folks that must have the latest gear will be selling these for 65% of retail!

[@MrTifoso31]

Sadly the C-AF improvements have not been covered in this video

[@WilkinsonCameras]

Unfortunately the (lack of, given that it's January!) wildlife wasn't for playing on the couple of day we had the camera 😅

[@ponymoore6140]

With so few upgrades, it really is not worth getting rid of my OM-1

[@WilkinsonCameras]

Agreed, but if you're a OM-D E-M1 or E-M1X user then I think it's definitely worth the upgrade!

[@terjekolbeinsen]

My policy is to get every second upgrade. Was hoping for more but will probably upgrade my M1 mk3 :D

[@matthiasbruns8570]

Why do we care about birds so much recently. I don‘t get it. There must be some kind of conspiracy ongoing.

[@BurhanMuntasser]

The MOST "Letdown" camera of the year!! Just re-badging and firmware update not much more.

[@gubbinz25]

What a negative and pointless comment. It’s not a major model change but has a lot of improvements under the hood which I would value as a happy OM-1 user for the past 2 years. I’ll consider adding it as a second camera body, benefiting from a very similar control layout.

[@StickTheGlue]

Suggestions for the videos: -Make them shorter, sharpen up the editing. People don’t like watching a 20 minute ‘short’ review. -Have a few more members of staff involved in the videos, it’s nice getting different perspectives. -Go to different locations, not just a park near the office. -Have a dialogue between people in the video, not just one person on at a time

[@WilkinsonCameras]

Thanks - we’re an independent, privately owned company with a small team and and an even smaller budget to play with, so we try our best to highlight what our local spots have to offer using the people we have available… which is usually only one or two of us! Keeps our carbon footprint low as well 😉

[@dayeah765caoni3]

you dont represent me!

[@StickTheGlue]

@@dayeah765caoni3 Whoopdie doo 🤣

[@andrewbatchelor5498]

I’m Moët (most) happy with this presentation👍

[@Vaptomwen]

Speak for yourself