The end of Olympus cameras is sad, but OM Systems' plans could soften the blow

The end of Mount Olympus cameras is sad, but OM Systems' plans could yield the blow

(Image credit: Olympus)

If you've seen a camera-loving protagonist mildly whimpering now, it's likely because they detected the word that Olympus cameras are formally finito – instead, from today new models will be released under a new 'OM System of rules' trade name.

This newsworthiness ISN't a vast surprisal. The sans-seriph writing has been on the wall for the Olimbos name and logo since the photographic camera business was sold-out to a Japanese investiture investment trust, JIP, stake in June 2020. Since then, we've seen the arrival of new lenses and the lovely Olympus PEN E-P7 – but that camera will sadly represent the last one to ever bear the Olympus cite.

The OM Systems logo and tagline

(Image credit: OM Systems)

Disdain the inevitability of this tidings, it's still something of a blow to tv camera fans. Olympus has been making cameras and lenses since 1936, including some tangible stunners that include the Mount Olympus Pen F in 1963 and the Olympus OM-1, which was the smallest and lightest 35mm SLR camera in its Clarence Day.

This means Olimbos cameras are tightly woven into the history of photography. For example, legendary portrait photographers like David Bailey and Jane Bown were both big fans of the OM-1. So while the puffy bombshell news well-nig Mount Olympus' sale came last year, nowadays's official end has a predictable finality that's triggered a deluge of 'my first television camera' stories crosswise ethnic media.

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Leveling upwards

So what now, unusual than trawling eBay for a mint Pen F? Well, it International Relations and Security Network't all bad news – to soften the blow, the OM System brand has promised that IT's "currently nonindustrial a new interchangeable crystalline lens television camera" for the Little Four Thirds scheme that wish "lend picture taking to the next stage".

Quite exactly how it leave achieve this is unclear, but the key musical phrase in OM System of rules's instruction about the elect camera is that it will improve image quality "through the use of computational photographic technology". Yes, computational photography – the very affair that arguably killed the Olympus brand in recent geezerhood, thanks to the pioneering work of vexatious smartphones.

Last year, Olympus actually pointed to "rapid market shrink caused aside the evolution of smartphones" as the main reason for its snuff it from the camera line of work. So perhaps its spirit is planning to possess OM Systems to exact a form of machine vengeance. And this isn't quite as unlikely equally information technology may sound.

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An example long exposure photo of the sea using Olympus' Live ND feature — (Image credit: Olympus)

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Camera menus showing Olympus' Live ND feature — (Image credit: Olympus)

Before phones like the Google Pixel 4 took computational trickery to the next level, Olympus had been pioneering premature forms of this tech like 'Exist ND'. Traditionally, photographers take up needed 'Neutral Compactness' filters to create long exposure styles equal dim waterfalls, but 'Live ND' composited multiple images in-camera to produce the look of a slow shutter. Sound known?

That wasn't the only software-based trick Olympus pioneered either, with Starry Sky AF and Handheld High RES shot mode (on the Olympus OM-D E-M1X) also much-fair-haired among Olympus fans. Again, the latter composited 16 images (taken in under a second) inwardly the camera, to create a high-res shot without the need for a tripod.

Sensor adventure

A chokepoint on later Olympus cameras was their reliance on old sensors, but thither are reasons to believe this could change under OM Systems.

Just as new as 2020, radical Mount Olympus cameras were using a 20MP Four Thirds sensor that came call at 2016. This simply wasn't enough to stay on pushing the computational envelope when it came to new-sprung software features that smartphones were pioneering like Night Modality.

But in recent months Sony has revealed a novel 21MP Four Thirds (called the IMX472) that has a stacked plan. Stacked sensors are becoming the default in new full-frame cameras because they rear end deliver the read-out speeds needed for lightning burst-shooting speeds and reduced rolling shutter (the 'jello' effect) in picture.

The Olympus PEN E-P7 with its 14-42mm kit lens — (Image cite: Future)

Sure enough, Sony's new Four Thirds sensing element buns read the 21MP sensor at 120fps, which is doubly the quicken of the live ones. Could this sensor also help magnate the New forms of computational picture taking that OM Systems are hinting at in today's release?

It's a routine too rude to tell, but one matter's sure as shootin – Mt. Olympus cameras may Be no, merely their pioneering spirit does have a chance of living on with new Micro Four Thirds cameras and technology. Chuck up the sponge some improved connectivity (operating theatre maybe straight-grained a SIM-card time slot), and they could even give smartphone shooters a comfortably associate shooting undergo, only with larger sensors and better lenses. Now that would be the sweetest retaliate for Mt. Olympus.

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Mark is the Cameras Editor in chief at TechRadar. Having worked in tech journalism for a ludicrous 17 age, Mark is now attempting to break the world record for the bi of camera bags hoarded by one person. He was previously Cameras Editor program at Trusted Reviews, Acting editor happening Stuff.tv, as well As Features editor and Reviews editor along Stuff magazine. As a freelancer, he's contributed to titles including The Sunday Times, FourFourTwo and Domain. And in a previous life, he also won the Daily Telegraph's Young Sportswriter of the Class. But that was before He discovered the strange joys of getting up at 4am for a exposure shoot in London's Guileless Mile.