OM System OM-3
1. Introduction
In 1967, Yoshihisa Maitani, a Japanese designer and photographer, began developing the revolutionary OM System: a camera system smaller and lighter than any other, yet incredibly capable and versatile. The 2025 release of the OM System OM-3, a high-end Micro Four Thirds camera, embodies Maitani's vision, offering uncompromising capability, incredible versatility, a compact form, and timeless design. It represents the true culmination of the OM System's principles.
2. Design, Engineering and Ergonomics
The OM-3's design instantly evokes the spirit of classic OM-series film cameras, yet a closer look reveals a thoroughly contemporary marvel. It expertly blends nostalgic touches with cutting-edge engineering, creating a camera that feels both familiar and refreshingly modern.
Nods to the Past
The OM-3's substantial, flat grip makes a strong first impression. It provides a secure and comfortable hold, giving the 500g body a confident presence in the hand, reminiscent of beloved film SLRs like the OM-2N.
The finely serrated control dials, another nod to the original OM series, offer excellent tactile feedback, even when using gloves in less-than-ideal conditions.
Built to Endure
While the OM-3's outward appearance might initially suggest delicate internals, its robust construction quickly dispels any such doubts. A metal main frame, coupled with thick metal top and bottom plates and a resilient polymer rear, ensures the camera can handle the demands of professional use. Furthermore, the OM-3 boasts IP53 weather sealing, operates flawlessly in temperatures from -10 to +40 degrees Celsius, and withstands up to 90% humidity. From freezingly cold mountain tops to the depths of humid jungles, the OM-3 is an unstoppable tool.
Viewfinder Placement and Ergonomics
The viewfinder placement in traditional OM series film cameras was dictated by the physical realities of film and mechanics. The OM-3, however, is unburdened by such constraints. Nevertheless, OM System's designers opted for a relatively centered viewfinder position, echoing the classic OM aesthetic. Notably, the OM-3’s viewfinder is positioned closer to the camera's center than on other curren OM System models like the OM-1 Mark II or OM-5.
This intentional design choice isn't purely about visual appeal; it has tangible ergonomic advantages. The centered viewfinder contributes to superb balance when using the camera at eye level, regardless of lens size, providing a shooting experience akin to classic film cameras.
A Viewfinder Optimized for Performance
The OM-3's viewfinder is ideally suited to its central placement. The 2.36 million-dot, low-latency OLED panel, working in concert with a refined optical system, delivers a generous 27mm eyepoint - a class-leading specification. Combined with adjustable magnification (1.23x or 1.37x) and 100% coverage, the viewfinder offers a comfortable viewing experience for all users, including those who wear glasses.
Control and Customization
A well-designed user interface is paramount for any serious camera. The OM-3 doesn't sacrifice practicality for the sake of retro aesthetics. It inherits the modern control layout present in other OM System cameras, but with a unique approach.
The number of configurable function buttons has been streamlined to five, compared to the OM-5's seven and the OM-1's ten. This minimalist design, however, doesn't restrict functionality. Instead, it fosters a more deliberate and efficient workflow, utilizing five versatile control dials (including dedicated dials for picture profiles and still/video mode switching), five customizable shooting modes, the intuitive touch-enabled menu system from the OM-1 Mark II, and the readily accessible Super Control Panel.
OM-3 creative dial
While the OM-3's highly configurable control interface might require an initial investment of time and effort, the payoff is a truly personalized shooting experience. By making subtle adjustments during each session, the camera quickly becomes an extension of one's creative vision.
Tactile Feedback and Auditory Refinement
The OM-3 provides a sophisticated tactile and auditory experience. OM System's meticulous attention to detail is apparent throughout the camera's design. The carefully crafted dials offer varying levels of resistance and distinct clicking sounds. The two autofocus activation buttons—the first stage of the two-stage shutter release and the AF-On button—share a similar tactile quality and operate silently, promoting deliberate actuation and minimizing the potential for camera shake. In contrast, all other buttons offer a clear and positive click. It’s evident that OM System has prioritized a refined user experience, and the OM-3 delivers admirably.
3. Core System Performance
The OM-3's performance is driven by the cutting-edge TruePic X processor, providing speed, responsiveness, and reliability, even under demanding shooting conditions. While sharing some technological DNA with the OM-1 series, the OM-3's unique architecture results in distinct performance characteristics.
White Balance and Exposure Metering
The OM-3 incorporates OM System’s latest white balance metering system. Professional users will appreciate the fine-grained control it offers, while casual photographers will benefit from the advanced, dependable, and precise Auto White Balance algorithm. This system includes safeguards to prevent inaccurate readings under strongly colored light sources. Importantly, the white balance and exposure metering systems work in concert, delivering highly accurate exposure readings—rivaling the precision of dedicated external light meters.
Focusing System: Precision and Speed
The OM-3 boasts OM System's most recent autofocus system, delivering focusing accuracy and performance comparable to the OM-1 Mark II.
The OM-3 features 1,053 cross-type AF points covering the entire sensor area (100%).
Leveraging the latest hybrid high-speed imager AF, the OM-3 achieves reliable focus lock within its certified working range of -5.5 to +19 EV at ISO 100 with an f/2.8 lens. Testing has shown it capable of handling even darker scenarios.
The advanced machine learning-based subject detection modes recognize and track fast-moving and small subjects (humans, vehicles, aircraft, trains, birds, and animals) across the entire frame. At 50 frames per second, this system achieves a remarkable hit rate of nearly 100%, even in challenging conditions with full white balance and exposure metering enabled.
Classic OM System features, such as Starry Sky AF for focusing on celestial objects, are also included.
Comprehensive manual focus assist features, including configurable focus peaking and magnification, make the OM-3 an excellent choice for adapting legacy lenses.
Shutter, Drive System, and Buffer
Designed to meet the needs of professionals, the OM-3 offers dual shutter systems, providing versatility for various shooting scenarios.
The mechanical high-speed shutter unit, similar to the one in the OM-5, captures distortion-free images with up to 6 frames per second, regardless of subject or light source.
The electronic shutter enables speeds up to 1/32,000s and impressive drive speeds of up to 120 frames per second without viewfinder blackout. The OM-3 truly offers an extraordinary rate of fire. Also, the electronic shutter incurs no noticeable image quality penalty, and its fast readout time (approximately 1/120s) not only allows flash synchronization but also captures virtually distortion-free images of all but the fastest-moving subjects.
Buffer and Storage
The OM-3's buffer allows for capturing up to 102 RAW files at the maximum drive speed before slowing. This performance is similar to the OM-1 Mark I (92 RAW files at 120fps) but less than the OM-1 Mark II (213 RAW files). The buffer only becomes a limiting factor at drive speeds exceeding 6 frames per second or when using a slow, non-SDXC card in the OM-3’s single card slot.
Image Stabilization System
The OM-3's image stabilization system delivers flagship-level performance, offering up to 6.5 EV steps of compensation, or 7.5 EV steps with compatible Sync IS lenses. This results in significantly sharper images when shooting handheld in difficult conditions, such as low light, high-magnification macro, or with telephoto lenses.
Supersonic Wave Filter
The sensor is protected by OM System's Supersonic Wave Filter, which uses ultrasonic vibrations to effectively remove dust and other particles from the sensor surface, minimizing the need for manual cleaning.
Power Supply
Battery life is often a concern with mirrorless cameras. However, the OM-3's BLX-1 high-performance battery addresses this issue. Combined with an energy-efficient processing architecture and power-saving features, the camera can handle a full day of shooting on a single charge, achieving approximately 1,000 shots or 190 minutes of continuous recording.
For extended professional use, the OM-3 can be powered via USB-C (with a BLX-1 battery inserted). The BLX-1 battery can also be charged internally while the camera is switched off.
OM-3 charging indicator light
4. Imaging Performance
The OM System OM-3 excels across a wide range of photographic genres, thanks to its class-leading imaging capabilities. From capturing action in dim light to shooting expansive landscapes, the OM-3's state-of-the-art 20.4-megapixel stacked, backside-illuminated, quad-pixel Bayer pattern Live MOS sensor, combined with cutting-edge OM System multi-stage analog-to-digital conversion technology, delivers exceptional results with ease.
Tone
From ISO 80 to ISO 400, the OM-3 captures a full 12 stops of dynamic range, linearly encoded in the 12-bit RAW file. Even at ISO 12,800, about 8 stops of linear dynamic range are available, which is ample for high-quality applications.
OM System’s in-camera RAW conversion engine allows for fine-tuning the tone transfer curve, creating a natural, film-like rendering. In total, 10,125 characteristic curves can be developed, giving both stills and movies a unique aesthetic.
Alternatively, the unique Auto Gradation function encodes the full dynamic range of the 12-bit RAW file into an 8-bit JPEG.
Signal-to-Noise Ratio
Color
In addition to the well-known, versatile OM System color reproduction models, the industry-respected "Natural" profile can be customized to create a unique color profile and saved into one of four slots via the new creative dial on the front of the camera. This is accomplished by adjusting the saturation of any number of 12 hue sectors at 11 increments. In other words, you can fine-tune the color response to create one of 313 billion possible color profiles, either to distinguish your work or to color-correct images with extreme precision.
OM-3 Custom Color Profile
Monochrome
For black and white photography, the OM-3 allows the development and storage of up to four monochrome profiles accessible via the creative dial. By selecting one of eight color filters spanning the entire hue range of visible light and configuring their respective strength in 3 increments, you can recreate the effect of a lens filter or emulate the unique spectral sensitivity of specific film stocks.
OM-3 Custom Monochrome Profile with Grain set to “High”
Resolution
With a high-quality M.Zuiko lens, the OM-3 delivers more resolution than most practical applications require. Considering viewing distance, an 8x10 print at 300 dpi serves as a useful benchmark for assessing resolution needs. Printing an image captured with the OM-3’s 20.4 effective megapixels results in over 12.8 megapixels. To illustrate further, you could crop 53.5% of the left and right sides and 22.5% of the top and bottom of the captured frame and still exceed the printer's resolution.
Full frame
Cropping potential
Noise
The RAW data exhibits a usable signal-to-noise ratio from the low extension range at ISO 80 to the upper limit of the standard sensitivity range at ISO 25,600. In practice, any of these sensitivity settings can be used for professional work, even without applying additional noise reduction during RAW conversion.
To further characterize the OM-3’s noise performance, two key observations are noteworthy. First, the luminance noise has a fine granularity, giving images captured at high ISO settings the appearance of high acutance, similar to using high-speed film with high-acutance developers.
OM-3 at ISO 25,600
Second, at the highest ISO settings, the OM-3’s color noise suppression effectively eliminates false colors, though with a slight reduction in image vibrancy.
OM-3 at ISO 200
OM-3 at ISO 102,400
5. Advanced Photographic Features
Experienced OM System photographers will find it no surprise that the OM-3 is equipped with a comprehensive suite of powerful computational photography features. Remarkably, the OM-3 delivers nearly the same level of performance in this area as the flagship OM-1 Mark II, despite utilizing a slightly different chipset. Here's an overview of the OM-3's capabilities:
High Res Shot
The OM-3’s High Res Shot mode captures either 50MP images handheld (with motion compensation) or 80MP images on a tripod, all in RAW format. These modes essentially increase both spatial and color resolution, significantly reduce noise, and enable 14-bit capture for enhanced dynamic range.
OM-3 Handheld High Res Shot 50MP
(1:1) OM-3 Handheld High Res Shot 50MP
Live ND
In Live ND mode, the OM-3 automatically averages up to 6 frames in real-time, capturing 12-bit images with exceptionally low noise while simulating the effect of a neutral density filter with up to 6 stops of light reduction.
Live GND
Live GND simulates the effect of a graduated neutral density filter with adjustable strength up to 3 stops. You can precisely position the virtual filter anywhere in the frame and choose between Soft, Medium, and Hard transitions to capture scenes with a dynamic range of up to 15 stops without any post-production exposure blending.
Focus Stacking
The OM-3 can perform focus stacking of up to 15 images in-camera—an excellent feature for macro photography and landscape photography alike. A key strength of this function, and the focus bracketing mode as well, is the OM-3’s automatic adaption of focus increments based on the attached lens’s depth of field at the selected aperture.
OM-3 in-camera focus stacked image
HDR
The HDR1 and HDR2 in-camera tone mapping features allow you to capture high dynamic range scenes without requiring specialized post-production knowledge or effort.
Live Exposure Modes
By setting the mode dial to "B," you gain access to not only standard bulb and time exposure modes but also Live Bulb mode, which provides precise real-time exposure preview, and Live Composite mode. The latter functions as a lighten composite mode with real-time exposure preview, beneficial for both creative and commercial photography.
Multiple Exposure
The in-camera multiple exposure mode, often overlooked, is a highly capable feature that includes the option for automatic gain control.
These advanced features, combined with the OM-3's robust core performance and superb image quality, make it a truly versatile and potent tool for photographers of all skill levels.
6. Videographic Capabilities
The OM System OM-3 stands out as one of OM System's most capable video cameras to date. It not only matches the OM-1 Mark II technically but also incorporates features and options that empower small-scale productions and solo creators to work efficiently and reliably.
Movie Recording Parameters
The OM-3 records C4K (4,096x2,160) Long GOP video at up to 60p. FHD (1,920x1,080) All-Intra recording is available up to 60p as well. Switching to Long GOP, FHD can be recorded at up to an impressive 240fps.
All of these options are available internally with either an H.264 codec (8-bit, YCbCr 4:2:0) or an H.265 codec (10-bit, YCbCr 4:2:0).
For external recording via the HDMI Type D port, the OM-3 supports ProRes Raw (12-bit, YCbCr 4:2:2).
The OM-3 has no recording limit and does not overheat under normal operating conditions.
Movie Picture Profiles
The OM-3 offers a wide array of picture profile and color gamut options.
Finished footage can be captured using the same picture modes, art filters, and custom profiles available in still photography mode.
More advanced users can capture color-graded footage using either of the two new OM-Cinema profiles (OM-Cinema1 and OM-Cinema2) with the H.264 codec.
OM-Cinema1 H.264
OM-Cinema2 H.264
For professionals and larger productions, Flat (with BT.709) or OM-Log400 (in P3-D65) recording is available in H.264.
Flat H.264
OM-Log400 H.264
Switching to H.265, the OM-3 can record either OM-Log400 or HLG in BT.2020.
OM-Log400 H.265
HLG H.265
Audio Recording
Leveraging OM System’s expertise in professional audio recording devices, the OM-3 is equipped with two separate 3.5mm microphone and headphone jacks, a high-quality built-in microphone, and the capability to record 96kHz 24-bit audio internally. This makes capturing high-fidelity audio in-camera a reality—a significant benefit for small productions and individual creators.
Autofocus
The 1,053 all-cross-type AF points deliver the same high level of performance as in still photography mode, with additional configuration options tailored for video production, such as adjustable AF speed.
All subject detection modes are available, along with a new function that halts tracking when no subject is detected.
C-AF+TR (OM System’s designation for tracking autofocus) performs reliably and allows for registering new subjects mid-recording by simply tapping the screen or using the AF-On function.
Potential Limitations
While the OM-3's video performance is on par with the OM-1 series, two factors could potentially limit its use in professional video production. First, the reduced number of physical function buttons might be a constraint, particularly when rigging the camera. Second, the lack of a dedicated cable protection sleeve, like the screw-in CP-2 available for the OM-1 series, means the HDMI port may be more vulnerable to damage.
On the other hand, the option to use the AF assist light as a recording lamp with its adjustabl brightness setting is a thoughtful addition for those shooting selfie-style videos.
Overall, the fact that high-end cinema-quality video can be captured with a camera that resembles a classic film camera is remarkable.
7. Verdict
On the surface, the OM System OM-3 might appear to be just another retro-styled digital camera. However, it is significantly more than that. It is a camera of considerable importance, extending beyond the Micro Four Thirds standard. It is the true heir to the original OM System, a realization of Maitani’s decades-old vision: a compact, ergonomic, high-performance camera that excels in any situation without compromise.
The opportunity to experience the OM-3 has been greatly appreciated. For me, 2025 will be remembered as the year of the OM-3, a truly special release.
This in-depth review has only touched upon the vast potential of the OM-3. Further exploration of the camera and its features will be shared in future content, providing insights on maximizing its capabilities.
