A Creator’s Camera
The New OM‑3

I will photograph almost anything, but if you look at my body of work it quickly becomes clear that I am mainly a landscape photographer. So, when OM SYSTEM reached out and asked me to test out the new OM-3, a camera designed for urban shooters, I was a bit uncertain.

Normally, I am always excited to shoot with new gear, but I was genuinely concerned with the challenge put in front of me. I live in a very rural area surrounded by farmland, forests, and freshwater lakes. The nearest city is over two hours away. Could I produce the types of images that OM SYSTEM was looking for?

The original OM-3 was produced by Olympus in 1983. It provided some nice refinements to the incredibly successful OM-1. The new OM-3 continues that tradition with features designed for urban creatives. I have had the opportunity to shoot with the new camera prior to its release date and definitely have thoughts to share. Keep in mind that this is not a formal review, but rather a description of some of its key features and my impressions of the camera after several weeks of use.

Ergonomically, the OM-3 is quite different than the OM-1 series of cameras. It has a thinner, sleeker design and is reminiscent of the original OM cameras from the 1970s and 80s. There is no large grip, but after extensive use I find the OM-3 quite easy to handle. Generally, I don't like using camera straps and with the rear thumb grip I never felt as if it would slip from my hands.

At the time of this writing I have had the OM-3 for just under a month. The challenge presented to me was to create urban style images. Not an easy task when you live in a town of 400 and the nearest city (a relatively small urban centre by most standards) is over two hours away. I did make a couple of trips to the not-so-big city, but I also couldn't resist capturing my local environment - the farms, forests, fields and frozen waterways where I live.

After several weeks of shooting I have to say that I am truly impressed with the feature set and handling of the new OM-3. Although it is lacking a beefier grip, at no point did I feel like it would slip. I used it with the new M.Zuiko 17mm F1.8 II and 25mm F1.8 II, along with the 8-25mm F4 and the 40-150mm F4. Even with slightly larger lenses it felt well balanced in the hand.

The buttons and dials are easily accessible and the construction is rugged. On a number of occasions I used the camera in heavy wet snow and under very cold conditions. It handled both with ease. 

The two most impressive features are the Creative Dial and the dedicated button for Computational Photography. Even though I am a RAW shooter I love the endless variety of ways that I can use the creative dial to "pre-process" my shots. I particularly like the various MONO options and the Color Creator (CRT). The latter is particularly great for sunsets! Being able to quickly engage focus bracketing or Live GND using the CP button is so convenient. I miss it every time I return to my OM-1. As well, the computational features can be used in conjunction with the images you create using the Creative Dial. Do you want to shoot a black and white using the Live GND feature? No problem! 

So, can this camera handle every shooting situation? For me the short answer is, almost. I have photographed all sorts of subjects under a variety of conditions and been thoroughly impressed with the results. The only thing I haven't photographed is wildlife. The specs clearly indicate that the camera could handle rapid fire shooting and tracking birds in flight, but without the beefier grip I'm not sure I would want to attach my 150-400mm long lens. But of course, this camera is not designed for that.

In summary, this is a fantastic camera for urban shooters, but that's not going to stop me from photographing landscapes or any other subject that catches my eye.