OM System OM-1 II leak: pricey M4/3 camera brings more smartphone-like computational photography

Things have more or less been business as usual since Olympus was bought out by OM System, with no groundbreaking releases having come out of the company since the name change. If a recent leak from 43Rumors is accurate, the OM System OM-1 II seems to continue this trend of iterative upgrades, even if the upgrades are neat.

According to other supposed leaks, the OM System OM-1 II will be released on January 30, 2024 and feature a number of minor upgrades over its predecessor, including twice the internal buffer memory, an extra 1.5 stops of IBIS, and improved focus with AI-powered human subject recognition.

Supposedly, the OM-1 II will also feature 14-bit RAW support for high resolution mode and new options for the computational ND filter with 2ND, 4ND, and 8ND modes. These computational Live ND features are very reminiscent of how smartphones capture images and process HDR photos, but OM System is using multiple exposures to simulate a lower shutter speed instead of increasing dynamic range.

It's worth mentioning that these are leaks, so it's a good idea to take them with a grain of salt — especially the latter part about the new ND modes, since the OM-1 already has 2ND, 4ND, and 8ND as options for the Live ND feature.

It doesn't seem as though the OM System The OM System OM-1 (curr. $1,999.99 on Amazon) is already a very powerful little camera, capable of 130 fps burst shooting and 1080p video at 240 fps.

The leak also provides a claimed price for the OM-1 II. The European price for the OM-1 II is a claimed €2,399, which means the US price will likely be somewhere in the region of $2,300–2,500.