OM System OM-1 II Comparison Review

The OM System OM-1 II is a mirrorless interchangeable lens camera that was officially introduced in January 2024 and is equipped with a Four Thirds sensor. It offers a resolution of 20.2 megapixel.

Is the OM System OM-1 II a good camera? The OM-1 II has a Camera Elo of 2932. This rating puts the OM-1 II among the top 20 percent of all mirrorless interchangeable lens cameras. In terms of its sensor size category (Four Thirds cameras), the OM-1 II ranks among the top 10 percent.

Read on to find out more about the camera's size, sensor, features, reception by expert reviewers, and how it compares to other digital cameras.

Body comparison with a credit card

The physical dimensions of the OM System OM-1 II relative to a credit card are illustrated in the side-by-side display below. Three consecutive perspectives from the front, the top, and the back are presented. All size dimensions are rounded to the nearest millimeter.

The table below summarizes the key physical specs of the OM System OM-1 II alongside a set of similar cameras. If you want to review a particular camera pair side-by-side, just move across to the CAM-parator tool and choose from the broad selection of possible comparisons there.

Body Specifications

		Camera Model	Camera Width	Camera Height	Camera Depth	Camera Weight	Battery Life	Weather Sealing	Camera Launch	Launch Price	Street Price
1.		OM System OM-1 II	135 mm	92 mm	73 mm	599 g	500	Y	Jan 2024	US$ 2 399	amazon.com
2.		Nikon Zf	144 mm	103 mm	49 mm	710 g	380	Y	Sep 2023	US$ 1 999	amazon.com
3.		Olympus E-M1 II	134 mm	91 mm	67 mm	574 g	440	Y	Sep 2016	US$ 1 999	ebay.com
4.		Olympus E-M1 III	134 mm	91 mm	69 mm	580 g	420	Y	Feb 2020	US$ 1 799	ebay.com
5.		OM System OM-1	135 mm	92 mm	73 mm	599 g	520	Y	Feb 2022	US$ 2 199	ebay.com
6.		OM System OM-5	125 mm	85 mm	50 mm	414 g	310	Y	Oct 2022	US$ 1 199	amazon.com
7.		Panasonic G9	137 mm	97 mm	92 mm	658 g	400	Y	Nov 2017	US$ 1 699	ebay.com
8.		Panasonic G9 II	134 mm	102 mm	90 mm	658 g	390	Y	Sep 2023	US$ 1 899	amazon.com
9.		Panasonic G95	130 mm	94 mm	77 mm	536 g	290	Y	Apr 2019	US$ 999	ebay.com
10.		Panasonic GH5	139 mm	98 mm	87 mm	725 g	410	Y	Jan 2017	US$ 1 999	ebay.com
11.		Panasonic GH5 II	139 mm	98 mm	87 mm	727 g	400	Y	May 2021	US$ 1 699	amazon.com
Note: Measurements and pricing do not include easily detachable parts, such as add-on or interchangeable lenses or optional viewfinders.
Convert to Imperial

The listed prices provide an indication of the market segment that the manufacturer of the cameras have been targeting. The OM System OM-1 II was launched in the US market at a price of $2,399. Usually, retail prices stay at first close to the launch price, but after several months, discounts become available. Later in the product cycle and, in particular, when the replacement model is about to appear, further discounting and stock clearance sales often push the camera price considerably down. Then, after the new model is out, very good deals can frequently be found on the pre-owned market.

Check OM-1 II price at
amazon.com

Sensor comparison with a 35mm slide

The size of the sensor inside a digital camera is one of the key determinants of image quality. A large sensor will tend to have larger individual pixels that provide better low-light sensitivity, wider dynamic range, and richer color-depth than smaller pixel-units in a sensor of the same technological generation. Moreover, a large sensor camera will give the photographer more control over depth-of-field in the image and, thus, the ability to better isolate a subject from the background. On the downside, larger sensors are more costly to manufacture and tent to lead to bigger and heavier cameras and lenses.

The OM System OM-1 II features a Four Thirds sensor and has a format factor (sometimes also referred to as "crop factor") of 2.0. Within the spectrum of camera sensors, this places the OM System OM-1 II among the medium-sized sensor cameras that aim to strike a balance between image quality and portability.

Consistent information on actual sensor performance is available from DXO Mark for most cameras. This service determines an overall sensor rating, as well as sub-scores for low-light sensitivity ("DXO Sports"), dynamic range ("DXO Landscape"), and color depth ("DXO Portrait"). The adjacent table reports on the physical sensor characteristics and the outcomes of the DXO sensor quality tests for a sample of alternative cameras.

Sensor Characteristics

		Camera Model	Sensor Class	Resolution (MP)	Horiz. Pixels	Vert. Pixels	Video Format	DXO Portrait	DXO Landscape	DXO Sports	DXO Overall
1.		OM System OM-1 II	Four Thirds	20.2	5184	3888	4K/60p	23.4	13.6	1749	78
2.		Nikon Zf	Full Frame	24.3	6048	4024	4K/60p	25.4	14.7	3243	96
3.		Olympus E-M1 II	Four Thirds	20.2	5184	3888	4K/30p	23.7	12.8	1312	80
4.		Olympus E-M1 III	Four Thirds	20.2	5184	3888	4K/30p	23.3	13.1	1356	76
5.		OM System OM-1	Four Thirds	20.2	5184	3888	4K/60p	23.4	13.4	1553	77
6.		OM System OM-5	Four Thirds	20.2	5184	3888	4K/30p	23.4	13.4	1622	78
7.		Panasonic G9	Four Thirds	20.2	5184	3888	4K/60p	23.1	12.8	1138	74
8.		Panasonic G9 II	Four Thirds	25.0	5776	4336	5.7K/60p	23.4	13.5	1710	78
9.		Panasonic G95	Four Thirds	20.2	5184	3888	4K/30p	23.2	13.0	1273	75
10.		Panasonic GH5	Four Thirds	20.2	5184	3888	4K/60p	23.9	13.0	807	77
11.		Panasonic GH5 II	Four Thirds	20.2	5184	3888	4K/60p	23.7	13.1	1136	79
Note: DXO values in italics represent estimates based on sensor size and age.

Many modern cameras cannot only take still pictures, but also record videos. The OM-1 II indeed provides movie recording capabilities. The highest resolution format that the OM-1 II can use is 4K/60p.

Feature comparison

Apart from body and sensor, cameras can and do differ across a variety of features. For example, the OM-1 II has an electronic viewfinder with a resolution of 5760k dots. The viewfinder offers a field of view of 100% and a magnification of 0.82x. The following tables report on some other key feature differences and similarities of the OM System OM-1 II and comparable cameras.

Core Features

		Camera Model	Viewfinder (Type or 000 dots)	Control Panel (yes/no)	LCD Specifications (inch/000 dots)	LCD Attach- ment	Touch Screen (yes/no)	Max Shutter Speed *	Max Shutter Flaps *	Built-in Flash (yes/no)	Built-in Image Stab
1.		OM System OM-1 II	5760	n	3.0 / 1640	swivel	Y	1/8000s	10.0/s	n	Y
2.		Nikon Zf	3690	n	3.2 / 2100	swivel	Y	1/8000s	14.0/s	n	Y
3.		Olympus E-M1 II	2360	n	3.0 / 1037	swivel	Y	1/8000s	18.0/s	n	Y
4.		Olympus E-M1 III	2360	n	3.0 / 1037	swivel	Y	1/8000s	18.0/s	n	Y
5.		OM System OM-1	5760	n	3.0 / 1640	swivel	Y	1/8000s	10.0/s	n	Y
6.		OM System OM-5	2360	n	3.0 / 1040	swivel	Y	1/8000s	10.0/s	n	Y
7.		Panasonic G9	3680	Y	3.0 / 1040	swivel	Y	1/8000s	20.0/s	n	Y
8.		Panasonic G9 II	3680	n	3.0 / 1840	swivel	Y	1/8000s	10.0/s	n	Y
9.		Panasonic G95	2360	n	3.0 / 1240	swivel	Y	1/4000s	9.0/s	Y	Y
10.		Panasonic GH5	3680	n	3.2 / 1620	swivel	Y	1/8000s	12.0/s	n	Y
11.		Panasonic GH5 II	3680	n	3.0 / 1840	swivel	Y	1/8000s	12.0/s	n	Y
Note: *) Information refers to the mechanical shutter, unless the camera only has an electronic one.

The LCD screen on the OM System OM-1 II is flexibly attached to the body. In particular, the LCD is hinged on the side and can be flipped out for odd-angle shots in both portrait and landscape orientation. Also, this fully articulated, swivel type of LCD attachment is often appreciated by videographers for its flexibility. Moreover, v-loggers like the design because the screen can be turned to be front-facing.

One feature that differentiates the OM-1 II from many older cameras is in-body image stabilization (IBIS). The OM-1 II reduces the risk of handshake-induced blur with all attached lenses, while cameras without IBIS have to rely on optical image stabilization in OIS-equipped lenses to achieve the same effect.

Connection comparison

For some imaging applications, the extent to which a camera can communicate with its environment can be an important aspect in the camera decision process. The table below provides an overview of the connectivity of the OM System OM-1 II and, in particular, the interfaces the cameras (and selected comparators) provide for accessory control and data transfer.

Input-Output Connections

		Camera Model	Hotshoe Port	Internal Mic / Speaker	Microphone Port	Headphone Port	HDMI Port	USB Port	WiFi Support	NFC Support	Bluetooth Support
1.		OM System OM-1 II	Y	stereo / mono	Y	Y	micro	3.0	Y	-	Y
2.		Nikon Zf	Y	stereo / mono	Y	Y	micro	3.2	Y	-	Y
3.		Olympus E-M1 II	Y	stereo / mono	Y	Y	micro	3.0	Y	-	-
4.		Olympus E-M1 III	Y	stereo / mono	Y	Y	micro	3.1	Y	-	Y
5.		OM System OM-1	Y	stereo / mono	Y	Y	micro	3.0	Y	-	Y
6.		OM System OM-5	Y	stereo / mono	Y	-	micro	2.0	Y	-	Y
7.		Panasonic G9	Y	stereo / mono	Y	Y	full	3.0	Y	-	Y
8.		Panasonic G9 II	Y	stereo / mono	Y	Y	full	3.2	Y	-	Y
9.		Panasonic G95	Y	stereo / mono	Y	Y	micro	2.0	Y	-	Y
10.		Panasonic GH5	Y	stereo / mono	Y	Y	full	3.1	Y	-	Y
11.		Panasonic GH5 II	Y	stereo / mono	Y	Y	full	3.2	Y	-	Y

It is notable that the OM-1 II has a microphone port. Such an external microphone input can help to substantially improve the quality of audio recordings when a good external microphone is used.

Further information on the features and operation of the OM-1 II can be found in the free online OM System OM-1 II Manual or on the OM System support site.

Expert reviews

While the comparison of the spec-sheets of cameras can offer a general idea of their imaging potential, it says nothing about, for example, the handling, responsiveness, and overall imaging quality of the OM-1 II in practical situations. User reviews, such as those found at amazon, can sometimes inform about these issues, but such feedback is often incomplete, inconsistent, and biased. This is why hands-on reviews by experts are important. The following table reports the overall rankings of the cameras as published by some of the major camera review sites (amateurphotographer [AP], cameralabs [CL], digitalcameraworld [DCW], dpreview [DPR], ephotozine [EPZ], photographyblog [PB]).

Review Scores

		Camera   Model	AP   score	CL   score	DCW   score	DPR   score	EPZ   score	PB   score	Camera Launch	Launch Price	Street Price
1.		OM System OM-1 II	..	..	..	..	..	..	Jan 2024	US$ 2 399	amazon.com
2.		Nikon Zf	4.5/5	..	4.5/5	90/100	4.5/5	5/5	Sep 2023	US$ 1 999	amazon.com
3.		Olympus E-M1 II	5/5	+ +	5/5	85/100	4.5/5	4.5/5	Sep 2016	US$ 1 999	ebay.com
4.		Olympus E-M1 III	5/5	..	5/5	83/100	4.5/5	4/5	Feb 2020	US$ 1 799	ebay.com
5.		OM System OM-1	5/5	..	..	87/100	5/5	4.5/5	Feb 2022	US$ 2 199	ebay.com
6.		OM System OM-5	5/5	..	4.5/5	83/100	5/5	4.5/5	Oct 2022	US$ 1 199	amazon.com
7.		Panasonic G9	..	+ +	5/5	85/100	5/5	5/5	Nov 2017	US$ 1 699	ebay.com
8.		Panasonic G9 II	5/5	..	4.5/5	87/100	..	4.5/5	Sep 2023	US$ 1 899	amazon.com
9.		Panasonic G95	4.5/5	+	4.5/5	83/100	4.5/5	4.5/5	Apr 2019	US$ 999	ebay.com
10.		Panasonic GH5	4.5/5	+ +	..	85/100	4.5/5	5/5	Jan 2017	US$ 1 999	ebay.com
11.		Panasonic GH5 II	4.5/5	..	4.5/5	85/100	4.5/5	5/5	May 2021	US$ 1 699	amazon.com
Note: (+ +) highly recommended; (+) recommended; (o) reviewed; (..) not available.

Care should be taken when interpreting the review scores above, though. The ratings are only valid when referring to cameras in the same category and of the same age. A score, therefore, has to be seen in close connection to the price and market introduction time of the camera, and comparisons of ratings among very different cameras or across long time periods have little meaning. It should also be noted that some of the review sites have over time altered the way they render their verdicts.

Check OM-1 II price at
amazon.com

Camera to camera comparisons

If you would like to see a side-by-side review with another camera, just use the search menu below. There is also a set of direct links to comparison reviews that other users of the CAM-parator app explored.

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