In a move no one saw coming, a brand new Olympus camera has just been launched: a special edition astrophotography version of the Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark III, formerly the brand’s flagship.
When Olympus closed the transfer of its imaging division to OM Digital Solutions in 2021, it marked the end of the Olympus brand appearing on cameras. Well, it was meant to be.
While the company insisted to me that the OM System OM-1 would be the last camera ever to bear the Olympus branding, OM has just announced the new OM System E-M1 Mark III Astro – which, as you can see, bears the Olympus Logo. (OM actually did the same a few years ago,
This is a modified version of the original E-M1 Mark III. Everything is the same (except for the red “Astro” badge on the front), except it has a dedicated IR cut filter in front of the image sensor.
This “significantly improve[s] transmission of Hα rays, resulting in images with a strong reddish cast,” the company says. This refers to the hydrogen-alpha wavelength of the spectrum, invisible to the naked eye, which is the strongest emitted by hydrogen nebulae commonly seen in astrophotography. .
“The OM System E-M1 Mark III Astro has an IR cut filter in front of the image sensor, which has been optimized for optical characteristics to achieve approximately 100% transmission of Hα rays, which are important for astrophotography. This allows you to vividly capture the beautiful shapes and colors of nebulae, which emit light from Hα rays that are difficult to capture with conventional digital cameras.”
However, unlike some astrophoto cameras from other manufacturers, this is not any old camera with an infrared filter slapped on and sold for astro work; The E-M1 Mark III boasts a number of computational features that make it one of the best cameras for astrophotography.
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Chief among them is the Starry Sky AF function, which uses a special algorithm to facilitate automatic focusing on even the smallest stars – freeing the observer from having to focus manually. It even offers a manual Starry Sky AF mode, which is a bit of a game changer!
Combined with other features such as High Res Shot (which uses pixel shifting to generate 50MP or 80MP images from a 20.4MP sensor) and Live Composite (a bulb mode that only exposes new or brighter areas of the image, making it ideal for star trails or shooting stars), it becomes a very impressive astro camera.
So although a cynic might suggest that OM simply found a few boxes of unsold E-M1 Mark IIIs in storage and found a creative way to offload them (as they may have done in 2023 when they launched an IR system ). modified versions of the E-M1 Mark III and E-M1X), this new Astro body is incredibly capable.
Currently, and no doubt will continue to be, the OM System E-M1 Mark III Astro will only be available in Japan – and as a special made-to-order product priced at ¥327,800 (approx. $2,025 / £1,590 / AU$3,030). on sale July 25.
Interestingly, it comes with two new body filters that fit between the lens mount and the lens: the OM System BMF-LPC01 filter (light pollution) and the BMF-SE01 filter (soft focus). These will also be available individually for ¥41,800 ($258 / £203 / AU$387) and ¥30,800 ($190 / £149 / AU$285) respectively.
Although the OM website states that they are only compatible with the E-M1 Mark III, OM-1 and OM-1 Mark II, I don’t believe there are any physical differences between these mounts and those of any other Olympus, OM System or other Micro camera Four Thirds – so I don’t see why they wouldn’t work on any body.
Check out the best Olympus / OM System cameras along with the best Olympus / OM System lenses. And as an open platform, you can use any of the best Micro Four Thirds lenses on your MFT camera.