Olympus and OM System at a glance
Olympus was a Japanese optical company, founded in 1919, that made cameras for more than 80 years. It was known for small, light cameras such as the Pen half-frame camera and the OM SLRs. In 2021 its camera business became a separate company, OM Digital Solutions, and new cameras are now sold under the name OM System. They use the Micro Four Thirds mount.
History
October 12, 1919. Takachiho Seisakusho was founded in Tokyo, first making microscopes. It later took the name Olympus.
1959. The Olympus Pen used half-frame 35mm film and took 72 pictures on a standard roll.
1972. The OM-1 was a compact, light 35mm SLR, designed by Yoshihisa Maitani, who also designed the Pen.
2003. The E-1 introduced the Four Thirds system for digital SLRs.
2008 to 2009. Olympus and Panasonic introduced Micro Four Thirds. The first Olympus model was the Pen E-P1 (2009).
January 1, 2021. The camera business was transferred to OM Digital Solutions, owned by the investment firm Japan Industrial Partners.
2022. The OM System OM-1 was the first camera under the new name.
System
Micro Four Thirds. Small sensor, small lenses and strong image stabilization. The same lenses fit Panasonic Lumix G cameras.
Tough cameras. The TG series of waterproof compacts, popular for underwater and close-up work.
Older systems. Four Thirds DSLRs (E series), OM film SLRs and Pen film cameras are history, but many are still in use.
Current cameras
Cameras listed on omsystem.com (United States), checked on November 3, 2026:
OM System: OM-1 Mark II, OM-3, OM-5 Mark II.
Pen: the Pen series continues under OM Digital Solutions. Its first new camera, in June 2021, was the Olympus Pen E-P7.
Tough: TG-7.
Older Olympus OM-D models, such as the E-M10 series, can still be found new in some stores.
Sources: Olympus Corporation (Wikipedia), OM Digital Solutions (Wikipedia), omsystem.com (current range, November 2026).
Last updated: November 2026
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