The New OM Systems OM-1 Camera, is it a "WOW" Camera or just and Upgrade?

[Ardy]

manatee, isn't this the mirrorless Nikon camera that has been out a while. I don't follow camera developments much.
The Nikon lens is 16k and my Oly was 1.4k, btw I don't have the pro version which is about 10k with built-in 2x? or 1.4x...

 

[rongoodman]

My first SLR was the original OM-1. I think I got it because Chris Bonington used them on his Everest S.W. Face expedition.

 

[Manatee Diver]

manatee, isn't this the mirrorless Nikon camera that has been out a while. I don't follow camera developments much.
The Nikon lens is 16k and my Oly was 1.4k, btw I don't have the pro version which is about 10k with built-in 2x? or 1.4x...

No, it was announced October 2021, started shipping in December.

And it is worth the $16k. Pro prime lens are a different beast from the consumer line. And TBH I suggest people don't put too much stock in effective focal length. That is just a marketing term, it gives you a general comparison but that is it. It isn't a measuring contest, because you are going to lose to companies with deeper pockets.

 

[Ardy]

OK, must have been talking about another nikon Z.
How come that Nikon lens it's worth 16k? An oly 150-400 pro lens is 7.5k and has much more reach and very good optics. For nature/bird photography where you are walking a fair amount, the reach and weight outbids a NiCon combination. If you've done some birding, it is reach and weight reduction that you want, assuming (if you are a pro) image quality is pro-grade.

Nikkor Z 100-400 vs. Olympus 150-400 Pro: how does telephoto reach compare? — Oxbow Photography

Hello all! I just finished a test trying to answer the following question: how does the reach compare between two camera setups, one “full-frame” and the other micro-four thirds? For this test I compared the Nikon 100-400 Z on the Z9 to the Olympus 150-400 Pro on the E-M1X shot wide open with and w

www.oxbowphoto.com

Interview: Scott Bourne on new Olympus 150-400mm PRO lens - 'when I first heard about it, it blew my mind'

Professional wildlife photographer and Olympus Visionary Scott Bourne is one of the best-known names in bird photography. In this interview, he explains his background, and what he thinks of the new M.Zuiko 150-400mm F4.5 TC1.25x IS PRO lens

www.dpreview.com

Quote: What really blew me away was the speed of the autofocus, and the image stabilization, with the lens and the camera working together. At 2000mm effective focal length, I can handhold shots at 1/180 sec and it’s sharp. That impressed me.

I'm just a rank amateur and make no claims to being a great photographer. In these days I believe it is not the gear, it is the driver of the gear that counts

 

[Manatee Diver]

How come that Nikon lens it's worth 16k? An oly 150-400 pro lens is 7.5k and has much more reach and very good optics. For nature/bird photography where you are walking a fair amount, the reach and weight outbids a NiCon combination. If you've done some birding, it is reach and weight reduction that you want, assuming (if you are a pro) image quality is pro-grade.

I have no used that specific lens, but I've used the Nikon 400 f/2.8, that I rented, Nikon 200-400 f/4, and the Sigma 120-300 f2.8. The light gathering abilities of the fast primes is superior than the slower non-primes. The apertures are more circular so you get more pleasant bokeh. Yes they are heavy, so typically you use a back pack to carry them and a monopod. If I made money off my photos I would've bought the 400 f/2.8. And if I did the type of photography that required it, I would probably rent it again.

I'm just a rank amateur and make no claims to being a great photographer. In these days I believe it is not the gear, it is the driver of the gear that counts

I only looked at effective focal length for wide angles, as that allows you to compare the field of views. But a 2,000mm effective focal length doesn't mean a more detailed picture.

 

[Barmaglot]

How come that Nikon lens it's worth 16k? An oly 150-400 pro lens is 7.5k and has much more reach and very good optics

Because physics.
In a nutshell, there is a hard minimum to which you can focus a light beam of a given wavelength, which, among other things, caps the maximum possible resolution of a camera sensor of a given size. Cramming more individual pixels in will not yield any more detail when neighboring pixels get the same light. Therefore, in order to get more detail, you need a larger sensor, and a larger sensor needs a larger and heavier lens, and large lens elements are expensive and time-consuming to manufacture. Canon used to sell a 1200mm f/5.6 lens - it was only available by special order with a $10,000 deposit; two of its elements were cut from enormous fluorite crystals that took more than a year to grow.

 

[Ardy]

Guys, I can only judge by what I am seeing on reviews of that Oly 150-400 lens. I have the 100-400, not a pro lens and the images are excellent. It is not great in low light but set on auto ISO it performs well enough. Not all bird photography is done in low light.
Having owned a Nikon ff and a 28-300mm f/3.5-5.6 ED VR G Lens, did bird shots with it, I can tell you it is impossible to see any difference in the results.
I note on reading a bit more that a Nikon Z9 weighs about the same as a D850, is that what you want in an UW camera?

 

[Ardy]

My first SLR was the original OM-1. I think I got it because Chris Bonington used them on his Everest S.W. Face expedition.

I owned one as well Ron, used it for about 4 years in an Australian built housing called a Sea-Tite, they were excellent cameras. I moved to a Nikon F4 and an Aquatica which I bought from the widow of a diver who had died! Used it for the rest of my UW film photography.
Not sure where OM Systems is going and only time will tell. Luckily I bought an EM5 mk2 and am happy with that, at 75 I am hoping to dive for a couple more years.
I am of the opinion that a pro-photographer will get better shots out of a ten year old digital camera than any keen amateur could get out of a state of the art camera.

 

[BoltSnap]

at 75 I am hoping to dive for a couple more years

I wish you at least two more decades of safe, enjoyable and awesome diving in great health, happiness, prosperity and enjoyment!!!

 

[Manatee Diver]

I note on reading a bit more that a Nikon Z9 weighs about the same as a D850, is that what you want in an UW camera?

Based on specs and the announced upgradability including 8K raw output coming, the Z9 could be in the running for one of the best video cameras you can buy.

IMO there is a big difference between fast prime pro telephotos and the non-pro particularly the zooms. But that doesn't mean that the non-pro zooms aren't great lenses. Sort of like comparing a SUV to super car, yeah the SUV will get the job done. But if you want to go fast (or in photos lower light) you want the super car.