Olympus / OM System rumors 2026
Technically "Olympus rumors" are "OM System rumors", but old habits die hard! Even though we've had years to get used to the new name, and while the last ever camera to bear the Olympus logo (the OM System OM-1) has been replaced (by the OM System OM-1 Mark II), it's a hard habit to break.
While it's been a quiet year for the company in terms of launches, with the OM System PEN being the only new camera of the year, the biggest news came behind the scenes: OM Digital Solutions bought back its independence from private equity firm Japan Industrial Partners, which had purchased the group from Olympus.
This means a renewed investment in R&D and a more aggressive market strategy. So what could we expect from the unshackled company going forward?
OM System OM-3 Monochrome
Taking a cue from cameras like the Leica M11 Monochrom, the Pentax K-3 Mark III Monochrome and the Ricoh GR IV Monochrome, we could be getting a black-and-white OM-3 this year.
An OM System OM-3 Monochrome makes a lot of sense. For starters, the OM-3 already has killer mono profiles – in my opinion, better than the best black-and-white cameras like the Leica and GR IV! – so the quality is already a known quantity.
It also fits OM's recent trend of releasing upcycled versions of existing products, the OM System OM-3 Astro being a great example.
Rather than having to put R&D dollars and marketing muscle behind developing and promoting a whole new camera, the company can simply replace the sensor and have a Monochrome model ready to roll.
While the black-and-white battleground is a fairly niche one, it's big enough for four current products from rival manufacturers – and with some of them, such as the Leica Q3 Monochrom, carrying a huge price tag, this could be an excellent opportunity for OM to edge into a very profitable market.
RIP E-M10 / OM-10?
In a development that feels like a crying shame, but not entirely a surprise, the latest word is that the E-M10 series will not transmogrify to an OM-10 but will instead be discontinued.
Despite the still-current Olympus OM-D E-M10 Mark IV (released in 2020) continuing to be a big seller, as it's one of the best cameras for beginners on the market, a conspiracy of circumstances has left the E-M10 line as the odd man out in OM's range.
Once upon a time, the E-M1 series (now the OM-1) sat at the top of the tree, with the E-M5 (now OM-5) in the middle and the E-M10 as the entry-level option. However, with the addition of the OM System OM-3 below the flagship, and the industry in general catching up to the tech of the once-advanced OM-5, the hierarchy has shunted down – and appears to have bumped the E-M10 off the bottom.
I asked OM earlier this year what the fate of the E-M10 would be, and the answer was "we don't really know". My gut feeling is that there's no need for an entry-level SLR-lookalike confusing the range, especially since the company confirmed that it's still interested in doing something with the PEN line – which was historically a hugely successful entry-level line that appealed to beginners and what would now be the influencer crowd.
Still, now that everybody knows Taylor Swift uses an E-M10, perhaps that's reason enough to launch an OM-10!
OM System Trip 35
I've no idea where this rumor started, but it certainly jibes with the wishlists of people I've spoken to at OM over the years. Following the cult-like popularity of the digital Olympus PEN-F, Oly employees often said that they hoped the beloved Olympus Trip 35 would follow suit.
Well, mention of a mirrorless revival in the form of an OM Trip 35 has recently hit the web. And this certainly makes a lot of sense, given the rampant popularity of compact cameras recently, as the original Trip was one of the most popular compacts ever made.
If OM were to release a modern version, with an equivalent of the fixed 40mm f/2.8 lens (which would be a 20mm lens, assuming that OM sticks to its Micro Four Thirds pedigree), this could be one of the biggest cameras of the year.
More camera rumors: Canon rumors • Nikon rumors • Sony rumors • Fuji rumors • Panasonic rumors • Hasselblad rumors • Leica rumors • Ricoh & Pentax rumors
