OM System’s new infared mirrorless camera can see what human eyes can’t. The OM-1 Mark II IR just launched in Japan for use in research and industry

Sometimes, cameras can see better than the human eye – and OM System has just launched one such camera in Japan. The OM System OM-1 Mark II IR is an infrared camera system designed for testing and research.

The new IR camera is based on the OM-1 Mark II that consumers can buy off the shelf, but is built to use swappable magnetic filters that allow the camera to see infrared light, then switch back to traditional visible light photography.

The IR version of the camera has so far only been announced in Japan, and is designed for corporate customers and businesses needing IR cameras for inspections and testing. That means it’s not an IR camera to take otherworldly, artistic photos.

While the new IR camera doesn’t look like something the average photographer can go out and buy, the use of a magnetic detachable filter is interesting. IR filters are easy to find from photography gear stores, and are available both in the type that twists onto a lens and clip-on filters that sit over the sensor itself.

OM System Japan notes that using an existing mirrorless system allows companies to access IR photography at a lower cost.

The specs on the IR camera look nearly identical to the original OM-1 Mark II. The dust-proof and splashproof body makes sense for a camera made to go to construction sites for inspections. The high-resolution mode that merges photos from the native 20MP sensor into 80MP photos is also still intact in the specialty IR version.

While the OM System OM-1 Mark II IR doesn’t appear to be available to photographers, it’s interesting to see the tech behind the cameras used for things like researching the unseen brushstrokes on paintings, conducting inspections, and even forensic photography.

The OM-1 Mark II isn’t the first camera that the company has offered in an infrared variant either. Under the Olympus brand, the company has also previously offered IR versions of the OM-D E-M1X and the E-M1 Mark III.

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