The popular retro Olympus PEN series is entering its OM System era. The OM System PEN is a compact mirrorless camera mixing the PEN legacy with simple controls and a design that’s small enough – and durable enough – to want to carry every day.
The OM System PEN, announced on September 09, carries the same unstacked 20.4MP Micro Four Thirds sensor and TruPic IX image processor as cameras like the OM-5 Mark II, but revives the longtime favorite PEN series with its retro, rangefinder-inspired design and yet sits on the more affordable end of OM System’s lineup.
The PEN has an unusual mix of stabilization and weather-sealing for the price
Price-wise, the PEN slots in between the Olympus OM-D E-M10 Mark IV and the OM System OM-5 Mark II, making the new camera one of the brand’s most affordable options, second only to the last remaining camera to carry the Olympus name.
Priced at $999 / £849 / CA$1,399, the OM System PEN brings two features that are difficult to find in the sub-$1,000 budget mirrorless category: weather-sealing and in-body image stabilization.
The OM System PEN isn’t just weather-sealed but rated as IPX1 splashproof. That rating isn’t as robust as the IP53 rating for most of OM System’s higher-priced cameras, but weather-sealing is rare among budget-priced cameras and rarer still to come with an official IP rating. The IPX1 rating means the camera is rated to withstand rain (but not water spraying from every direction), while the X means that the camera wasn’t tested for dust resistance.
The OM System PEN also houses a stabilization system rated for 5.5 stops.
Weather-sealing and stabilization are arguably the two biggest features that OM System is known for, as the camera brand has positioned itself as an outdoor camera brand in the wake of the split from Olympus. With the launch of the PEN, even the cheapest mirrorless camera that carries the OM System name has those two features.
Finding both stabilization and weather-sealing in a mirrorless camera under $1,000 is hard to do without picking up an older or used model – though not impossible. The similarly priced Nikon Z50 II is weather-sealed but doesn’t have IBIS. Canon’s cheapest mirrorless with both weather-sealing and IBIS is the EOS R7 ($1,499 / £1,349); Sony’s is the A6600 ($1,399 / £1,450), and Fujifilm doesn’t get to both features until the X-T5 ($1,699 / £1,399).
The biggest competition to the PEN for bringing both stabilization and weather-sealing is fellow Micro Four Thirds camera maker Panasonic, which offers five-axis sensor-shift stabilization with splash and dust seals on the Lumix G97 at about $850 / £899 with a lens.
The OM System PEN is the first in the PEN series to include weather-sealing, a move that makes a lot of sense for what the camera is meant for. OM System is targeting this camera both towards beginners and photographers looking for an everyday carry camera – and it’s hard to carry a camera every day if that camera can’t withstand a little rain.
The OM System PEN still maintains a gap between the brand’s next camera up in the lineup – the OM-5 Mark II – however. The OM-5 Mark II has better IP53 weather-sealing and up to 7.5 stops of stabilization, but also faster performance at 10 fps with a mechanical shutter to the PEN’s 6 fps. The PEN’s electronic shutter can also reach 30fps, but focus is fixed on the first frame.
Both the PEN and OM-5 Mark II share a 121-point autofocus system, though the PEN also has pet and human eye subject detection (albeit in stills only).
The OM System PEN keeps a retro but easy-to-use design
Like earlier PEN cameras, the newest addition to the series uses a viewfinder that’s placed off in the corner, rangefinder-style rather than the SLR-style centered placement. While the camera favors a retro design, the dials and controls are geared more towards simplicity and usability, featuring a more traditional mode dial. OM System describes it as “a timeless design for the joy of photography.”
But, like earlier digital PEN cameras, the 2026 PEN still has a dedicated control dial for creative control to easily switch between different color or monochrome looks. The PEN has the same color profiles as the OM-3, including the ability to customize different looks, but OM System is also launching an update to the OI.Share app that allows tweaking color recipes in the app and uploading to the camera – including creating new recipes based on an inspiration photo.
The PEN’s touchscreen is tilt-capable and includes a selfie mode that triggers shots with the touchscreen when flipped forward.
Alongside weather-sealing and stabilization, computational photography remains a big push for OM System, and the PEN features a dial just for those modes as well, including high-res mode, live NDs, and focus stacking. Additional modes, such as multiple exposures, are available inside the camera’s menu.
The OM System PEN is more geared towards stills, but the camera does offer 4K shooting, both vertical and horizontal videos, and the wider dynamic range modes OM-Cinema1 and OM-Cinema2, along with supporting the same creative controls for stills for shooting video.
The Olympus PEN series has long been a favorite among retro camera fans, spanning both the original film camera in 1959 to modern digital options like the 2016 Olympus PEN-F. The OM System PEN aims to pay homage to that inspiration as a camera that’s beginner-friendly, but that more serious photographers may want to reach for as a compact, everyday carry camera – and the weather-sealing and stabilization mixed with the retro design will go a long way towards those goals.
The weather-sealing makes the new OM System PEN slightly thicker than the PEN F, but the mirrorless still comes in at a compact 43.4mm depth and a lightweight 393g – including a new battery that’s rated to 410 shots.
The OM System PEN is expected to begin shipping in late October in the US, or late Septmeber / early October in Europe, along with the newly announced kit lens, the M.Zuiko Digital 14-42mm f/3.5-5.6 III. The camera, available in black or silver, retails for $999 / £850 / CA$1,399 body only, $1,099 / £999 / CA$1,549 with the kit lens. In North America, the camera will also be offered in a two-lens kit for $1,299 / CA$1,799 with 14-42mm and 40-150mm lenses.
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