Will OM System develop an advanced compact camera? I asked OM execs about compacts, the PEN line, and cheap mirrorless – and what they said surprised me

As smartphones pushed compact cameras to the wayside, many major camera companies seemed to stop making cheap compacts – but there’s an affordable compact camera line that has remained in place even before compact cameras became popular again: The OM System Tough series.

I sat down with several OM System executives to chat about the future of compact cameras and the brand’s most beloved models – including the PEN series and the OM-D E-M10 Mark IV – and what they said surprised me.

The OM System Tough line, like the current model TG-7, remained relevant despite the advancement of smartphone cameras because the series has long had a waterproof, drop-proof design that allowed users to take photographs where a smartphone couldn’t venture.

Will OM System launch an advanced compact camera?

But while OM System, formerly Olympus, kept compact cameras alive even as the popularity declined, the brand doesn’t currently offer an advanced compact camera with a larger-than-average sensor.

The Olympus Stylus 1, a 2013 camera, mixed a 1/1.7-inch sensor with a 28-300mm lens that maintained a bright f/2.8 aperture throughout the zoom range. But while cameras like the Fujifilm X100VI became exceptionally popular, OM System hasn’t yet tried to put a larger sensor into a compact camera.

Eiji Shirota, head of business at OM System, told me why in a recent interview: non-interchangeable lenses aren’t what makes a compact camera popular. “While attention is being drawn to high-end compact cameras, we are also aware that the lower price compact cameras with streamlined features are seeing growth in unit sales,” he said.

“The fact that they’re an integrated lens model is not the core value. What truly matters isn't that these are integrated lens cameras. What's most important is the distinctive benefits they provide to customers who value those features.”

While Shirota couldn’t discuss unreleased products, he stressed that the Tough series remains an important part of OM System. His comment about budget-price compact cameras doesn’t have me hopeful for a future compact camera with a larger sensor.

But I think he makes an interesting point, because I’ve long thought that a mirrorless camera with a pancake lens makes an excellent compact camera alternative – and Micro Four Thirds’ smaller size makes some OM System mirrorless cameras feel poised as a compact camera alternative, with a bit less pocketability but more versatility.

The Olympus E-M10 Mark IV series will continue

One of OM System’s most affordable compact mirrorless cameras, however, hasn’t been updated since Olympus cameras became OM System: the Olympus E-M10 Mark IV. While OM System couldn’t discuss unannounced products, the team said that the E-M10 series remains an important part of the lineup.

“The E-M10 series is a very popular model, even though it's a bit older now, but for this price class, it's still one of the best selling cameras, and we think one of the best looking ones as well,” said Sandro Rymann, OM System head of business for EMEA (Europe, Middle East, Asia) and Americas.

“However, of course, we consider this also an important part of our lineup, right? So, yes, we will continue to develop in this direction as well.”

OM System is "actively exploring" a new PEN model

The E-M10 Mark IV carries on the brand’s small size and retro look of another longstanding favorite that hasn’t seen a recent update: the PEN series. The PEN lineup still exists in Japan and Europe, where the EOlympus PEN E-P7 is sold.

But the series hasn’t fallen off OM System’s radar: “The PEN series remains as an important part of our portfolio, and we are actively exploring the possibility of a PEN model,” Shirota said.

OM System's focus is on outdoor photography – and the "joy of photography"

The Tough TG-7 and mirrorless cameras like the new OM-5 Mark II, despite being in two different categories, still have several things in common, including weather-resistance and a compact design.

Size and durability, along with features like computational photography and image stabilization, are features that OM System is betting on in order to remain competitive in a mirrorless market now filled with full-frame competitors – a strategy that seems to be working, even without moving beyond a 20MP native resolution.

“We often heard 20 megapixels, not enough. But actually, our customer base is getting bigger and bigger and bigger,” Naohiro Yamaguchi, executive director of US sales and marketing for OM System, said when I asked about OM System’s sensor development.

Many – although not all – of OM System’s current lineup is weather-sealed, compact, and packs in features like stabilization and Live ND that enables many to leave not just larger cameras but tripods and filters behind too.

Outdoor photography has emerged as a key focus for OM System, where the Micro Four Thirds smaller size and crop factor often offers the biggest advantage. (If there’s one thing that I would ask for on an E-M10 Mark V or OM-10, if the company sticks with the new naming strategy, it is weather-sealing.)

Shirota says that OM System is focusing on five key technologies: compact design, powerful stabilization, all-weather environmental performance, computational photography, and a lineup of one-of-a-kind lenses.

“OM System Cameras are professional tools optimized for outdoor photography, combining image quality, reliability, mobility, and creativity at a high level,” Shirota said. “We aspire to be a brand that inspires a spirit of adventure, a brand that makes people want to go out and shoot even more through the joy of photography.”

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In case you missed it, read part one of the interview with OM System. Or, browse the best OM System cameras or the best OM System lenses.