Will the new OM System PEN replace the EP-7?

 Last update:- 16th September 2026

OM System announced a new MFT mirrorless camera Monday, the 9th of September. Except for those YouTubers posting regular videos about Olympus and OM System cameras, it was the first time other influencers discussed an OM System camera since the OM-3 launch in 2025. It was amusing to see the enthusiasm and instant love for a repackaged, 12-year-old mirrorless concept from Olympus.

One could literally list the top 5 sales lines from OM System after the third YouTube video, which is perfectly fine, as corporate press events were done like this for years. It's normal to work with the press and to include a print-ready article or script in each press package. The difference is, one never saw a line like, "The article is sponsored, but I am free to report my thoughts." The contrast between the final 10 years of Olympus excellence and the past 5-plus years with OM System reminds me of a small community of influencers returning to the stone age, where size matters.

See this informative video on color and the OM-3.

There is something special about a professional Olympus or OM System camera. It's always a joy to see the excitement when someone purchases a used EM-1. The popularity of cameras like the E-1, the E-3, the EM-1 series, and EM1X are great examples. The Olympus EM-1 II introduced many photographers to the MFT segment, and the EM-5 series enjoyed a distinct enthusiast preference, which made the EM-5 III and the OM-5 obvious developments. It's almost disrespectful to take a professional camera like the Olympus EM-1 III and diminish it to just another low-cost product. We can only speculate what is next for pro-level cameras like the Olympus OM1, the OM System OM-1 II, and the OM-3.

If well "designed," the new OM System PEN has the potential to quickly become the ultimate everyday camera. A much more modest EP-7 has proven to be a popular everyday camera. Copying the color & mono lever from the EP-7 was an excellent choice, as it's a more practical option than the Pen F and OM-3 creative dials. The new mobile phone application (IO.Share) looks like a welcome improvement, and the updated version of Workspace is quick and a pleasure to use. I had some initial performance issues with the newer version, which can happen while the new version updates an existing database. See my Workspace update page for more regular updates.

I wouldn't partner with influencers who fall in love with a 12-year-old concept and tomorrow promote the idea that "bigger sensors are better." Why not target customer segments, like farming, sailing, and house renovations, where every influencer could showcase an OM System PEN camera?

Folks, I used Workspace V2.5 when discussing the RAW+ format.

Siegfried

The Olympus PEN EP-7 has been one of the most popular everyday cameras...

All the photos were taken with my Olympus EP-7 and 17 mm f/2.8 lens.

Walking the dog with my Olympus EM-5 II

Last update:- 9th September 2026

Taken with the Olympus EM-1 III and the M.Zuiko 12-45mm pro lens. I converted the RAW+ file in Workspace.

I decided to take my E-M5 II and Leica 25mm f/1.4 lens on a summer afternoon walk with my wife and Milo. It was literally the final minutes prior to the sun setting for a quiet evening. The EM-5 II, with its innovative feature set, continues to be a fascinating mirrorless camera in 2026. The images have a unique natural balance with beautiful colors, and it's one of only a few cameras with a pleasant and soft shutter sound. The posted photos were converted and edited in Workspace, and the frames were added in Affinity. I edited my camera settings, tonal settings, and a mix of Natural, iEnhanced, and Color Creator Picture modes in Workspace. It's great to use a mirrorless camera from 2015 with such an advanced "computational" like feature set. Will it be the final one in my camera bag?

PS. The posted images ended up covering a span of three days.

Forecasted consumer trends, like the declining popularity of compact digital cameras and demand for hybrid cameras, seem to have been marketing "trends" all these years. We also see how corporate and consumer priorities changed with the arrival of AI, which impacts the business forecasts and priorities of professional photographers. For instance, the original Sony A1 with a lower shutter count is now a better financial alternative to the newer MKII label. Shouldn't photographers question official market trends more, with used camera sales being excluded from globally reported sales figures? One cannot help but wonder, how well is OM System geared for this fast-changing environment?

Imagine the savings potential when using a mirrorless camera from 2015 with modern features such as connectivity to OM Capture, Pen F and OM-3 color profiles via Workspace, 40MP high-res photos, and more. The EM-5 II has proven to be an exciting camera with its high-sensitivity 16 MB Live MOS sensor. Imagine an MFT camera with access to a large range of quality used lenses and no need for expensive PC configurations, overpriced memory cards, and high-capacity memory servers in 2026.

Olympus EM-5 II and the 25mm f/1.4 Leica lens. ISO200, f/3.5, 1/8th. This high-res 40MP RAW+ file was converted in Workspace.

While watching a video from James Popsys about colour and studying the book Lighting & Rendering from Jeremy Birn, I was reminded of how much more I need to learn. I am looking forward to the day our focus shifts from perfect cameras to using our GOD given talents to become better artists and not consumers. I am excited to see a new camera from OM System and wish them success...

The photos below are a selection of my enhanced raw files converted and edited in Workspace, plus HDR conversions of the EM-5 II raw files in Affinity. I added all the frames in Affinity.

This is one of my EM-5 II plus 25mm f/1.4 Leica lens photos I took the day after. I used the Color Creator in Workspace.

This is a more "natural" EM5 II - HDR version of the converted RAW file in Affinity Photo 2.

Another EM-5 II HDR raw conversion in Affinity Photo 2.

I used the HDR function of Affinity to convert this EM-5 II RAW+ file. Affinity made HDR photography fun again...