Following the launch of the OM System OM-1 Mark II, many photographers wondered, “Could this have been a firmware update?” There are quite a few new features exclusive to the new Micro Four Thirds flagship camera because it features improved processing power and memory. Nonetheless, OM Digital Solutions (OMDS) has heard the complaints and has announced a new firmware update for the original OM-1.
“Since the announcement of the OM System OM-1 Mark II interchangeable lens camera on January 30, there have been many inquiries regarding the possibility of a firmware update to the OM System OM-1 (released March 2022),” OM System says in a press release. “As a result, we would like to advise of our plan for a future firmware update for OM-1.”
The update is slated to arrive this autumn and will focus on two critical areas of improvement.
The first is autofocus. OM promises to bring “improvement of some AF performance capabilities” to the OM-1 later this year, including better S-AF and C-AF performance in all-target mode. This should improve overall autofocus performance and help photographers capture more keepers.
The firmware update will also deliver improved operability by allowing users to assign the trash (delete) button as a menu access shortcut — a change that emulates slightly revised controls on the OM-1 Mark II body.
Given that the OM-1 II’s improved overall performance and features are mainly due to better hardware, only some things can be brought to the original OM-1 via firmware update. OMDS notes that it will not bring certain new features, including Live GND and AI detection autofocus for humans, to the OM-1.
Further, while the firmware update this fall will improve the OM-1’s autofocus performance, OMDS is clear that there will still be a gap in overall performance between the original camera and the new OM-1 II.
Although the new firmware upgrade will not bring all of the new OM-1 Mark II’s features to the original OM-1 — which makes perfect sense given that the new camera has more power under the hood — it will still be a welcome improvement for original OM-1 owners who don’t intend to upgrade to the OM-1 Mark II.