OM System Teases New Camera

credits: OM System

OM System has published a short teaser for a new camera coming on September 9, and everything shown so far points toward a return of the Pen series, or at least a new camera very closely related to it. The 17-second teaser posted by OM System Japan runs through the history of Pen, starting with the original half-frame film camera from 1959, jumping forward to the first Digital Pen from 2009, and eventually ending with the silhouette of a new 2026 model.

What is actually inside the camera is still the big unknown. OM System has not confirmed the sensor resolution, processor, autofocus system, IBIS performance, burst speeds, or video specs yet. We also do not know whether this is supposed to be a direct Pen-F successor, a replacement for the E-P7, or something new that simply borrows ideas from both. One important difference from the E-P7 appears to be a built-in EVF in the top left corner, which that camera did not have. The new model is also expected to stick with the Micro Four Thirds system, meaning it should work with the existing OM System and Panasonic MFT lens lineup. One of the bigger questions now is the sensor, OM System could stick with one of its familiar 20MP designs or potentially move to something newer with a higher resolution.

There have been signs that something like this was coming for a while. At CP+ earlier this year, OM System executives openly asked photographers for feedback about the Pen and suggested that a new model could be in development. The original Pen goes all the way back to 1959, while the digital series started in 2009 and eventually gave us cameras like the Pen-F in 2016 and E-P7 in 2021. Pricing for the new camera is also still up in the air, but we should get the full picture when OM System officially unveils the camera on September 9.