This company doesn’t have any plans to join in the compact camera craze – which is a shame, because it makes stellar small mirrorless systems

The trend towards compact cameras has had a number of companies racing to launch new models – but according to a recent interview, OM System doesn’t currently have any plans to cave in to those trends. While it’s unsurprising to see a smaller company stick to its tried-and-true lineup, I’m disappointed by the news because OM System’s mirrorless cameras have several features that I think would be stellar inside a compact camera.

In a recent interview with DP Review, Kazuhiro Togashi, the vice president in OM System’s brand strategy and product planning division, said that the company doesn’t currently have plans for a new compact camera series, calling the rise in popularity for compact cameras a “temporary trend.” The brand will continue its Tough series of waterproof cameras, he noted, but doesn’t currently have plans for a high-end compact camera.

I’m not surprised that OM System isn’t looking to add a high-end compact camera to its lineup, as the brand is smaller and has less resources than companies like Sony, Canon and Nikon. One of the reasons the company gave is that it would be hard to make the compact camera profitable. But, I’m disappointed because the features that I love about OM System’s mirrorless cameras are the same options that would actually make an exceptional compact. Let me explain.

OM System remains committed to the Micro Four Thirds format with its line of mirrorless cameras. But that MFT format is a great compromise between the size of the camera and image quality. The recent Leica D-Lux 8 and the now-discontinued Panasonic LX100 II use MFT sensors, while the Fujifilm X100VI and Ricoh GR III use a larger APS-C sensor. I think, when trying to keep the size of the camera itself small, that Micro Four Thirds is a great compromise.

Besides making the camera itself smaller, the Micro Four Thirds sensor is also ideal for creating smaller zoom lenses. While high-end compacts like the X100VI and GR III use fixed lenses, cameras with smaller sensors like the D-Lux 8 and Canon PowerShot G7 X Mark III have managed to fit in lenses with a bit of zoom.

OM System also is no stranger to the retro camera design that’s popular right now. Just look at how gorgeous the OM System OM-3 is. I think a compact camera in that style would do well, particularly if it could compete with the price and availability of the X100VI.

Another thing that OM System does well, which just makes sense for a smaller camera, is computational photography. I love the brand’s in-camera Live Composite feature, which I use to make star trails and long exposures of fireflies. It also does well at making high-resolution composites by merging multiple images together in-camera.

But outside the flexibility of the MFT sensor, I think OM System also has exceptional durability. It’s one of the few companies that gives its cameras IP ratings, so buyers know exactly how rain and dust-resistant they are. A camera that doesn’t have interchangeable lenses should be able to have even more dust and weather protection, and one of the things that the market lacks is a high-end waterproof compact camera with a larger sensor.

Togashi noted that the company has considered a higher-end model of the popular Tough series of waterproof compacts. But because of challenges smacking such a camera drop-proof and compact, the company hasn’t yet found a compromise that would make such a camera possible.

The OM System Tough TG-7 was actually the camera that I shot with the most on my recent beach vacation. Part of that was not wanting to worry about getting beach sand and water in my mirrorless camera, and the other part was that I wanted something small while still keeping my promise to also take a vacation from my phone.

OM System may have dashed my hopes for a high-end waterproof compact camera, but I still stand by my opinion that I would buy a mirrorless camera and a pancake lens before paying more than list price for a popular compact camera. And for fans of OM System, the retro-styled OM-3 or the OM-5 with the M.Zuiko 14-42mm f/3.5-5.6 EZ lens would make an excellent kit – or, for weather-sealing, the new 17mm f/1.8 II lens.

If OM System isn't planning on a high-end compact, I hope it at least remakes that tiny lens with weather-sealing.

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