OM System cameras are loved by many for travel and adventure, packing powerful features into compact bodies, especially appealing to bird and wildlife photographers. But while they excel with unique computational photography tools, they face a challenge compared to some competitors: sensor resolution. Now, the company is openly discussing a potential game-changer: using AI to boost image size and quality right inside the camera.
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The OM System Advantage and the Resolution Challenge
OM System has built a strong reputation, particularly with their OM-1 series, aiming to be a top choice for birding. They also highlight their cameras’ strengths for landscapes and macro photography, thanks to smart computational features. These aren’t just standard camera functions; they use processing power to do things like Live GND (graduated neutral density filter effect) in-camera, which normally requires physical filters.
However, this focus on computational speed runs into a technical hurdle: sensor resolution. According to Eiji Shirota, Head of the OM System Business Unit, increasing the megapixel count significantly would require a much faster processing engine. As Kazuhiro Togashi, Vice President of Brand Strategy and Product Planning, explained previously, making the sensor higher resolution could slow down the camera’s processing too much, impacting the very computational features that make OM System cameras stand out. It’s a delicate balance between image size and operational speed.
Close-up view of an OM SYSTEM OM-5 camera body with the lens mount exposed, showing the sensor.
“If our speed of processing is too slow, it won’t satisfy users’ expectations,” Togashi noted. So, while they are working on improving both hardware (like readout speed) and software, simply adding more megapixels isn’t a straightforward solution without potentially compromising performance.
Could AI Be the Answer?
This is where AI enters the picture. OM System is exploring the possibility of using AI-based upscaling technology inside the camera. Think of software like Adobe Photoshop or DxO that can intelligently enlarge photos and often reduce noise at the same time, creating a higher-resolution image from a smaller starting file. OM System is considering bringing this kind of power directly into the camera’s processing.
Shirota mentioned this idea while discussing the trade-off between high megapixels and processing speed. He indicated that combining their current sensor technology and processing with AI development could provide a “huge jump up in resolution from the original images” without needing a drastically different, slower sensor.
This approach could potentially give photographers the larger files they might want for cropping, printing, or detailed viewing (especially crucial for subjects like distant birds) while still allowing the camera to perform its rapid computational tasks and maintain fast autofocus speeds.
Not the First Time We’ve Seen This
OM System wouldn’t be the first camera company to try this. Canon recently implemented a similar idea in their EOS R5 Mark II and flagship R1 cameras. Canon used it as a way to show that the R1’s 24-megapixel sensor could produce much larger images via in-camera processing.
However, Canon’s initial implementation in the R1 received a mixed reception. This means OM System will likely need to ensure their approach delivers noticeable, high-quality results that genuinely benefit photographers.
Ultimately, OM System is looking at AI upscaling as a potential path to offer the resolution many users desire, especially for detailed subjects like wildlife, without sacrificing the speed and unique computational features that are core to their camera design. It’s an interesting challenge and one to watch as camera technology continues to evolve with the help of artificial intelligence.
