OM System / Olympus OM-1 – What’s in the Box Surprises and First Impressions

I received my OM System OM-1 right on schedule in early March. I ordered my OM-1 through Adorama and it arrived quickly and was packed well. It’s also good news that OM Digital Solutions didn’t have any supply chain issues that other companies have had.

The 2nd free BCX-1 battery is still on back order as of 3/6/22.

What’s in the Box

Everything was in the box that was listed in the pdf version of the manual. There were a couple of surprises in the box that were not listed in the manual – a small FL-LM3 Flash and a small fabric pouch with Olympus branding, which I assume is for the flash.

This is interesting that the FL-LM3 Flash was included since a flash was not included with the Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark III and E-M1X.

**OM System BCX-1 Dual Battery Charger**

What Wasn’t Included

What wasn’t included was a battery charger, so the only way to charge the battery is using the USB charger with the battery in camera. Since the OM-1 uses the new BLX-1 battery, your old OM-D battery charger will not work.

You can purchase an OM System BCX-1 Dual Battery Charger for $149. This is a pretty steep price for something that should have been included with the camera. I’d rather have the battery charger than the FL-LM3 Flash that I’ll probably never use since I already have the Olympus FL-700WR Flash.

March 7th Update

I received the OM System BCX-1 Dual Battery Charger from Adorama (4 days after receiving the camera – not bad). It works fine, but it sure doesn’t feel like it’s worth $149. It doesn’t even include a USB-C cable and adapter. You need to use the cable that was included with the camera.

The extra / free BLX-1 battery is still on backorder. I was also able to register my OM-1 with OM Digital Solutions to get 3 years of extended warranty. The Free Battery and 3 years extended warranty was part of a deal for the US if you purchased the camera before March 3rd.

**OM-1 and OM-D E-M1 Mark III Top View**

First Impressions

Size and Weight

The OM-1 is really close to the size and weight of the OM-D E-M1 Mark III. It’s impressive that OM Digital Solutions built the OM-1 with a new processor and sensor, and improved weather sealing with dimensions and weight similar to the E-M1 Mark III.

Feature	OM-1	E-M1 Mark III
Weight (incl. Batteries)	21.13 oz / 599g	20.46 oz / 580 g
Size	134.8 x 91.6 x 72.7mm / 5.3 x 3.60 x 2.8 in.	134 x 91 x 69mm / 5.28 x 3.58 x 2.72 in.

Smaller Buttons

A few of the buttons like the ISO, AEL, and LV button look smaller than the E-M1 Mark III. The new AF On button is also on the smallish side. The fn lever also has a smaller lever than on the E-M1 Mark III. It’s similar to the one on the E-M1X but even a little smaller than that.

These smaller controls could be why we’re hearing concerns about using the OM-1 with gloves in cold weather.

Recessed Dials

The OM-1 has recessed front and rear dials similar to the E-M1X where on the E-M1 Mark III the entire dial was exposed. I don’t think this will be an issue except maybe when using gloves in the cold weather.

Deeper Grip

The OM-1 has a deeper grip with an angled shutter button. The grip is deeper than the E-M1 Mark III but not quite as deep as the E-M1X. This was designed for improved ergonomics. I’ll reserve my opinions on the new grip once I’ve tested it in the field.

Viewfinder

The high resolution OLED viewfinder is amazing. The increased resolution of the view finder to 5.76M dots from 2.36M dots on the E-M1 Mark III and E-M1X really makes a difference. It gives a much sharper display that will also come in handy when reviewing images for sharpness during playback.

**OM-1 Super Control Panel Dial Indicators**

A nice touch is the inclusion of dial indicators on the settings in the viewfinder and LCD screen. Icons of the rear and front dials are located above the settings that they control. This is great if you are like me and can’t remember what the rear and front dials control in the different shooting modes.

Those are my first impressions. I will keep updating this blog post as I explore the camera. There will also certainly be a lot more information coming in future blogs as I use the camera.

Written by Martin Belan

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