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What is the demand like for OM3?

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saltw

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So I have almost decided on the OM3. I go back and forth with Fuji X-T5 which seems to be objectively better camera given higher resolution, bigger sense and excellent image quality. But the smaller size, better weather sealing and CP features of the OM3 are drawing me to it.

Ideally I would like to see it in person on 27th and then buy it (I live Scotland and there are no demo days here). But I am concerned if demand is high for this then the wait list will keep on increasing the longer I wait.

Does anyone know what the situation is like re wait lists etc?
 
saltw said:
So I have almost decided on the OM3. I go back and forth with Fuji X-T5 which seems to be objectively better camera given higher resolution, bigger sense and excellent image quality. But the smaller size, better weather sealing and CP features of the OM3 are drawing me to it.

Ideally I would like to see it in person on 27th and then buy it (I live Scotland and there are no demo days here). But I am concerned if demand is high for this then the wait list will keep on increasing the longer I wait.

Does anyone know what the situation is like re wait lists etc?
Click to expand...
One quick recommendation, compare cameras AFTER you compare glass. I find lenses to matter more than the box attached to it much of the time. YMMV.
 
I had the XT5 for a while. I liked it overall but never loved it. I pre-ordered the OM-3 within a minute of the pre-order link going live on B&H (one of the few benefits of being on Pacific Time). I called my account manager (we have business account with B&H) to add the 25/1.8 MKII to my order and in talking she said the OM-3 was high demand. I asked what my place was in the queue, thinking I had to be near the top. She would not tell me my exact spot but said I was unfortunately outside the top 50 and my ship date was March 7 😒
 
Can only speak for the US market, but I saw an OM rep today and asked him that question. He said that preorders have exceeded their expectations, so you may not get into the first wave if you put in your preorder today. However, he then added that they’re working hard to have a steady supply, so waves could be a little as two weeks apart. Since every country is different, I would call your local store to see what the preorder situation has been like (if that option is available to you).

I ended up loving my time with the camera, but this is definitely one you should feel in person before you buy. I didn’t mind the gripless design, but I can see some people having issues with it.
 
MEDISN said:
I had the XT5 for a while. I liked it overall but never loved it. I pre-ordered the OM-3 within a minute of the pre-order link going live on B&H (one of the few benefits of being on Pacific Time). I called my account manager (we have business account with B&H) to add the 25/1.8 MKII to my order and in talking she said the OM-3 was high demand. I asked what my place was in the queue, thinking I had to be near the top. She would not tell me my exact spot but said I was unfortunately outside the top 50 and my ship date was March 7 😒
Click to expand...
Always a big guessing game on how quickly to crank up into pre-stocks. That is why pre-orders are useful to the vendor. Caught between over-stocked Charybidis and too early discounts and shortage of supply Scylla and initial enthusiasm creamed off due to supply delays.

Looks promising and hopefully good for OMS - coming from someone who is more a Panasonic body fan - I wish the product good success.
 
The OM-3 is ranked #10 in sales for mirrorless cameras in the past 7 days at Yodobashi Camera. (Feb. 23, 2025) The E-P7 is ranked #5.

People from all over the world shop here on holiday and the store has English and Chinese speaking staff.

I'm glad I got my order in on the 15th!

#1 Sony a7c II

#2 Nikon Z50 II

#3 Nikon Z30

#4 Canon EOS R10

This is constantly updated, but it looks like a succesful launch on the part of OMS!
 
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saltw said:
So I have almost decided on the OM3. I go back and forth with Fuji X-T5 which seems to be objectively better camera given higher resolution, bigger sense and excellent image quality. But the smaller size, better weather sealing and CP features of the OM3 are drawing me to it.

Ideally I would like to see it in person on 27th and then buy it (I live Scotland and there are no demo days here). But I am concerned if demand is high for this then the wait list will keep on increasing the longer I wait.

Does anyone know what the situation is like re wait lists etc?
Click to expand...
Why not compare shots taken with an XT5 and an OM1 as the latter shares the sensor with the OM3 but has a smaller and lower resolution EVF? You should be able to find a dealer with both for a few test shots.
 
Promeneur said:
The OM-3 is ranked #10 in sales for mirrorless cameras in the past 7 days at Yodobashi Camera. (Feb. 23, 2025) The E-P7 is ranked #5.

People from all over the world shop here on holiday and the store has English and Chinese speaking staff.

I'm glad I got my order in on the 15th!

#1 Sony a7c II

#2 Nikon Z50 II

#3 Nikon Z30

#4 Canon EOS R10

This is constantly updated, but it looks like a succesful launch on the part of OMS!
Click to expand...
Good news but bad news for those who want it now. :P
 
Tom Caldwell said:
MEDISN said:
I had the XT5 for a while. I liked it overall but never loved it. I pre-ordered the OM-3 within a minute of the pre-order link going live on B&H (one of the few benefits of being on Pacific Time). I called my account manager (we have business account with B&H) to add the 25/1.8 MKII to my order and in talking she said the OM-3 was high demand. I asked what my place was in the queue, thinking I had to be near the top. She would not tell me my exact spot but said I was unfortunately outside the top 50 and my ship date was March 7 😒
Click to expand...
Always a big guessing game on how quickly to crank up into pre-stocks. That is why pre-orders are useful to the vendor. Caught between over-stocked Charybidis and too early discounts and shortage of supply Scylla and initial enthusiasm creamed off due to supply delays.

Looks promising and hopefully good for OMS - coming from someone who is more a Panasonic body fan - I wish the product good success.
Click to expand...
Wow this is amazing and glad to see this new Camera hitting the spot with the faithful, I still can't believe I have one in my hands, it is a completely different camera to the OM-1 even though it shares a lot of the goodness, I'm kind of glad it has no grip and a character all of it's own, it's an easy camera to just Dig and touch, to have with you and appreciate, very cool camera it is, it's the little Buddy of the OM-1
 
Tom Caldwell said:
Looks promising and hopefully good for OMS - coming from someone who is more a Panasonic body fan - I wish the product good susuccess.
Click to expand...
Totted up my Olys Pannys 2008-2025 I've I picked up from 100 digital cameras.

Largest number 20 * Panny very likely to increase, then 15 * Fuji, 10 * Oly.

20 * Panasonic :

G1, Gh1, Gh2, Gf3, Gf7, Gx7, Gx80/85;

Fz72 superzoom, Fz82 superzoom;

Fz5 , Fz7, Fz50, Fz200, Fz1000mk1;

Tz60, Tz80, Tz90, Tz100;

Leica badged Vlux20, Vlux30.

10 * Olympus :

E1, E330;

E-P1, E-Pl1, E-Pl7, E-Pl8;

C2100uz bridge;

C2040 f/1.8, C5050 f/1.8. C8080.

--
Photography after all is interplay of light alongside perspective.
 
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My rule. When trying to decide between two camera brands is to look at the lenses available for the system. Camera and lens go together like a hand i jan glove. Personally' I shot Fuji exclusively for four years and switched 8 years ago to Olympus because the lens met me needs much better. Of course that was then and more options exist today. But, never had any good reason to move away from Olympus/OM. Think it through and decide what lenses you want today and down the road.
 
Albert Valentino said:
My rule. When trying to decide between two camera brands is to look at the lenses available for the system. Camera and lens go together like a hand i jan glove. Personally' I shot Fuji exclusively for four years and switched 8 years ago to Olympus because the lens met me needs much better. Of course that was then and more options exist today. But, never had any good reason to move away from Olympus/OM. Think it through and decide what lenses you want today and down the road.
Click to expand...
Thanks. This is very helpful advice. I think OM system has all the lenses I could need. I am some one with anxiety and ocd issues. So IP53 rating of OM system is a big plus for me. Plus the more I think about it, the more I think the built in filters are useful.

Fuji's advantages are their film simulations and bigger sensor but I think the above mentioned bits are more important for me (not to mention OM has better AF and few other things).
 
Thanks all. As has been said already it is bit tricky in such situations (pre-order asap or wait for the launch).

I went to the local Wex and they were not able to give me anything concrete. My impression was that they dont really have huge amount of orders (but I could be wrong).

Also, it seems like there seems to be significant discount available in the grey market (https://www.cotswoldcameras.co.uk/Preorder-OM-SYSTEM-OM-3-Digital-Camera---12-45mm-f-4-PRO-Lens). So that is another indication that it should be ok to wait.

Lets see.
 
Huge... according by those who can get their hand on a free trial body ;-) That said, it is difficult to forecast whether production can meet the demand as of yet.

--
Roger
 
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Regor250 said:
Huge... according by those who can get their hand on a free trial body ;-) That said, you can't compare the demand of the OM-3 to that of lets say Sony A7, and unless you care more about what others do, buy it if you like it.
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its not about caring for what other like. I would like to see it in person before I buy which I can only do after its launch (there are no demos or OM days where I live). So trying to gauge if I should order asap (to be on smaller wait list) or wait and see.
 
It seems the benefit of knowing what you’re getting and knowing you like probably outweighs the benefits of having it a month or so earlier?
 
JNK 100 said:
saltw said:
So I have almost decided on the OM3. I go back and forth with Fuji X-T5 which seems to be objectively better camera given higher resolution, bigger sense and excellent image quality. But the smaller size, better weather sealing and CP features of the OM3 are drawing me to it.

Ideally I would like to see it in person on 27th and then buy it (I live Scotland and there are no demo days here). But I am concerned if demand is high for this then the wait list will keep on increasing the longer I wait.

Does anyone know what the situation is like re wait lists etc?
Click to expand...
Why not compare shots taken with an XT5 and an OM1 as the latter shares the sensor with the OM3 but has a smaller and lower resolution EVF? You should be able to find a dealer with both for a few test shots.
Click to expand...
If you're a pixel peeper, the X-T5 would win an IQ comparison with any known MFT camera.

But that is a simplistic way to judge cameras or camera systems.

You might check a site like Flickr but you don't know how much effort the photographers made in post-processing.

Then you need to consider lenses. Is one poorly rated, and the other a gem?

There's no harm in making image comparisons but I wouldn't allow that to hold too much weight in decision-making.
 
Every time a new OM/Olympus camera release we get the usual there are a million people waiting on one claims slight exaggeration :-) . It is on the bestseller list it will attract a legion of new users and so on.

All new models even very expensive niche models such as the Leica M11 mono make an appearance on the bestseller list with pre-order's . Even with models that turned out to be flops ( re sales ) such the Pen F or E-M1X get the same claims in the forum , optimism and wishful thinking seem to be strong traits of OM/Olympus fans. As always time will tell
 
Are you able to pre-order to be on the list but cancel the purchase after getting hands-on? If there’s no penalty, that might be a way to go.
 
saltw said:
Albert Valentino said:
My rule. When trying to decide between two camera brands is to look at the lenses available for the system. Camera and lens go together like a hand i jan glove. Personally' I shot Fuji exclusively for four years and switched 8 years ago to Olympus because the lens met me needs much better. Of course that was then and more options exist today. But, never had any good reason to move away from Olympus/OM. Think it through and decide what lenses you want today and down the road.
Click to expand...
Thanks. This is very helpful advice. I think OM system has all the lenses I could need. I am some one with anxiety and ocd issues. So IP53 rating of OM system is a big plus for me. Plus the more I think about it, the more I think the built in filters are useful.

Fuji's advantages are their film simulations and bigger sensor but I think the above mentioned bits are more important for me (not to mention OM has better AF and few other things).
Click to expand...
And don't forget Panasonic's full line of lenses.
 
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