OM-3: excellent but can't replace the GX9

Originally I bought an OM-3 hoping to replace my older GX9

But after using it for 3 months It simply can't replace the GX9.

Here's why:


although the camera looks very nice, it's just uncomfortable to hold, specially because of the front color dial, it keeps interfering with the fingers usually lands. The GX9 is just more pleasant to hold


The camera looks amazing from the top, and feels amazing from the top. The OM-3 dials are the highest quality dials I've ever felt on a camera. EVER. It's so good. The mode dial, the photo/video dials feel very premium. The only downside is the ON/OFF button placement.




On the other side, the GX9 doesn't feel as premium but has the ON/OFF switch very well placed. Also the EVF being on the left side feels just nicer to use.




Depending on your style of shooting, the tilting screen might feel better. In my use case the tilting screen is always better on the GX9




Despite its age the GX9 is still a reference in the small m43 category

Despite that the OM-3 offers the better IQ, better colours, HHHRS is so good. The OM-3 HHHRS image quality is better than my Sony a7RV.

The goal was to replace the GX9, but the OM-3 will work along the GX9. The only reason is the ergonomics. The biggest downside is the front color dial.

Bofoi said:

The biggest downside is the front color dial.

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That's interesting - I'm totally not bothered by it. In fact, I find it a little easier to hold because it's there - especially when removing it from the Spider Holster I use. It can be a little tight with some of the grips tho - I found it awkward with the Yu-Wood grip since it's a pretty wide grip, but less problematic with the Haoge. But I don't use it with the grip daily - only for events when I'm using it as a third camera, or while hiking.

--
Sam Bennett
Instagram: @swiftbennett

Great head-to-head! There was someone working on a YouTube channel and I wonder of this kind of handling review would resonate with viewers.

I added this leather half case to my OM-3, and I don't notice the finger gouge nearly as much. Added a bit more gripping area, as well.

I actually agree with you. I prefer the shooting experience of the GX9 a little more for a few reasons.

Size and weight

Ergonomics with an L-plate is still better on the GX9

Rangefinder style is my preferance even if I'm left eye dominant.

I just like Panasonic menus better.

I still ended up selling it cause the OM-3 is still just as fun, but now I have the creative dial and quite possibly the best AF for the system. I'd definitely be all over the GX10 if and when they decide to come out with one.

You can assign the power on/off to the Fn Lever.

But, I agree. The fully articulating screen really bothers me. I used my M-10 II all weekend and the flip screen seems so natural to use.

Bofoi said:

Despite that the OM-3 offers the better IQ, better colours, HHHRS is so good. The OM-3 HHHRS image quality is better than my Sony a7RV.

Click to expand...

The image quality differences between the OM-3 and GX9 are trivial whatever metric you compare

100% crops base ISO



100% crop 6400 ISO



PDR



ISO invariance



Exposure latitude



I have the OM-1 same sensor as the OM-3 and the A7cr same sensor as the A7rV and the HHHR is not better than the A7cr output . The HHHR gives only a modest increase in resolution more handy for reducing noise in the right scenarios

The tripod mode of the OM-3 compared to standard mode of A7r V, here the tripod pixel shift does a very good job giving as good resolution and better colour no moire etc

OM-1 pixel shift ( not provided in OM-3 review ) compared to standard A7r v file . I upsized the A7R V file to match the pixel shift output size. I opened the pixel shift in OM Workspace as it does a better job than Adobe . 100% comparison the resolution of the OM-1 is as good here with no moire visible in the finest detail of the note

Bofoi said:

The goal was to replace the GX9, but the OM-3 will work along the GX9. The only reason is the ergonomics. The biggest downside is the front color dial.

Click to expand...

The OM-3 has a much wider feature set that can make achieving results easier and is of course of a more premium build . Which given it cost body only double the price of the GX9 with12-60mm F3.5-5.6 kit is not a surprise



Ergonomics and feel of a given camera is very much a personal thing . I love my GX8 for example many don't , but what do they know

--
Jim Stirling:
"To argue with a person who has renounced the use of reason, is like administering medicine to the dead." - Thomas Paine
Feel free to tinker with any photos I post

Those pictures of the OM-3 look so nice! Makes me want to buy one... lol

What I mean regarding the HHHRS is at any ISO above ISO 1600, the OM-3 with HHHRS 14-bit and AI noise reduction applied in OM workspace is significantly cleaner than any full frame camera, including the a7RV that I compared with.

I will make a comparison post soon.

Bofoi said:

What I mean regarding the HHHRS is at any ISO above ISO 1600,

Click to expand...

You never mentioned that you simply stated :

"The OM-3 HHHRS image quality is better than my Sony a7RV."

Bofoi said:

the OM-3 with HHHRS 14-bit and AI noise reduction applied in OM workspace is significantly cleaner than any full frame camera, including the a7RV that I compared with

Click to expand...

Bofoi said:

I will make a comparison post soon.

Click to expand...

Try comparing both files with noise reduction applied

memo90061 said:

Those pictures of the OM-3 look so nice! Makes me want to buy one... lol

Click to expand...

Yeah the OM-3 is one of the best looking camera on the market, no doubt. What I recommend is to try it with multiple 3rd party grips to see which one feel the best.

There are some chinese wooden grips that look wide and comfortable.

I went with the leofoto grip because the rubber and the aluminum integrate really well with the original design of the camera.

You just need to find a work around for your fingers to not get stabbed by to color dial each time you pick up the camera.

TBH after many hours of using the OM-3 I don't feel the front dial anymore, your brain will filter it out, but whenever I pick up another camera that doesn't have a front dial I'm reminded of how nice it feels to have smooth uninterrupted surface to hold on.

This situation could be easily solved with a 3rd party grip that protrudes more to the exterior and deeper. At least 2X deeper than the Leofoto one that I use. But as of today no such grip is available on the market.



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To this day no camera come close to the comfort of holding my old E-M1 mark III that I used to have. Not even the newer OM-1 II. That body design is legendary. The grip felt so good in the hand.

Bofoi said:

To this day no camera come close to the comfort of holding my old E-M1 mark III that I used to have. Not even the newer OM-1 II. That body design is legendary. The grip felt so good in the hand.

Click to expand...

Agreed. The EM-1.2 and .3 were the most ergonomically perfect cameras I ever held. Loved the placement and feel of the dials.

The changes they made to the OM-1 in that regard made it considerably worse to hold, at least to me. The dials on the OM-1 annoy me, and holding it for extended periods makes my fingers ache a bit. It's still better than lot of other cameras, but the zenith was the EM-1.2/3.

Bofoi said:

Originally I bought an OM-3 hoping to replace my older GX9

But after using it for 3 months It simply can't replace the GX9.

Here's why:


although the camera looks very nice, it's just uncomfortable to hold, specially because of the front color dial, it keeps interfering with the fingers usually lands. The GX9 is just more pleasant to hold


The camera looks amazing from the top, and feels amazing from the top. The OM-3 dials are the highest quality dials I've ever felt on a camera. EVER. It's so good. The mode dial, the photo/video dials feel very premium. The only downside is the ON/OFF button placement.


On the other side, the GX9 doesn't feel as premium but has the ON/OFF switch very well placed. Also the EVF being on the left side feels just nicer to use.


Depending on your style of shooting, the tilting screen might feel better. In my use case the tilting screen is always better on the GX9


Despite its age the GX9 is still a reference in the small m43 category

Despite that the OM-3 offers the better IQ, better colours, HHHRS is so good. The OM-3 HHHRS image quality is better than my Sony a7RV.

The goal was to replace the GX9, but the OM-3 will work along the GX9. The only reason is the ergonomics. The biggest downside is the front color dial.

Click to expand...

I sold off the GX85 (basically a better GX9 imo). I do like the form factor (as well as the resulting images) but the battery life is so so and the EVF is a pain to use. Iirc both models have the same field sequential model. At least the OM3 EVF is way comfortable to view thru.

Bofoi said:

Yeah the OM-3 is one of the best looking camera on the market, no doubt. What I recommend is to try it with multiple 3rd party grips to see which one feel the best.

Click to expand...

Spot on call by OM Systems to put so much in into OM-3 pretty much knocked it out the park. If I had spare funds reckon I wouldn't hesitate. Handled 2wice in camera store.

Bofoi said:

View attachment 34b3bb156a564d8fa1c53bf19a4b2c77.jpg

To this day no camera come close to the comfort of holding my old E-M1 mark III that I used to have. Not even the newer OM-1 II. That body design is legendary. The grip felt so good in the hand.

Click to expand...

Afaik M1.3 wasn't released in silver look, if it was I'd be all over it for it's LiveND and HHHR. Probably pick up a bargain M1.3 stick on a decal skin.

--
Photography after all is interplay of light alongside perspective.

IMO, the E-M1II looks better than the OM-3.

They seem to have got everything right about the om-10 mk2. My cameras come and go. But i still keep my om-1 mk1 and om-10 mk2. I have a OM-5 but hate the out to the side screen.

One thing that the OM-3 impressed me is how well it can communicate with Godox flashes for TTL use.

The OM-3 does make a very good portrait camera for wedding gigs, since the look of the camera is quite retro and amateurish (in a good way), people are less intimated and tend to to smile more. That's what I noticed when I used the OM-3 instead the a7RV. The resolution (20 mp) is lacking, otherwise it's a capable portrait option



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Bofoi said:

One thing that the OM-3 impressed me is how well it can communicate with Godox flashes for TTL use.

The OM-3 does make a very good portrait camera for wedding gigs, since the look of the camera is quite retro and amateurish (in a good way), people are less intimated and tend to to smile more. That's what I noticed when I used the OM-3 instead the a7RV. The resolution (20 mp) is lacking, otherwise it's a capable portrait option

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View attachment 01cc0f634b7d4f01b4017cf12a6faf3e.jpg

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Do you need high resolution for "portraits"?

--
Sam Bennett
Instagram: @swiftbennett

Sam Bennett said:

Do you need high resolution for "portraits"?

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for client work, specially group shots, people usually zoom in a lot to see their own faces. The average iphone these days has a 2868 × 1320 screen, so your 5184 × 3888 photo (before cropping/reframing) gets chewed up easily.

Bofoi said:

Sam Bennett said:

Do you need high resolution for "portraits"?

Click to expand...

for client work, specially group shots, people usually zoom in a lot to see their own faces. The average iphone these days has a 2868 × 1320 screen, so your 5184 × 3888 photo (before cropping/reframing) gets chewed up easily.

Click to expand...

Got it. A bit different than my definition of "portrait", but I understand the use case.