The PEN Is Back — and OM System Just Made the First One I'd Actually Carry
Okay, I'll be honest: when I first saw "OM SYSTEM PEN" in the announcement headline I scrolled past it. PEN, in 2026, with MFT? We've been hearing some flavor of this rumor for five years. Olympus sold the imaging business to OM Digital Solutions in 2021, the E-P7 came and went, the E-PL line died quietly, and everyone assumed the PEN name was buried with the rest of the old Olympus catalogue.
Then I actually read the spec sheet — and went back and read it again.
OM Digital Solutions announced the OM SYSTEM PEN on September 9, 2026 — the first camera carrying the PEN name since OM Digital took over the old Olympus imaging business. Late October shipping, $999.99 USD body only, available in black or silver. MFT mount. Rangefinder-style body with a real electronic viewfinder. And — finally — IPX1 splash and dust sealing, the first time any PEN has had that.
Let me back up and say why I care. My daily driver is a Lumix GH7 paired with the OM SYSTEM M.Zuiko Digital ED 12-40mm f/2.8 PRO II. I take that combo hiking, on rainy Hong Kong street walks, on run-and-gun video gigs. I love small MFT bodies that don't make me think about carrying them. So when a new MFT body shows up at a reasonable price with weather sealing and a real EVF, that's exactly the kind of announcement I want to read.
The numbers from the official OM SYSTEM product page are decent without being silly:
- 20.37MP Live MOS sensor, TruePic IX processor — same engine family as the OM-1 Mark II and OM-5
- 5-axis IBIS rated up to 5.5 stops center, 4.5 stops at the edges
- 121-point all-cross phase-detect AF with AI Human and Pet Detection
- 4K / C4K / Full HD video, plus vertical video for the people who insist
- 393 grams body only — under 14 ounces
- Micro Four Thirds mount, plays nice with basically every M.Zuiko lens ever made including my 12-40mm f/2.8 PRO II
- 3.5mm mic jack
There's also a CP button on the back that pulls up five computational modes in-camera — High Res Shot, Live ND, Focus Stacking, HDR, Multiple Exposure. That CP button is straight out of the OM-5 and OM-1 line. I genuinely love Live ND for daylight long exposures, so seeing it on a $999 body is a nice nod.
The kit pricing: body only at $999.99, body plus the new M.Zuiko Digital 14-42mm f/3.5-5.6 III at $1,099.99, double kit with the 14-42mm plus the 40-150mm f/4.0-5.6 R at $1,299.99. The 14-42mm III lists at $349.99 standalone. OM is throwing in a free Clever Supply Skinny Wrist Strap for early orders.
Now, the parts I want to flag.
First — this is a PEN for the 2020s, not a PEN-F retro reissue. The PEN-F was a beautifully designed camera with a half-res RAW quirk and a creative dial that photographers either loved or ignored. This new PEN is more practical: modern 20MP sensor, modern AF, weather sealing, in-body computational tricks. OM Digital clearly wants this to be the casual-friendly, take-it-everywhere camera that doesn't scare off people who never shot Olympus before.
Second — at $999 it sits in an awkward spot. The OM-5 is around $1,199 and has a better EVF and stronger video. The Lumix G97 is cheaper but plasticky. The Fujifilm X-T30 III is similarly priced but APS-C. If OM is going to carve out a niche for this PEN, it has to be the "smallest, lightest, simplest, prettiest" option in the lineup — and judging by the 393g weight and the silver-and-black aesthetic, that's exactly the play.
Third — MFT in 2026 is a real choice again, not a compromise. I keep saying this. The lens library is enormous, the bodies are small, and for hybrid shooters like me who carry one camera and one lens into rain, the system makes sense. A new entry body that doesn't force me to mortgage anything is welcome.
I'm not going to pretend I've shot with it. I haven't. What I will say is that if OM Digital sends one over I'll absolutely run it through the same rainy-night-Hong Kong streets test I put the GH7 through. The PEN looks like the kind of camera I'd actually keep in a coat pocket with a pancake lens and forget about until I need it — which, honestly, is the highest compliment I can give a camera I haven't touched yet.
Preorders are open now on explore.omsystem.com. Ships late October. PetaPixel covered the announcement with the full press kit, and OM Digital's official press release has the exact wording for anyone who needs the spec sheet source.