The first camera bearing the OM System badge, the new OM-1 Mark II delivers category-leading 8.5EV stops of Image Stabilization performance, new LiveGND (Graduated Neutral Density filter), improved subject detection AF and other enhancements throughout. Simultaneously, OM System announced two new zoom lenses, a 9-18mm wideangle zoom and a 150-600mm f/5.0-6.3 superzoom (300-1200mm equivalent) that’s ideal for wildlife, sports action and more.

Proudly bearing the OM System logo instead if the Olympus label, the new OM-1 Mark II is sure to delight OM system owners and hardcore Micro 4/3rds afficionados everywhere. True to their commitment to the four genres they have identified as most important to OM System users (Bird, Wildlife, Landscape and Macro) the new OM-1 Mark II is optimized for superlative performance for their base.

Visit OM System’s website for more details.

OM System also announced the all new M.Zuiko 150-600mm F5.0-6.3 IS super telephoto zoom and M.Zuiko 9-18mm F4.0-5.6 II wideangle zoom lens.

Pricing & Availability
The OM-1 Mark II (body only) is expected to be available beginning in late February 2024 with a suggested retail price of $2,399.99. The OM-1 Mark II kit, which includes the M. Zuiko Digital ED 12-40mm F2.8 PRO II lens, should be available for $2,999.99.

The OM System M.Zuiko Digital ED 9-18mm F4.0-5.6 II zoom lens should begin shipping beginning in late February at a suggested retail price of $699.99, and the M.Zuiko Digital ED 150-600mm F5.0-6.3 IS super telephoto lens is expected in late February at an MSRP of $2,699.99.

—Jon Sienkiewicz

From the perspective of someone whose first language is not English, the term “shooting” does not immediately conjure the idea of cameras. However, it makes sense at some level, because the Continuous Shooting mode on your camera is a very fast-paced tool indeed. In this article, I will introduce the Continuous Shooting setting in photography and explain how to use it… usefully and peacefully.

OM System just announced the OM-1 Mark II together with the OM System 150-600 f/5.0-6.3 lens, strengthening the position of Micro Four Thirds for wildlife photography. The OM-1 Mark II gives you some small but meaningful upgrades to the original OM-1. Meanwhile, the 150-600mm lens gives a native 600mm lens to Micro Four Thirds for the first time.

Last week we featured a tutorial explaining a foolproof way to install, organize, and manage image-editing plugins so they work most efficiently for your specific needs. We’re following that up today with what one pro says are “the five best plugins for Lightroom and Photoshop.”

Some of these powerful add-ons are free, while other can be purchased at nominal cost, Instructor Michael Breitung is a freelance German landscape photographer who considers this handful of plugins essential and explains his picks like this: “I’ve been using most of them for years and they’ve become an integral part of my photo-editing workflow.”

So what are these gems that Breitung “can’t live without”? He begins with Web Sharpener, a free plugin he’s been using for several years. He says, “whenever I work on an image, at the end I want to prepare it for the web.” He regularly relies upon this freebie for sharpening and conversion to sSRG. Breitung explains how it works and, like for the other plugins he mentions, there’s a link beneath the video where you can read more and download the tool.

Next on the list is the Nik Collection, a complete set of plugin for accomplishing various important tasks. Breitung notes that this download also comes in a free version and can be confusing to install—so he walks you through the process of getting it set up properly. He also explains the various components that include everything from color adjustments, noise reduction, sharpening, and much more.

Another top pick is Lumenzia that you can purchase for $39, and free updates are part of the cost—giving you access to frequent new features as soon as they’re introduced. Breitung says he typically uses Lumenzia to make selections of various brightness levels in an image, and the workspace is well organized and intuitive to use.

Breitung also sings the praises of Helicon Focus, a plugin that automates the time-consuming focus-stacking process and provides retouching tools as well. He calls Helicon Focus  “awesome software”—particularly for stacking woodland and complex landscape images. He adds that it delivers great results and enables fine-tuning your edits with ease.

Luminar Neo is the last item on the list, and it’s one we’ve discussed in the past. So we’ll let Breitung provide his take on why this is a great choice for elevating your post-processing skills. His bottom line is that, compared to the others, this one provides more power and very modern tools including AI.

After you’re done watching be sure to pay a visit to Breitung’s popular YouTube channel where there’s much more to learn. And don’t miss the tutorial we mentioned at the onset, so you’ll know what to do if you run into any installation or organizational issues.