They’re the only brand to really embrace it, but OM System really shines when users show what’s possible with the computational photography settings. Sure, there’s something to be said about more pure photography features, but I could shoot film if I really wanted to go that route. In fact, there’s a Hasselblad loaded up with CineStill right next to me. But sometimes, I want an imaging product like what OM System offers. And I honestly think they could take their computational photography even further.
OM System’s Dive Into Computational Photography
First off, I’m sure some folks aren’t completely aware of OM System’s computational photography. There’s a lot involved here. Beyond standard HDR abilities, there are some cool tricks like focus stacking, live composite, and live ND. All these save you a ton of time in Photoshop or post-production. That’s pretty awesome. The system does things no other camera system is capable of. I know that, after a long day shooting photos, I don’t want to sit down and edit a ton of them. So, knowing that I got the shot done in-camera is wonderful. Combine this with star-rating images to immediately access my favorites and I’m very happy.
But OM System could do something even bigger with computational photography. Specifically, I think they could address a problem that Micro Four Thirds has had for a long time.
Getting Full-Frame Depth of Field With Computational Photography
Let’s put it this way: if your phone’s camera can create artificial bokeh, why can’t Micro Four Thirds cameras do the same via computational photography? Just imagine: their 25mm f1.2 PRO would actually look like a 50mm f1.2 on full-frame. The same goes for their 17mm f1.2 PRO. It could also make a telephoto like their 300mm f4 render like an actual 600mm f4 instead of a 600mm f8. And with a very powerful processor, it could probably be combined with something like Pro Capture Mode and render RAW files as the final images.
Of course, they’d have to get it just right. Google and Apple have a ton of problems to address with Portrait mode and stuff, but OM System could likely do a significantly better job. And now that they’re no longer tied to their mother company, I think more innovation is possible. OM System could also inject the AI noise algorithms in their software into the camera. Honestly, there’s so much that could be possible with all this.
I’m also sure OM System would make this only possible with their own lenses. And that’s perfectly fine. Sure, Panasonic has wonderful glass, but it would also probably mean that maybe OM System starts to make fast zoom lenses again. Back in the DSLR days of Four Thirds, they made f2 zoom lenses.
Now, there’s a reason why I think this should be a computational photography add-on. Micro Four Thirds offers a real advantage when shooting with their lenses. The extra depth of field can make a ton of things easier. Besides this, we’re happy with how small and lightweight the cameras and lenses can be.