The Olympus OM-D E-M10 Mark IV is the brand’s most affordable mirrorless camera, yet the Micro Four Thirds camera still delivers a compact retro design in a capable budget camera.
The E-M10 Mark IV, however, is the only current camera in the brand’s lineup that hasn’t yet switched over to the new OM System name and OM model numbers. Launched in August of 2020, the camera is now five years old, and, with the age of the camera comes rumors about the future of the popular camera.
While recent rumors claim the E-M10 series may not continue, I don’t suspect that’s the case. In an interview with Om System executives earlier this summer, the company said that the E-M10 Mark IV remains one of the most popular models and that the company “will continue to develop in this direction.”
“The E-M10 series is a very popular model, even though it's a bit older now, but for this price class, it's still one of the best selling cameras, and we think one of the best looking ones as well,” Sandro Rymann, OM System head of business for EMEA (Europe, Middle East, Asia) and Americas, said in June. “However, of course, we consider this also an important part of our lineup, right? So, yes, we will continue to develop in this direction as well.”
Short of something like a component shortage, OM System’s comments seem to suggest that the budget lineup will continue in some way.
Of course, how the budget line continues is up for speculation. I wouldn’t be surprised if the E-M10 Mark IV gets a new name – the rest of the brand’s lineup, after all, now uses OM-D nomenclature. Rymann seemed to indicate the company may not be done with the PEN series either, which could be another way OM System keeps a small, budget-friendly model.
But based on how well the E-M10 Mark IV series sells (it’s a reader favorite at Digital Camera World), I’d be surprised if OM System didn’t continue some sort of budget option.
The bigger question, I think, is how OM System could update the E-M10 series without eclipsing pricier mid-tier models like the OM-5 Mark II. Right now, the OM-5 Mark II doubles the burst speed, offers better phase detection autofocus, enhanced stabilization, a newer processor, and IP53 weather-sealing.
The one feature from that list that I think would really benefit the E-M10 series while keeping the budget price point is weather-sealing. OM System’s focus lately has been on capable, outdoor cameras, but the budget line isn’t weather-sealed. Weather-sealing would allow the budget camera to go more places.
Weather-sealing isn’t very common among budget models. There are some exceptions, however. The Nikon Z50 II, for example, is weather-sealed, although not to the same level as pricier cameras.
With OM System’s focus on making outdoor-ready cameras, I think weather-sealing would be a game-changer for the E-M10 series, even if much of the rest of the camera’s features remain similar to the Mark IV. The OM System E-M10 Mark IV is a capable camera for the price point and one of the most highly recommended cameras for beginners. Weather-sealing would allow that camera to go more places and give beginners and budget-minded photographers more peace of mind when shooting outdoors.
I both hope and suspect the rumors about the Olympus E-M10 series being discontinued aren’t true. The camera sells well, and there’s a significant price gap between the E-M10 Mark IV and the OM-5 II. But if I could make one request for OM System’s budget series, it’s weather sealing.
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