OM System E-M1 Mark III Astro Kit Compact System Camera

The OM System E-M1 Mark III Astro Kit Compact System Camera is a high-performance camera specifically designed with astrophotography and other demanding photography genres in mind. As an update to the popular Olympus OM-D series (with the rebranding to OM System), this camera combines excellent imaging capabilities with advanced features suited for capturing the night sky and much more. The 20.4MP Live MOS Micro Four Thirds Sensor provides high-resolution imaging capabilities while maintaining a compact form factor typical of the Micro Four Thirds system. The sensor is well-suited for detailed astro photography, as well as general use. A TruePic IX Image Processor offers fast performance and enhanced image quality across various lighting conditions. Essential for noise reduction and detail retention in low light, which is crucial for astrophotography.

The camera features 3.0" 1.037m-Dot Vari-Angle Touchscreen that facilitates easy framing and shooting from various angles, making it convenient to capture celestial objects at awkward positions in the sky. The touchscreen enables intuitive control over settings and quick focus point adjustments. A 2.36m-Dot 0.74x Electronic Viewfinder provides a bright, clear view of your subject, essential for precise framing and focusing during night shoots. The high magnification ensures you can see fine details with ease. A 5-Axis Sensor-Shift Image Stabilization greatly reduces camera shake, which is especially helpful for handheld shooting or long-exposure astrophotography, giving you the flexibility to shoot without a tripod in some situations.

OM System E-M1 Mark III Astro Kit Compact System Camera comes with 121-Point All Cross-Type Phase-Detect AF which ensures fast, accurate autofocus performance across the frame, enabling reliable focusing on stars, planets, or terrestrial subjects even under challenging conditions. The wide ISO range permits shooting in a variety of lighting conditions with minimal noise. High-speed continuous shooting is ideal for capturing action, quick-moving subjects, or shooting events like meteor showers. The camera is well-sealed against the elements, making it an ideal choice for outdoor photography where it might be subjected to harsh weather conditions, such as during astrophotography sessions.

Product Features in Detail

A camera specially designed for astronomy that is compatible with Hα radiation and captures the vivid colours of celestial scenes. 
The OM SYSTEM E-M1 Mark III ASTRO is a dedicated camera for astrophotography that optimises the IR cut filter located in front of the image sensor of the mirrorless single-lens camera E-M1 Mark III for astrophotography, allowing you to capture colourful red nebulae that are popular among astrophotography enthusiasts. In addition, the filters included with this product, OM SYSTEM's computational photography, and M.ZUIKO DIGITAL lenses enable a wide range of expression from starry sky photography to full-scale astrophotography, such as constellations and nebulae.
Captures Hα radiation and beautiful red diffuse nebulae that cannot be seen with the naked eye in vivid, high-resolution images.
Covers a wide range of photography scenes, from starry sky photography to astrophotography.
The stacking process of the High Res Shot function enables shooting of higher quality and greater detail.
Useful support functions for astrophotography.

Captures Hα radiation and beautiful red diffuse nebulae that cannot be seen with the naked eye in vivid, high-resolution images.
The OM SYSTEM E-M1 Mark III ASTRO has an IR cut filter in front of the image sensor that has been optimised for optical characteristics to achieve approximately 100% transmittance of Hα rays, which are important for astronomical photography. This allows you to vividly capture the beautiful shapes and colours of nebulae that emit light from Hα rays, which are difficult to capture with ordinary digital cameras.

Covers a wide range of photography scenes, from starry sky photography to astrophotography.
Combining a wide variety of M.ZUIKO DIGITAL lenses, from wide-angle to telephoto, which can be selected according to the subject, you can capture beautiful images of various celestial objects, from magnificent starry skies to specific constellations and distant nebulae. In addition, using a commercially available Micro Four Thirds compatible adapter, you can attach it to an astronomical telescope and take pictures.

The stacking process of the High Res Shot function enables shooting in higher quality and with greater detail.
High Res Shot is a computational photography function unique to OM SYSTEM that realises high-resolution photography using ultra-high-density pixel information obtained by shooting multiple images. Normally, "Handheld High Res Shot" is used when shooting handheld, but by using it with the camera fixed to a tripod or equatorial mount, the "stacking process" often used in astrophotography can be performed in one shot within the body. This not only results in high definition but also reduces noise.
The "Handheld High Res Shot" function on the E-M1 Mark III uses the slight misalignment that occurs during shooting to generate a high-resolution photo of approximately 50 megapixels from 16 shots. Since the images are aligned one by one when compositing, the Handheld High Res Shot function is performed with the camera fixed to a tripod to generate a composite image in which the movement of the stars due to their diurnal motion has been corrected. In addition, when using an equatorial mount, the composite image is generated, and the misalignment of the stars caused by tracking errors has been corrected.
*When shooting fixed on a tripod, set the shutter speed so that the exposure time per frame is such that the stars appear as dots.
*Depending on the scene, the intended composite image may not be obtained.
*In starry sky photography, the intended results may not be achieved depending on the proportion of the scenery on the ground and the composition.

Useful support functions for astrophotography.
Custom mode includes convenient settings for starry sky photography
The camera is equipped with convenient settings for starry sky photography in the custom modes C1 and C2 (mode dial) to make it easy for those just starting astrophotography. In addition to the initial settings, such as setting AF mode to Starry Sky AF and LV Boost to On2, frequently used functions in the astrophotography workflow are assigned to buttons so that they can be called up quickly. While it is common to finish astrophotography by adjusting the colour tone and other aspects during post-shooting development, the custom modes C1 and C2 also have settings suitable for astrophotography, such as white balance and tone curve, so that natural images can be obtained even when output from the camera.
C1 setting: This mode uses Handheld High Res Shot to capture high-resolution astronomical photographs. Use a tripod or equatorial mount to take photos.
C2 setting: Drive mode is set to Single Shot. Image stabilisation is set to S-IS AUTO to support handheld shooting.
*Each setting can be changed/overwritten to suit the subject and photographer's preferences.

Body mount light pollution cut filter BMF-LPC01
(The body mount filter is included with the E-M1 Mark III ASTRO and sold separately.)
Light pollution filters cut out light from artificial light sources such as city lights and street lamps. This prevents colour casts in the night sky, allowing you to capture the original beauty of nebulae and constellations more vividly. In addition, since the area near the horizon is most susceptible to light pollution, they are also effective when photographing constellations rising in the eastern sky or setting in the western sky.

Body mount soft filter BMF-SE01
(The body mount filter is included with the E-M1 Mark III ASTRO and sold separately.)
The high-resolution M.ZUIKO DIGITAL lens forms a clear point image of stars, which are ideal light sources. On the other hand, because many stars are recorded as point images, representative stars may not look impressive. By using this soft filter, you can achieve the effect of blurring and emphasising point light sources, making brighter stars appear larger and more blurred, and the colours of the stars are also emphasised, making the stars and constellations stand out.

Other useful features
Like the E-M1 Mark III, it is equipped with a variety of functions that are ideal for starry sky photography.
- Starry Sky AF: Focus on the stars
- Live Composite function ideal for shooting star trails
- Digital level for easy leveling even in dark environments
- Convenient for long-term shooting, USB power supply from USB/PD compatible devices