OM SYSTEM Mirrorless Cameras>E-M1 Mark III Astro Kit

OM System E-M1 Mark III ASTRO – Astrophotography Excellence

The OM System E-M1 Mark III ASTRO is a specialised camera designed for astrophotography, featuring an optimised IR cut filter positioned in front of the image sensor. This enhancement, tailored for the E-M1 Mark III mirrorless single-lens camera, allows you to capture vibrant red nebulae-perfect for astrophotography enthusiasts. Combined with OM System’s computational photography, M.ZUIKO Digital lenses, and the included filters, this camera enables a broad range of expressions, from starry sky photography to capturing constellations and nebulae in full-scale astrophotography.

Capture Vivid Red Nebulae in High-Resolution

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.

Versatile for Starry Sky and 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.

Enhanced Quality with High Res Shot Stacking

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.

Useful Support Functions for Astrophotography

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.