The OM System OM-3 just hit a new record-low price – is this stylish retro camera low-key an excellent value buy now?

We’ve always been big fans of the OM System OM-3 here at TechRadar. We love its looks, computational features, and versatile selection of lenses. At $2,000, however, we did think that it was a pricey buy versus some of the competition.

The camera is now listed at $1,699 at Adorama today, which is a brand new record-low price for the body-only. It’s a deal that beats the previous record from Black Friday by $100, in fact.

As a brief overview, the OM System OM-3 is a Micro Four Thirds camera that melds a vintage retro vibe with an excellent range of the latest tech. Under the hood, it’s essentially the same camera as the flagship OM System OM-1 Mark II, which means a 20MP stacked sensor with blisteringly quick burst rates, innovative computational modes, and excellent subject-detect autofocus. It’s a camera that looks retro, but you still get all the latest features and ease of use.

At this price, the OM-3 is much closer to APS-C rivals like the Fujifilm X-T50 and Fujifilm X-E5 – both of which are carrying the brand’s latest 40.2MP sensor. In comparison, the OM-3 doesn’t boast anywhere near as much resolution, and you’re also lacking support for 6K video and Fujifilm‘s famous film sim recipes.

It’s a closer run thing than you would think, however. If you don’t need that resolution, for example, then the stacked sensor in the OM-3 is a real selling point. Not only does it enable handy little tools like Live ND and Live GND, but you get 50fps burst rates and very minimal rolling shutter in video. If you need more resolution, then there’s also the option to use the 50MP hand-held high-res feature, which works well for static scenes.

In short, it’s very easy to recommend the OM-3 as a versatile photography option because you can leave the filters and tripod at home. That’s particularly good for landscape or travel photographers, but I think street photographers will also appreciate the OM-3’s wide selection of excellent (and relatively cheap) Micro Four Thirds lenses.