For years now, my spring and summer bike rides have been accompanied by the Fujifilm X100v. I LOVE that camera, but I’ve moved on to something quite a bit different: the Olympus OM-1 (actually created by OM-Systems.)

The Olympus OM-1 is a more-than-capable camera that is small and light, and when I have the 12-40mm f/2.8 PRO lens from OM-System on it, it’s one of the most versatile cameras on the planet. It’s like it’s been made directly for me to take on these rides!

Take the following photograph, taken with the 17mm f/1.7 Olympus lens. It’s so tiny and barely weighs anything, but it produces some incredible images.

For me what I love most is the ability to have a versatile camera and lens system in my hands that doesn’t weight much more than the X100v with a single focal length lens. The ultimate setup for this is the 12-40 f/2.8 PRO lens, which give absolutely stunning image quality with a full-frame range of 24-80mm.

It allows me to get wide scenes like this:

Yet I can get into the scene and take photos like this with just one lens:

Is the OM-1 expensive?

Yes, it is… but the lenses are (sometimes) very cheap, especially used, and the system’s 20-megapixel stacked sensor means this camera is blazing fast. It’s perfect for in-the-moment shots while I’m out on a bike ride.

The OM-1 is also packed with cool stuff, like a built-in ND Filter that allows for subject blur even in full sun, like this shot:

Here is a gallery of images I shot on this day, using my OM-1 on a bike ride through Omaha, Nebraska:

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