OM System could be planning a monochrome OM-3 — the 'affordable' black-and-white-only camera is rumored to launch this year and could be a true Leica killer. Here's why that makes perfect sense

The OM System OM-3 mirrorless camera in person's hands, one half of the image is black and white, the other is color.

• OM System rumored to be launching a monochrome-only OM-3 variant
• Leica, Pentax and Ricoh currently offer monochrome cameras
• With no color filter, monochrome-only sensors can provide sharper images

There's an interesting pattern emerging in the camera industry. At a time when the mass-market camera segment is shrinking (you can blame the excellence of smartphone cameras for that), camera manufacturers are doubling down on the niche (or dare I say weird?) stuff. Retro-styled bodies. Fixed lenses. Film simulations. And increasingly, cameras limited to shooting only in black and white. It may seem like a counter-intuitive trend, but it's happening all the same.