Leica M8 vs Olympus E-P3

Let's look more closely at the Leica M8 and Olympus E-P3, former being a Pro Mirrorless while the other is a Entry-Level Mirrorless by manufacturers Leica and Olympus. The image resolution of the M8 (10MP) and the E-P3 (12MP) is very well matched but the M8 (APS-H) and E-P3 (Four Thirds) posses totally different sensor measurements.

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The M8 was introduced 5 years before the E-P3 and that is quite a serious difference as far as tech is concerned. The two cameras have the same body design (Rangefinder-style mirrorless).

Before going into a thorough comparison, here is a short synopsis of how the M8 grades against the E-P3 in relation to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Following is a sample of the gallery pics for Leica M8 & Olympus PEN E-P3. The whole galleries are viewable at Leica M8 Gallery & Olympus E-P3 Gallery.

In case you're intending to lug around your camera frequently, you will need to consider its weight and volume. The Leica M8 has outer dimensions of 139mm x 80mm x 37mm (5.5" x 3.1" x 1.5") having a weight of 591 grams (1.30 lbs) whilst the Olympus E-P3 has sizing of 122mm x 69mm x 34mm (4.8" x 2.7" x 1.3") along with a weight of 369 grams (0.81 lbs).

Take a look at the Leica M8 and Olympus E-P3 in our completely new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Remember, the weight of an ILC will change depending on the lens you are working with at that time. Here is a front view overall size comparison of the M8 versus the E-P3.

Using size and weight, the portability rating of the M8 and E-P3 is 79 and 86 respectively.

Usually, it is tough to see the difference between sensor measurements just by looking at a spec sheet. The visual below might offer you a much better sense of the sensor sizes in the M8 and E-P3.

As you can see, both of the cameras provide different megapixel count and different sensor measurements. The M8 having a larger sensor will make achieving shallow DOF less difficult and the Olympus E-P3 will give greater detail using its extra 2 Megapixels. Greater resolution can also let you crop photos more aggressively. The older M8 is going to be disadvantaged with regard to sensor innovation.