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Leica M8 vs Olympus E-PL5

Portability
79
Imaging
50
Features
31
Overall
42
Leica M8 front
 
Olympus PEN E-PL5 front
Portability
88
Imaging
52
Features
72
Overall
60

Leica M8 vs Olympus E-PL5 Key Specs

Leica M8
(Full Review)
  • 10MP - APS-H Sensor
  • 2.5" Fixed Display
  • ISO 160 - 2500
  • No Anti-Alias Filter
  • 1/8000s Maximum Shutter
  • No Video
  • Leica M Mount
  • 591g - 139 x 80 x 37mm
  • Released July 2007
Olympus E-PL5
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Display
  • ISO 200 - 25600
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 325g - 111 x 64 x 38mm
  • Launched September 2012
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Leica M8 vs Olympus E-PL5 Overview

Let's look closer at the Leica M8 versus Olympus E-PL5, former is a Pro Mirrorless while the other is a Entry-Level Mirrorless by rivals Leica and Olympus. There is a sizable difference between the sensor resolutions of the M8 (10MP) and E-PL5 (16MP) and the M8 (APS-H) and E-PL5 (Four Thirds) boast different sensor measurements.

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The M8 was unveiled 6 years earlier than the E-PL5 which is quite a significant difference as far as tech is concerned. Each of these cameras feature the same body design (Rangefinder-style mirrorless).

Before diving right into a complete comparison, here is a short view of how the M8 grades vs the E-PL5 in terms of portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

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Reasons to pick Leica M8 over the Olympus E-PL5

 M8 E-PL5 

Reasons to pick Olympus E-PL5 over the Leica M8

 E-PL5 M8 
LaunchedSeptember 2012July 2007More modern by 62 months
Display typeTiltingFixed Tilting display
Display size3"2.5"Larger display (+0.5")
Display resolution460k230kSharper display (+230k dot)
Selfie screen Take selfies
Touch display Easily navigate

Common features in the Leica M8 and Olympus E-PL5

 M8 E-PL5 
Manually focus Very exact focus

Leica M8 vs Olympus E-PL5 Physical Comparison

For anybody who is aiming to carry around your camera, you need to factor its weight and size. The Leica M8 enjoys outer dimensions of 139mm x 80mm x 37mm (5.5" x 3.1" x 1.5") along with a weight of 591 grams (1.30 lbs) while the Olympus E-PL5 has specifications of 111mm x 64mm x 38mm (4.4" x 2.5" x 1.5") and a weight of 325 grams (0.72 lbs).

Check the Leica M8 versus Olympus E-PL5 in our completely new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Keep in mind, the weight of an ILC will change based on the lens you have at that time. Underneath is a front view overall size comparison of the M8 versus the E-PL5.

Leica M8 vs Olympus E-PL5 size comparison

Using size and weight, the portability grade of the M8 and E-PL5 is 79 and 88 respectively.

Leica M8 vs Olympus E-PL5 top view buttons comparison

Leica M8 vs Olympus E-PL5 Sensor Comparison

Oftentimes, it is very tough to picture the gap between sensor sizes simply by looking at specifications. The image here will help offer you a greater sense of the sensor sizes in the M8 and E-PL5.

To sum up, each of these cameras come with different megapixel count and different sensor sizes. The M8 having a larger sensor is going to make shooting shallow DOF easier and the Olympus E-PL5 will resolve more detail having an extra 6MP. Greater resolution will make it easier to crop images a good deal more aggressively. The more aged M8 is going to be disadvantaged in sensor technology.

Leica M8 vs Olympus E-PL5 sensor size comparison

Leica M8 vs Olympus E-PL5 Screen and ViewFinder

Leica M8 vs Olympus E-PL5 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Leica M8 Portrait photography details
Olympus E-PL5 Portrait photography details
54
has manual focus
sensor size is nice (APS-H)
exports RAW files
does not have liveview
MP count low (10MP)
71
manual focus
megapixel count good (16MP)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
offers face detect focus
exports RAW formats
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Street Comparison

Leica M8 Street photography features
Olympus E-PL5 Street photography features
62
sensor size is nice (APS-H)
exports RAW files
screen is fixed
lack of image stabilization
85
screen tilts
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
exports RAW formats
comes with focus via touch
good ISO range (25,600)
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Sports Comparison

Leica M8 as a Sports photography camera
Olympus E-PL5 as a Sports photography camera
43
high shutter speed (1/8,000s)
sensor size is nice (APS-H)
great battery power (550 per charge)
does not have liveview
no shutter priority
lack of image stabilization
MP count low (10MP)
has no phase detect AF
66
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
megapixel count good (16 megapixels)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
offers tracking focus
lack of phase detect auto focus
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Travel Comparison

Leica M8 Travel photography advice
Olympus E-PL5 Travel photography advice
51
great battery power (550 per charge)
missing Time Lapse function
MP count low (10MP)
doesn't have selfie friendly screen
75
comes with focus via touch
megapixel count good (16MP)
selfie friendly display
missing Time Lapse recording
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Landscape Comparison

Leica M8 Landscape photography advice
Olympus E-PL5 Landscape photography advice
55
has manual focus
swap lenses (Leica M mount)
sensor size is nice (APS-H)
does not have anti-alias filter
exports RAW files
great battery power (550 per charge)
tiny screen (2.5 inch)
does not have liveview
lack of image stabilization
MP count low (10MP)
missing Time Lapse function
74
manual focus
interchangeable lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
screen is a good size (3 inches)
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
megapixel count good (16MP)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
good ISO range (25,600)
exports RAW formats
missing Time Lapse recording
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Vlogging Comparison

Vlogging with Leica M8
Vlogging with Olympus E-PL5
9
no video recording
78
selfie friendly display
built-in touchscreen
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
offers face detect focus
video resolution high (1920 x 1080 resolution)
missing mic jack
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Leica M8 vs Olympus E-PL5 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Leica M8 and Olympus E-PL5
 Leica M8Olympus PEN E-PL5
General Information
Brand Leica Olympus
Model type Leica M8 Olympus PEN E-PL5
Category Pro Mirrorless Entry-Level Mirrorless
Released 2007-07-31 2012-09-17
Body design Rangefinder-style mirrorless Rangefinder-style mirrorless
Sensor Information
Sensor type CCD CMOS
Sensor size APS-H Four Thirds
Sensor dimensions 27 x 18mm 17.3 x 13mm
Sensor surface area 486.0mm² 224.9mm²
Sensor resolution 10 megapixels 16 megapixels
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 3:2 4:3
Full resolution 3936 x 2630 4608 x 3456
Max native ISO 2500 25600
Lowest native ISO 160 200
RAW pictures
Autofocusing
Manual focusing
AF touch
AF continuous
Single AF
Tracking AF
AF selectice
AF center weighted
Multi area AF
Live view AF
Face detect AF
Contract detect AF
Phase detect AF
Total focus points - 35
Lens
Lens mount type Leica M Micro Four Thirds
Total lenses 59 107
Crop factor 1.3 2.1
Screen
Display type Fixed Type Tilting
Display diagonal 2.5 inches 3 inches
Resolution of display 230 thousand dot 460 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch screen
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Optical (rangefinder) Electronic (optional)
Features
Lowest shutter speed 8 seconds 60 seconds
Highest shutter speed 1/8000 seconds 1/4000 seconds
Continuous shooting speed - 8.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual exposure
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Set WB
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash distance no built-in flash 7.00 m (bundled FL-LM1)
Flash options Front Curtain, Rear Curtain, Slow sync Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in, Slow Sync, Manual (3 levels)
Hot shoe
Auto exposure bracketing
WB bracketing
Highest flash sync 1/250 seconds 1/250 seconds
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Supported video resolutions - 1920 x 1080 (30 fps), 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps)
Max video resolution None 1920x1080
Video data format - MPEG-4, H.264, Motion JPEG
Mic input
Headphone input
Connectivity
Wireless None Eye-Fi Connected
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environment seal
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 591 gr (1.30 pounds) 325 gr (0.72 pounds)
Physical dimensions 139 x 80 x 37mm (5.5" x 3.1" x 1.5") 111 x 64 x 38mm (4.4" x 2.5" x 1.5")
DXO scores
DXO All around rating 59 72
DXO Color Depth rating 21.1 22.8
DXO Dynamic range rating 11.3 12.3
DXO Low light rating 663 889
Other
Battery life 550 photographs 360 photographs
Battery format Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID - BLS-5
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 12 sec)
Time lapse recording
Storage media SD/SDHC card SD/SDHC/SDXC
Storage slots 1 1
Price at launch $4,400 $400