Leica M8 vs Olympus E-PL5
79 Imaging
49 Features
31 Overall
41
88 Imaging
51 Features
72 Overall
59
Leica M8 vs Olympus E-PL5 Key Specs
(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
(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
Photobucket discusses licensing 13 billion images with AI firms 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.
Photography GlossaryThe 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.
Mastering Nature Photography with a Digital Microscope Camera Leica M8 vs Olympus E-PL5 Gallery
Following is a sample of the gallery pictures for Leica M8 & Olympus PEN E-PL5. The full galleries are available at Leica M8 Gallery & Olympus E-PL5 Gallery.
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 | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Launched | September 2012 | July 2007 | More modern by 62 months | |
| Display type | Tilting | Fixed | Tilting display | |
| Display size | 3" | 2.5" | Larger display (+0.5") | |
| Display resolution | 460k | 230k | Sharper 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.
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.

Using size and weight, the portability grade of the M8 and E-PL5 is 79 and 88 respectively.
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 Screen and ViewFinder
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Leica M8 vs Olympus E-PL5 Specifications
| Leica M8 | Olympus 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 |