Olympus E-3 vs Olympus E-PL8

Below is a in depth assessment of the Olympus E-3 and Olympus E-PL8, former being a Advanced DSLR while the other is a Entry-Level Mirrorless and both are created by Olympus. There is a noticeable difference between the sensor resolutions of the E-3 (10MP) and E-PL8 (16MP) but both cameras provide the same sensor size (Four Thirds).

Photography Glossary

The E-3 was unveiled 9 years earlier than the E-PL8 and that is quite a sizable difference as far as tech is concerned. Both of the cameras have different body design with the Olympus E-3 being a Mid-size SLR camera and the Olympus E-PL8 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera.

Before going right into a detailed comparison, here is a simple introduction of how the E-3 grades vs the E-PL8 with respect to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Here is a sample of the gallery pics for Olympus E-3 & Olympus PEN E-PL8. The full galleries are viewable at Olympus E-3 Gallery & Olympus E-PL8 Gallery.

For those who are planning to lug around your camera frequently, you will want to take into account its weight and dimensions. The Olympus E-3 provides outside measurements of 142mm x 116mm x 75mm (5.6" x 4.6" x 3.0") accompanied by a weight of 890 grams (1.96 lbs) and the Olympus E-PL8 has dimensions of 115mm x 67mm x 38mm (4.5" x 2.6" x 1.5") and a weight of 357 grams (0.79 lbs).

Check the Olympus E-3 and Olympus E-PL8 in our newest Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Don't forget, the weight of an ILC will change depending on the lens you have chosen during that time. Here is a front view measurements comparison of the E-3 versus the E-PL8.

Using size and weight, the portability rating of the E-3 and E-PL8 is 56 and 86 respectively.

Often, it is very hard to visualise the gap between sensor measurements merely by reading through a spec sheet. The photograph here will help offer you a more clear sense of the sensor measurements in the E-3 and E-PL8.

As you can see, both of the cameras provide the same sensor dimensions but not the same resolution. You can expect to see the Olympus E-PL8 to resolve extra detail having an extra 6 Megapixels. Greater resolution can also allow you to crop photos more aggressively. The older E-3 is going to be behind with regard to sensor technology.