Olympus E-5 vs Olympus 8000

Let's look more closely at the Olympus E-5 versus Olympus 8000, former is a Advanced DSLR while the other is a Small Sensor Compact and they are both produced by Olympus. The image resolution of the E-5 (12MP) and the 8000 (12MP) is fairly similar but the E-5 (Four Thirds) and 8000 (1/2.3") provide different sensor dimensions.

Photography Glossary

The E-5 was revealed 20 months after the 8000 making them a generation away from one another. Both of the cameras feature different body design with the Olympus E-5 being a Mid-size SLR camera and the Olympus 8000 being a Compact camera.

Before getting right into a detailed comparison, here is a brief summary of how the E-5 grades against the 8000 with regard to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

The following is a sample of the gallery pictures for Olympus E-5 & Olympus Stylus Tough 8000. The full galleries are available at Olympus E-5 Gallery & Olympus 8000 Gallery.

For those who are looking to carry around your camera often, you will want to factor its weight and dimensions. The Olympus E-5 provides outer dimensions of 143mm x 117mm x 75mm (5.6" x 4.6" x 3.0") along with a weight of 800 grams (1.76 lbs) while the Olympus 8000 has dimensions of 95mm x 62mm x 22mm (3.7" x 2.4" x 0.9") accompanied by a weight of 182 grams (0.40 lbs).

Look at the Olympus E-5 versus Olympus 8000 in our newest Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Remember that, the weight of an ILC will differ dependant on the lens you are working with at the time. Underneath is a front view size comparison of the E-5 and the 8000.

Taking into consideration dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the E-5 and 8000 is 58 and 94 respectively.

Sometimes, it can be difficult to imagine the contrast between sensor sizes purely by reading specs. The pic underneath will help provide you a better sense of the sensor dimensions in the E-5 and 8000.

As you can plainly see, both of the cameras feature the identical megapixel count but different sensor sizes. The E-5 uses the larger sensor which will make getting shallower DOF easier. The newer E-5 should have an advantage in sensor innovation.