Olympus E-520 vs Panasonic GF8

On this page, we are comparing the Olympus E-520 and Panasonic GF8, former being a Entry-Level DSLR while the other is a Entry-Level Mirrorless by rivals Olympus and Panasonic. There is a sizable difference among the resolutions of the E-520 (10MP) and GF8 (16MP) but both cameras boast the same sensor sizes (Four Thirds).

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The E-520 was revealed 8 years before the GF8 and that is a fairly significant difference as far as camera tech is concerned. The two cameras have different body design with the Olympus E-520 being a Compact SLR camera and the Panasonic GF8 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera.

Before going straight to a detailed comparison, here is a short highlight of how the E-520 grades against the GF8 in relation to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

This is a sample of the gallery pics for Olympus E-520 & Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF8. The full galleries are provided at Olympus E-520 Gallery & Panasonic GF8 Gallery.

If you're aiming to lug around your camera often, you will need to take into account its weight and volume. The Olympus E-520 provides exterior dimensions of 136mm x 92mm x 68mm (5.4" x 3.6" x 2.7") accompanied by a weight of 552 grams (1.22 lbs) and the Panasonic GF8 has sizing of 107mm x 65mm x 33mm (4.2" x 2.6" x 1.3") accompanied by a weight of 266 grams (0.59 lbs).

Contrast the Olympus E-520 and Panasonic GF8 in our newest Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Always remember, the weight of an ILC will change based on the lens you use at that time. The following is a front view sizing comparison of the E-520 and the GF8.

Factoring in size and weight, the portability grade of the E-520 and GF8 is 68 and 90 respectively.

Usually, its difficult to envision the gap in sensor measurements just by looking through specifications. The photograph here might give you a greater sense of the sensor sizes in the E-520 and GF8.

To sum up, both of these cameras have the same sensor dimensions but not the same MP. You can expect to see the Panasonic GF8 to provide you with extra detail because of its extra 6 Megapixels. Greater resolution will allow you to crop images a bit more aggressively. The older E-520 will be disadvantaged when it comes to sensor innovation.