Olympus FE-47 vs Panasonic GF8

Here is a extended review of the Olympus FE-47 and Panasonic GF8, former being a Small Sensor Compact while the other is a Entry-Level Mirrorless by manufacturers Olympus and Panasonic. The image resolution of the FE-47 (14MP) and the GF8 (16MP) is very comparable but the FE-47 (1/2.3") and GF8 (Four Thirds) come with totally different sensor size.

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The FE-47 was revealed 7 years prior to the GF8 and that is a fairly sizable difference as far as camera tech is concerned. The two cameras come with different body type with the Olympus FE-47 being a Compact camera and the Panasonic GF8 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera.

Before going in to a complete comparison, below is a simple summation of how the FE-47 grades against the GF8 in the way of portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

Here is a sample of the gallery pics for Olympus FE-47 & Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF8. The full galleries are provided at Olympus FE-47 Gallery & Panasonic GF8 Gallery.

For anyone who is planning to carry your camera regularly, you will want to factor its weight and volume. The Olympus FE-47 enjoys external dimensions of 98mm x 61mm x 27mm (3.9" x 2.4" x 1.1") and a weight of 204 grams (0.45 lbs) whilst the Panasonic GF8 has sizing of 107mm x 65mm x 33mm (4.2" x 2.6" x 1.3") and a weight of 266 grams (0.59 lbs).

Take a look at the Olympus FE-47 and Panasonic GF8 in our completely new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Take into consideration, the weight of an ILC will differ based on the lens you are utilising at that moment. Here is the front view sizing comparison of the FE-47 against the GF8.

Taking into consideration size and weight, the portability grade of the FE-47 and GF8 is 93 and 90 respectively.

Generally, its hard to envision the gap in sensor sizing only by seeing technical specs. The graphic below should provide you a much better sense of the sensor sizes in the FE-47 and GF8.

As you have seen, each of these cameras posses different resolutions and different sensor sizing. The FE-47 with its smaller sensor will make achieving shallower DOF more challenging and the Panasonic GF8 will provide more detail because of its extra 2 Megapixels. Greater resolution will also enable you to crop images somewhat more aggressively. The older FE-47 will be behind in sensor technology.