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Olympus FE-5020 vs Olympus E-PL8

Portability
95
Imaging
35
Features
20
Overall
29
Olympus FE-5020 front
 
Olympus PEN E-PL8 front
Portability
86
Imaging
54
Features
76
Overall
62

Olympus FE-5020 vs Olympus E-PL8 Key Specs

Olympus FE-5020
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 2.7" Fixed Display
  • ISO 64 - 1600
  • 640 x 480 video
  • 24-120mm (F3.3-5.8) lens
  • 137g - 93 x 56 x 25mm
  • Announced July 2009
  • Also Known as X-935
Olympus E-PL8
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Screen
  • ISO 200 - 25600
  • Sensor based 5-axis Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 357g - 115 x 67 x 38mm
  • Released September 2016
  • Succeeded the Olympus E-PL7
  • Renewed by Olympus E-PL9
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Olympus FE-5020 vs Olympus E-PL8 Overview

Below is a detailed comparison of the Olympus FE-5020 vs Olympus E-PL8, former being a Small Sensor Compact while the latter is a Entry-Level Mirrorless and both of them are created by Olympus. There exists a large gap between the resolutions of the FE-5020 (12MP) and E-PL8 (16MP) and the FE-5020 (1/2.3") and E-PL8 (Four Thirds) have different sensor dimensions.

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The FE-5020 was announced 8 years prior to the E-PL8 and that is quite a serious difference as far as technology is concerned. Both cameras have different body design with the Olympus FE-5020 being a Compact camera and the Olympus E-PL8 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera.

Before going right into a thorough comparison, here is a brief introduction of how the FE-5020 grades vs the E-PL8 when considering portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

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Reasons to pick Olympus FE-5020 over the Olympus E-PL8

 FE-5020 E-PL8 

Reasons to pick Olympus E-PL8 over the Olympus FE-5020

 E-PL8 FE-5020 
ReleasedSeptember 2016July 2009More recent by 87 months
Manual focus Dial exact focus
Screen typeTiltingFixed Tilting screen
Screen dimensions3"2.7"Bigger screen (+0.3")
Screen resolution1037k230kCrisper screen (+807k dot)
Touch friendly screen Quickly navigate

Common features in the Olympus FE-5020 and Olympus E-PL8

 FE-5020 E-PL8 
Selfie screen Neither provides selfie screen

Olympus FE-5020 vs Olympus E-PL8 Physical Comparison

If you are going to lug around your camera regularly, you're going to have to take into account its weight and dimensions. The Olympus FE-5020 provides physical dimensions of 93mm x 56mm x 25mm (3.7" x 2.2" x 1.0") and a weight of 137 grams (0.30 lbs) while 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 FE-5020 vs Olympus E-PL8 in our newest Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Remember that, the weight of an ILC will differ based on the lens you select at that moment. Following is a front view over all size comparison of the FE-5020 against the E-PL8.

Olympus FE-5020 vs Olympus E-PL8 size comparison

Factoring in dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the FE-5020 and E-PL8 is 95 and 86 respectively.

Olympus FE-5020 vs Olympus E-PL8 top view buttons comparison

Olympus FE-5020 vs Olympus E-PL8 Sensor Comparison

Sometimes, it's tough to visualize the contrast between sensor measurements merely by going over a spec sheet. The visual underneath will give you a much better sense of the sensor dimensions in the FE-5020 and E-PL8.

As you can see, both of those cameras have different resolutions and different sensor measurements. The FE-5020 having a tinier sensor is going to make getting shallower depth of field more difficult and the Olympus E-PL8 will offer extra detail with its extra 4 Megapixels. Higher resolution will also make it easier to crop shots a bit more aggressively. The older FE-5020 is going to be behind in sensor innovation.

Olympus FE-5020 vs Olympus E-PL8 sensor size comparison

Olympus FE-5020 vs Olympus E-PL8 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus FE-5020 vs Olympus E-PL8 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus FE-5020 Portrait photography info
Olympus E-PL8 Portrait photography info
21
focusing manually not possible
lack of manual exposure
cannot use external flash
MP count low (12MP)
very small sensor (1/2.3")
has no RAW files
72
focusing manually
good resolution (16MP)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
comes with face detect focusing
delivers RAW formats
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Street Comparison

Olympus FE-5020 Street photography advice
Olympus E-PL8 Street photography advice
60
weather proof
lighter than competitors (137g)
no moving screen
does not have image stabilization
very small sensor (1/2.3")
has no RAW files
84
screen tilts
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
delivers RAW formats
offers focus via touch
good high ISO (25,600)
Photography Glossary

Sports Comparison

Olympus FE-5020 as a Sports photography camera
Olympus E-PL8 as a Sports photography camera
24
weather proof
low max shutter speed (1/500 seconds)
lack of shutter priority mode
does not have image stabilization
MP count low (12MP)
very small sensor (1/2.3")
has no phase detect auto focus
67
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
good resolution (16 megapixels)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
comes with tracking focus
does not have phase detect AF
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Travel Comparison

Olympus FE-5020 Travel photography info
Olympus E-PL8 Travel photography info
65
lighter than competitors (137 grams)
weather proof
built-in flash
fairly wide (24mm)
lack of Timelapse mode
MP count low (12MP)
display is not selfie friendly
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.3)
71
offers focus via touch
good resolution (16MP)
does not feature selfie friendly display
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus FE-5020 Landscape photography highlights
Olympus E-PL8 Landscape photography highlights
31
fairly wide (24mm)
weather proof
focusing manually not possible
can't swap lens (fixed lens mount)
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.3)
small screen (2.7 inch)
lack of manual exposure
does not have image stabilization
MP count low (12 megapixels)
very small sensor (1/2.3")
has no RAW files
lack of Timelapse mode
80
focusing manually
interchangeable lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
good sized screen (3")
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
good resolution (16 megapixels)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
good high ISO (25,600)
delivers RAW formats
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus FE-5020 as a Vlogging camera
Olympus E-PL8 as a Vlogging camera
28
fairly wide (24mm)
lighter than competitors (137g)
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.3)
display is not selfie friendly
does not have image stabilization
video quality not great (640 x 480 resolution)
lack of microphone support
35
touchscreen capability
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
comes with face detect focusing
video resolution high (1920 x 1080 pxls)
does not feature selfie friendly display
missing mic jack
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Olympus FE-5020 vs Olympus E-PL8 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus FE-5020 and Olympus E-PL8
 Olympus FE-5020Olympus PEN E-PL8
General Information
Brand Olympus Olympus
Model type Olympus FE-5020 Olympus PEN E-PL8
Alternate name X-935 -
Type Small Sensor Compact Entry-Level Mirrorless
Announced 2009-07-22 2016-09-19
Body design Compact Rangefinder-style mirrorless
Sensor Information
Processor TruePic III TruePic VII
Sensor type CCD CMOS
Sensor size 1/2.3" Four Thirds
Sensor dimensions 6.17 x 4.55mm 17.3 x 13mm
Sensor area 28.1mm² 224.9mm²
Sensor resolution 12 megapixel 16 megapixel
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Peak resolution 3968 x 2976 4608 x 3456
Highest native ISO 1600 25600
Min native ISO 64 200
RAW pictures
Min enhanced ISO - 100
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Autofocus touch
Autofocus continuous
Single autofocus
Autofocus tracking
Autofocus selectice
Center weighted autofocus
Multi area autofocus
Live view autofocus
Face detect focus
Contract detect focus
Phase detect focus
Total focus points - 81
Lens
Lens support fixed lens Micro Four Thirds
Lens zoom range 24-120mm (5.0x) -
Highest aperture f/3.3-5.8 -
Macro focusing range 1cm -
Available lenses - 107
Focal length multiplier 5.8 2.1
Screen
Range of display Fixed Type Tilting
Display sizing 2.7 inch 3 inch
Resolution of display 230k dot 1,037k dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch screen
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type None Electronic (optional)
Features
Minimum shutter speed 4 seconds 60 seconds
Fastest shutter speed 1/500 seconds 1/4000 seconds
Continuous shutter speed - 8.0 frames per sec
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation - Yes
Set white balance
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash distance 4.10 m no built-in flash
Flash settings Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Fill-in no built-in flash
Hot shoe
Auto exposure bracketing
White balance bracketing
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Video resolutions 640 x 480 (30, 15 fps), 320 x 240 (30, 15 fps) 1920 x 1080 (30p), 1280 x 720 (30p), 640 x 480 (30 fps)
Highest video resolution 640x480 1920x1080
Video file format Motion JPEG H.264, Motion JPEG
Mic input
Headphone input
Connectivity
Wireless None Built-In
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environmental seal
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 137 grams (0.30 lbs) 357 grams (0.79 lbs)
Physical dimensions 93 x 56 x 25mm (3.7" x 2.2" x 1.0") 115 x 67 x 38mm (4.5" x 2.6" x 1.5")
DXO scores
DXO Overall rating not tested not tested
DXO Color Depth rating not tested not tested
DXO Dynamic range rating not tested not tested
DXO Low light rating not tested not tested
Other
Battery life - 350 pictures
Battery format - Battery Pack
Battery ID LI-42B -
Self timer Yes (12 seconds) Yes (2 or 12 sec, custom)
Time lapse recording
Type of storage xD-Picture Card, microSD SD/SDHC/SDXC card
Storage slots One One
Retail price $160 $500