Olympus E-M1 II vs Panasonic ZS8

Its time to look a little more closely at the Olympus E-M1 II and Panasonic ZS8, former is a Pro Mirrorless while the other is a Small Sensor Superzoom by brands Olympus and Panasonic. There is a sizable difference between the sensor resolutions of the E-M1 II (20MP) and ZS8 (14MP) and the E-M1 II (Four Thirds) and ZS8 (1/2.3") have different sensor sizing.

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The E-M1 II was announced 5 years after the ZS8 which is quite a significant difference as far as tech is concerned. Each of these cameras feature different body design with the Olympus E-M1 II being a SLR-style mirrorless camera and the Panasonic ZS8 being a Compact camera.

Before getting straight to a complete comparison, here is a simple introduction of how the E-M1 II matches up vs the ZS8 with regard to portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

Following is a sample of the gallery pics for Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark II & Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS8. The whole galleries are provided at Olympus E-M1 II Gallery & Panasonic ZS8 Gallery.

If you are looking to travel with your camera often, you are going to need to factor its weight and proportions. The Olympus E-M1 II enjoys physical dimensions of 134mm x 91mm x 67mm (5.3" x 3.6" x 2.6") accompanied by a weight of 574 grams (1.27 lbs) whilst the Panasonic ZS8 has measurements of 105mm x 58mm x 33mm (4.1" x 2.3" x 1.3") with a weight of 210 grams (0.46 lbs).

Check the Olympus E-M1 II and Panasonic ZS8 in our newest Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Remember that, the weight of an ILC will differ dependant on the lens you use at the time. Following is a front view dimensions comparison of the E-M1 II against the ZS8.

Factoring in size and weight, the portability score of the E-M1 II and ZS8 is 68 and 92 respectively.

Usually, it's tough to visualize the difference between sensor dimensions just by reading specifications. The image here might provide you a better sense of the sensor dimensions in the E-M1 II and ZS8.

To sum up, both of these cameras feature different megapixel count and different sensor dimensions. The E-M1 II having a larger sensor is going to make getting shallow depth of field easier and the Olympus E-M1 II will deliver greater detail with its extra 6MP. Greater resolution can also enable you to crop pics way more aggressively. The fresher E-M1 II provides an edge with regard to sensor tech.