Olympus E-M5 II vs Panasonic SZ8

Following is a in-depth analysis of the Olympus E-M5 II versus Panasonic SZ8, former is a Advanced Mirrorless while the latter is a Small Sensor Superzoom by brands Olympus and Panasonic. The sensor resolution of the E-M5 II (16MP) and the SZ8 (16MP) is pretty close but the E-M5 II (Four Thirds) and SZ8 (1/2.3") possess totally different sensor sizes.

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The E-M5 II was revealed 14 months after the SZ8 which makes the cameras a generation away from one another. Both of these cameras come with different body type with the Olympus E-M5 II being a SLR-style mirrorless camera and the Panasonic SZ8 being a Compact camera.

Before going through a detailed comparison, below is a brief summary of how the E-M5 II matches up vs the SZ8 with regard to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

This is a preview of the gallery images for Olympus OM-D E-M5 II & Panasonic Lumix DMC-SZ8. The full galleries are provided at Olympus E-M5 II Gallery & Panasonic SZ8 Gallery.

For anyone who is looking to carry around your camera often, you will have to think about its weight and dimensions. The Olympus E-M5 II enjoys outer measurements of 124mm x 85mm x 45mm (4.9" x 3.3" x 1.8") along with a weight of 469 grams (1.03 lbs) while the Panasonic SZ8 has dimensions of 100mm x 60mm x 27mm (3.9" x 2.4" x 1.1") accompanied by a weight of 159 grams (0.35 lbs).

Check the Olympus E-M5 II versus Panasonic SZ8 in our newest Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Remember, the weight of an ILC will vary based on the lens you are employing at the time. Here is the front view measurement comparison of the E-M5 II compared to the SZ8.

Taking into account dimensions and weight, the portability score of the E-M5 II and SZ8 is 80 and 94 respectively.

Quite often, it is very tough to visualise the difference in sensor sizes just by looking through specifications. The image here may provide you a far better sense of the sensor measurements in the E-M5 II and SZ8.

To sum up, the 2 cameras posses the exact same megapixel count albeit not the same sensor sizes. The E-M5 II provides the bigger sensor which will make getting shallow depth of field less difficult. The fresher E-M5 II is going to have an advantage in sensor innovation.