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Olympus E-M5 III vs Olympus E-PL8

Portability
80
Imaging
62
Features
88
Overall
72
Olympus OM-D E-M5 III front
 
Olympus PEN E-PL8 front
Portability
86
Imaging
54
Features
76
Overall
62

Olympus E-M5 III vs Olympus E-PL8 Key Specs

Olympus E-M5 III
(Full Review)
  • 20MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Fully Articulated Screen
  • ISO 200 - 25600
  • Sensor based 5-axis Image Stabilization
  • 1/8000s Maximum Shutter
  • 4096 x 2160 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 414g - 125 x 85 x 50mm
  • Released October 2019
  • Earlier Model is Olympus E-M5 II
  • Replacement is OM System OM-5
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
  • Revealed September 2016
  • Old Model is Olympus E-PL7
  • New Model is Olympus E-PL9
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Olympus E-M5 III vs Olympus E-PL8 Overview

Following is a detailed comparison of the Olympus E-M5 III and Olympus E-PL8, one is a Advanced Mirrorless and the latter is a Entry-Level Mirrorless and they are both built by Olympus. There exists a big gap between the resolutions of the E-M5 III (20MP) and E-PL8 (16MP) but both cameras have the identical sensor size (Four Thirds).

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The E-M5 III was manufactured 3 years after the E-PL8 which is quite a big gap as far as technology is concerned. Both of these cameras feature different body design with the Olympus E-M5 III being a SLR-style mirrorless camera and the Olympus E-PL8 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera.

Before delving right into a detailed comparison, here is a quick overview of how the E-M5 III matches up against the E-PL8 in terms of portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-M5 III over the Olympus E-PL8

 E-M5 III E-PL8 
RevealedOctober 2019September 2016More modern by 38 months
Screen typeFully ArticulatedTiltingFully Articulating screen
Screen resolution1040k1037kSharper screen (+3k dot)
Selfie screen Take selfies

Reasons to pick Olympus E-PL8 over the Olympus E-M5 III

 E-PL8 E-M5 III 

Common features in the Olympus E-M5 III and Olympus E-PL8

 E-M5 III E-PL8 
Focus manually Dial exact focusing
Screen size3"3"Same screen size
Touch screen Quickly navigate

Olympus E-M5 III vs Olympus E-PL8 Physical Comparison

For anybody who is going to carry around your camera, you'll need to think about its weight and size. The Olympus E-M5 III offers exterior dimensions of 125mm x 85mm x 50mm (4.9" x 3.3" x 2.0") having a weight of 414 grams (0.91 lbs) while the Olympus E-PL8 has specifications of 115mm x 67mm x 38mm (4.5" x 2.6" x 1.5") accompanied by a weight of 357 grams (0.79 lbs).

Compare the Olympus E-M5 III and Olympus E-PL8 in the all new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Always remember, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary depending on the lens you are working with at that time. The following is a front view proportions comparison of the E-M5 III and the E-PL8.

Olympus E-M5 III vs Olympus E-PL8 size comparison

Looking at dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the E-M5 III and E-PL8 is 80 and 86 respectively.

Olympus E-M5 III vs Olympus E-PL8 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-M5 III vs Olympus E-PL8 Sensor Comparison

Sometimes, it's difficult to visualize the contrast between sensor sizes merely by going over technical specs. The image here should offer you a better sense of the sensor dimensions in the E-M5 III and E-PL8.

As you have seen, both of the cameras feature the identical sensor size albeit different resolution. You should count on the Olympus E-M5 III to offer you extra detail due to its extra 4 Megapixels. Higher resolution will also allow you to crop photographs way more aggressively. The fresher E-M5 III provides an advantage in sensor tech.

Olympus E-M5 III vs Olympus E-PL8 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-M5 III vs Olympus E-PL8 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-M5 III vs Olympus E-PL8 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-M5 III as a Portrait photography camera
Olympus E-PL8 as a Portrait photography camera
77
focusing manually
megapixel count decent (20MP)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
features face detection focusing
exports RAW files
72
focusing manually
MP count decent (16MP)
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
comes with face detection focus
supports RAW formats
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Street Comparison

Street photography with Olympus E-M5 III
Street photography with Olympus E-PL8
83
screen can move to multiple angles
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
exports RAW files
provides focus via touch
weather proof
great high ISO (25,600)
84
has a tilting screen
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
supports RAW formats
has touch focus
very good high ISO (25,600)
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-M5 III Sports photography factors
Olympus E-PL8 Sports photography factors
76
max shutter speed is good (1/8,000s)
silent mode (1/32,000s)
high fps (30.0 fps)
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
megapixel count decent (20MP)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
features tracking autofocus
weather proof
comes with phase detect AF
terrible battery power (310 per charge)
67
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
MP count decent (16MP)
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
comes with tracking autofocus
lack of phase detect auto focus
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-M5 III Travel photography information
Olympus E-PL8 Travel photography information
77
weather proof
supports bluetooth
provides focus via touch
megapixel count decent (20MP)
selfie friendly screen
terrible battery power (310 shots)
71
has touch focus
MP count decent (16 megapixels)
screen is not selfie friendly
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-M5 III Landscape photography details
Olympus E-PL8 Landscape photography details
77
focusing manually
swap lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
decent sized screen (3 inch)
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
megapixel count decent (20 megapixels)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
great high ISO (25,600)
exports RAW files
weather proof
terrible battery power (310 CIPA)
80
focusing manually
change lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
pretty good screen size (3")
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
MP count decent (16MP)
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
very good high ISO (25,600)
supports RAW formats
Photography Glossary

Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-M5 III Vlogging details
Olympus E-PL8 Vlogging details
84
selfie friendly screen
screen is touchscreen
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
features face detection focusing
high video quality (4096 x 2160 pxls)
does have external mic support
35
built-in touchscreen
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
comes with face detection focus
good video quality (1920 x 1080 pxls)
screen is not selfie friendly
doesn't have external mic port
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Olympus E-M5 III vs Olympus E-PL8 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-M5 III and Olympus E-PL8
 Olympus OM-D E-M5 IIIOlympus PEN E-PL8
General Information
Company Olympus Olympus
Model type Olympus OM-D E-M5 III Olympus PEN E-PL8
Class Advanced Mirrorless Entry-Level Mirrorless
Released 2019-10-17 2016-09-19
Body design SLR-style mirrorless Rangefinder-style mirrorless
Sensor Information
Chip TruePic VIII TruePic VII
Sensor type MOS CMOS
Sensor size Four Thirds Four Thirds
Sensor dimensions 17.4 x 13mm 17.3 x 13mm
Sensor area 226.2mm² 224.9mm²
Sensor resolution 20MP 16MP
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Highest Possible resolution 5184 x 3888 4608 x 3456
Maximum native ISO 25600 25600
Lowest native ISO 200 200
RAW files
Lowest enhanced ISO 64 100
Autofocusing
Manual focusing
AF touch
AF continuous
AF single
AF tracking
Selective AF
Center weighted AF
Multi area AF
AF live view
Face detection AF
Contract detection AF
Phase detection AF
Total focus points 121 81
Lens
Lens mount type Micro Four Thirds Micro Four Thirds
Amount of lenses 107 107
Focal length multiplier 2.1 2.1
Screen
Range of screen Fully Articulated Tilting
Screen diagonal 3 inch 3 inch
Resolution of screen 1,040 thousand dot 1,037 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch capability
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Electronic Electronic (optional)
Viewfinder resolution 2,360 thousand dot -
Viewfinder coverage 100% -
Viewfinder magnification 0.68x -
Features
Min shutter speed 60s 60s
Max shutter speed 1/8000s 1/4000s
Max silent shutter speed 1/32000s -
Continuous shutter speed 30.0 frames/s 8.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Custom WB
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash distance no built-in flash no built-in flash
Flash settings Auto, redeye, fill, off, redeye slow sync, slow sync, 2nd-curtain slow sync, manual no built-in flash
Hot shoe
AE bracketing
WB bracketing
Max flash sync 1/250s -
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Supported video resolutions 4096 x 2160 @ 24p / 237 Mbps, MOV, H.264, Linear PCM 1920 x 1080 (30p), 1280 x 720 (30p), 640 x 480 (30 fps)
Maximum video resolution 4096x2160 1920x1080
Video format MPEG-4, H.264 H.264, Motion JPEG
Mic jack
Headphone jack
Connectivity
Wireless Built-In 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 414 grams (0.91 lbs) 357 grams (0.79 lbs)
Physical dimensions 125 x 85 x 50mm (4.9" x 3.3" x 2.0") 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 310 images 350 images
Battery form Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID BLN-1 -
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 secs, custom) Yes (2 or 12 sec, custom)
Time lapse recording
Storage media SD/SDHC/SDXC (UHS-II supported) SD/SDHC/SDXC card
Storage slots 1 1
Pricing at release $1,199 $500