Clicky

Olympus E-M5 III vs Panasonic FH8

Portability
80
Imaging
62
Features
88
Overall
72
Olympus OM-D E-M5 III front
 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FH8 front
Portability
96
Imaging
39
Features
32
Overall
36

Olympus E-M5 III vs Panasonic FH8 Key Specs

Olympus E-M5 III
(Full Review)
  • 20MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Fully Articulated Display
  • 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
  • Launched October 2019
  • Succeeded the Olympus E-M5 II
  • New Model is OM System OM-5
Panasonic FH8
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 100 - 6400
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 24-120mm (F2.5-6.4) lens
  • 123g - 96 x 57 x 19mm
  • Introduced January 2012
Samsung Releases Faster Versions of EVO MicroSD Cards

Olympus E-M5 III vs Panasonic FH8 Overview

Here, we are contrasting the Olympus E-M5 III vs Panasonic FH8, former being a Advanced Mirrorless while the other is a Small Sensor Compact by brands Olympus and Panasonic. There is a noticeable difference between the image resolutions of the E-M5 III (20MP) and FH8 (16MP) and the E-M5 III (Four Thirds) and FH8 (1/2.3") have totally different sensor size.

President Biden pushes bill mandating TikTok sale or ban

The E-M5 III was launched 7 years later than the FH8 and that is quite a sizable difference as far as tech is concerned. Both of these cameras feature different body design with the Olympus E-M5 III being a SLR-style mirrorless camera and the Panasonic FH8 being a Compact camera.

Before going straight to a full comparison, here is a short highlight of how the E-M5 III grades against the FH8 for portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Japan-exclusive Leica Leitz Phone 3 features big sensor and new modes
	
	

Reasons to pick Olympus E-M5 III over the Panasonic FH8

 E-M5 III FH8 
IntroducedOctober 2019January 2012More recent by 95 months
Manually focus More precise focusing
Display typeFully ArticulatedFixed Fully Articulating display
Display resolution1040k230kSharper display (+810k dot)
Selfie screen Take selfies
Touch friendly display Easily navigate

Reasons to pick Panasonic FH8 over the Olympus E-M5 III

 FH8 E-M5 III 

Common features in the Olympus E-M5 III and Panasonic FH8

 E-M5 III FH8 
Display size3"3"Same display size

Olympus E-M5 III vs Panasonic FH8 Physical Comparison

For those who are looking to lug around your camera often, you should factor in its weight and dimensions. The Olympus E-M5 III has got external measurements of 125mm x 85mm x 50mm (4.9" x 3.3" x 2.0") accompanied by a weight of 414 grams (0.91 lbs) whilst the Panasonic FH8 has dimensions of 96mm x 57mm x 19mm (3.8" x 2.2" x 0.7") along with a weight of 123 grams (0.27 lbs).

Look at the Olympus E-M5 III vs Panasonic FH8 in our completely new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Keep in mind, the weight of an ILC will differ based on the lens you use at the time. Here is a front view dimensions comparison of the E-M5 III compared to the FH8.

Olympus E-M5 III vs Panasonic FH8 size comparison

Taking into account size and weight, the portability grade of the E-M5 III and FH8 is 80 and 96 respectively.

Olympus E-M5 III vs Panasonic FH8 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-M5 III vs Panasonic FH8 Sensor Comparison

Oftentimes, its difficult to visualise the contrast between sensor measurements purely by looking at specs. The photograph below may give you a stronger sense of the sensor sizing in the E-M5 III and FH8.

As you can plainly see, both of the cameras come with different resolutions and different sensor measurements. The E-M5 III due to its larger sensor will make getting shallow DOF easier and the Olympus E-M5 III will give more detail utilizing its extra 4MP. Greater resolution can also help you crop images a good deal more aggressively. The younger E-M5 III is going to have an edge when it comes to sensor innovation.

Olympus E-M5 III vs Panasonic FH8 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-M5 III vs Panasonic FH8 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-M5 III vs Panasonic FH8 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
Apple Innovates by Creating Next-Level Optical Stabilization for iPhone

Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Portrait photography with Olympus E-M5 III
Portrait photography with Panasonic FH8
77
manual focus
megapixel count good (20MP)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
includes face detect autofocus
exports RAW files
34
resolution is good (16MP)
includes face detect autofocus
manual focus not available
manual exposure not possible
external flash not possible
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
lacks RAW support
Meta to Introduce 'AI-Generated' Labels for Media starting next month

Street Comparison

Olympus E-M5 III Street photography advice
Panasonic FH8 Street photography advice
83
fully articulated screen
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
exports RAW files
comes with focus via touch
weather proofing
great high ISO (25,600)
63
has image stabilization (Optical)
lighter than competition in class (123 grams)
screen does not articulate
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
lacks RAW support
Pentax 17 Pre-Orders Outperform Expectations by a Landslide

Sports Comparison

Sports photography with Olympus E-M5 III
Sports photography with Panasonic FH8
76
maximum shutter speed is high (1/8,000s)
quiet shooting (1/32,000s)
high fps (30.0 frames/s)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
megapixel count good (20 megapixels)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
includes tracking focus
weather proofing
comes with phase detect autofocus
terrible battery power (310 shots)
40
has image stabilization (Optical)
resolution is good (16 megapixels)
includes tracking focus
continuous shooting slow (1.0 frames per second)
no shutter priority mode
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
lacks phase detect autofocus
Sora from OpenAI releases its first ever music video

Travel Comparison

Olympus E-M5 III as a Travel photography camera
Panasonic FH8 as a Travel photography camera
77
weather proofing
supports bluetooth
comes with focus via touch
megapixel count good (20MP)
screen is selfie friendly
terrible battery power (310 per charge)
69
lighter than competition in class (123 grams)
resolution is good (16MP)
has built in flash
decently wide (24mm)
does not have Time Lapse recording
display is not selfie friendly
slow maximum aperture (f2.5)
Photography Glossary

Landscape Comparison

Landscape photography with Olympus E-M5 III
Landscape photography with Panasonic FH8
77
manual focus
switch lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
nice screen size (3 inch)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
megapixel count good (20MP)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
great high ISO (25,600)
exports RAW files
weather proofing
terrible battery power (310 per charge)
43
decently wide (24mm)
screen size is good (3 inch)
has image stabilization (Optical)
resolution is good (16 megapixels)
manual focus not available
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
slow maximum aperture (f2.5)
manual exposure not possible
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
lacks RAW support
does not have Time Lapse recording
Photobucket discusses licensing 13 billion images with AI firms

Vlogging Comparison

Vlogging with Olympus E-M5 III
Vlogging with Panasonic FH8
84
screen is selfie friendly
touchscreen
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
includes face detect autofocus
high video quality (4096 x 2160 pxls)
does have mic support
33
decently wide (24mm)
has image stabilization (Optical)
includes face detect autofocus
lighter than competition in class (123 grams)
slow maximum aperture (f2.5)
display is not selfie friendly
video resolution low (1280 x 720 pixels)
does not have mic port
Snapchat Adds Watermarks to AI-Created Images

Olympus E-M5 III vs Panasonic FH8 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-M5 III and Panasonic FH8
 Olympus OM-D E-M5 IIIPanasonic Lumix DMC-FH8
General Information
Brand Name Olympus Panasonic
Model type Olympus OM-D E-M5 III Panasonic Lumix DMC-FH8
Type Advanced Mirrorless Small Sensor Compact
Launched 2019-10-17 2012-01-09
Body design SLR-style mirrorless Compact
Sensor Information
Processor TruePic VIII -
Sensor type MOS CCD
Sensor size Four Thirds 1/2.3"
Sensor dimensions 17.4 x 13mm 6.08 x 4.56mm
Sensor surface area 226.2mm² 27.7mm²
Sensor resolution 20 megapixel 16 megapixel
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Peak resolution 5184 x 3888 4608 x 3456
Highest native ISO 25600 6400
Lowest native ISO 200 100
RAW images
Lowest enhanced ISO 64 -
Autofocusing
Manual focusing
Autofocus touch
Autofocus continuous
Autofocus single
Autofocus tracking
Autofocus selectice
Autofocus center weighted
Multi area autofocus
Live view autofocus
Face detect focus
Contract detect focus
Phase detect focus
Total focus points 121 23
Lens
Lens mount type Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens zoom range - 24-120mm (5.0x)
Highest aperture - f/2.5-6.4
Macro focusing distance - 4cm
Available lenses 107 -
Focal length multiplier 2.1 5.9
Screen
Display type Fully Articulated Fixed Type
Display size 3 inches 3 inches
Resolution of display 1,040 thousand dot 230 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch functionality
Display technology - TFT Color LCD
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Electronic None
Viewfinder resolution 2,360 thousand dot -
Viewfinder coverage 100% -
Viewfinder magnification 0.68x -
Features
Min shutter speed 60s 8s
Max shutter speed 1/8000s 1/1600s
Max quiet shutter speed 1/32000s -
Continuous shutter speed 30.0fps 1.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual exposure
Exposure compensation Yes -
Custom white balance
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash distance no built-in flash 5.60 m
Flash options Auto, redeye, fill, off, redeye slow sync, slow sync, 2nd-curtain slow sync, manual Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye reduction
Hot shoe
Auto exposure bracketing
White balance bracketing
Max flash sync 1/250s -
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Supported video resolutions 4096 x 2160 @ 24p / 237 Mbps, MOV, H.264, Linear PCM 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps)
Highest video resolution 4096x2160 1280x720
Video data format MPEG-4, H.264 MPEG-4
Mic jack
Headphone jack
Connectivity
Wireless Built-In None
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 pounds) 123 grams (0.27 pounds)
Physical dimensions 125 x 85 x 50mm (4.9" x 3.3" x 2.0") 96 x 57 x 19mm (3.8" x 2.2" x 0.7")
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 photos 260 photos
Style of battery Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID BLN-1 -
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 secs, custom) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse recording
Storage media SD/SDHC/SDXC (UHS-II supported) SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal
Storage slots One One
Cost at release $1,199 $149