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Olympus E-P1 vs Panasonic SZ8

Portability
86
Imaging
47
Features
42
Overall
45
Olympus PEN E-P1 front
 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-SZ8 front
Portability
94
Imaging
40
Features
31
Overall
36

Olympus E-P1 vs Panasonic SZ8 Key Specs

Olympus E-P1
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 6400
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 355g - 121 x 70 x 36mm
  • Launched July 2009
  • Replacement is Olympus E-P2
Panasonic SZ8
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 100 - 1600 (Increase to 6400)
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 24-288mm (F3.1-6.3) lens
  • 159g - 100 x 60 x 27mm
  • Introduced January 2014
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Olympus E-P1 vs Panasonic SZ8 Overview

Below, we are reviewing the Olympus E-P1 vs Panasonic SZ8, former being a Entry-Level Mirrorless while the other is a Small Sensor Superzoom by manufacturers Olympus and Panasonic. There exists a noticeable gap between the sensor resolutions of the E-P1 (12MP) and SZ8 (16MP) and the E-P1 (Four Thirds) and SZ8 (1/2.3") use totally different sensor measurements.

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The E-P1 was introduced 5 years prior to the SZ8 and that is quite a sizable difference as far as technology is concerned. Both cameras come with different body type with the Olympus E-P1 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Panasonic SZ8 being a Compact camera.

Before getting in to a complete comparison, below is a brief synopsis of how the E-P1 grades versus the SZ8 with regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-P1 over the Panasonic SZ8

 E-P1 SZ8 
Manual focus More precise focus

Reasons to pick Panasonic SZ8 over the Olympus E-P1

 SZ8 E-P1 
IntroducedJanuary 2014July 2009Fresher by 54 months
Display resolution460k230kClearer display (+230k dot)

Common features in the Olympus E-P1 and Panasonic SZ8

 E-P1 SZ8 
Display typeFixed Fixed Fixed display
Display dimension3"3"Identical display measurements
Selfie screen Neither includes selfie screen
Touch friendly display No Touch friendly display

Olympus E-P1 vs Panasonic SZ8 Physical Comparison

If you are planning to carry your camera often, you will want to factor its weight and dimensions. The Olympus E-P1 features exterior measurements of 121mm x 70mm x 36mm (4.8" x 2.8" x 1.4") accompanied by a weight of 355 grams (0.78 lbs) and the Panasonic SZ8 has dimensions of 100mm x 60mm x 27mm (3.9" x 2.4" x 1.1") and a weight of 159 grams (0.35 lbs).

Take a look at the Olympus E-P1 vs Panasonic SZ8 in our newest 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 are using during that time. Underneath is the front view dimensions comparison of the E-P1 versus the SZ8.

Olympus E-P1 vs Panasonic SZ8 size comparison

Taking into consideration dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the E-P1 and SZ8 is 86 and 94 respectively.

Olympus E-P1 vs Panasonic SZ8 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-P1 vs Panasonic SZ8 Sensor Comparison

Sometimes, it's difficult to see the difference between sensor sizing merely by reading specs. The photograph here will provide you a more clear sense of the sensor measurements in the E-P1 and SZ8.

All in all, both of these cameras have got different megapixel count and different sensor sizing. The E-P1 having a larger sensor will make getting shallower DOF less difficult and the Panasonic SZ8 will deliver greater detail using its extra 4 Megapixels. Greater resolution will allow you to crop pics much more aggressively. The older E-P1 is going to be behind in sensor technology.

Olympus E-P1 vs Panasonic SZ8 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-P1 vs Panasonic SZ8 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-P1 vs Panasonic SZ8 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-P1 Portrait photography information
Panasonic SZ8 Portrait photography information
60
you can focus manually
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
comes with face detection autofocus
exports RAW files
resolution not great (12MP)
35
decent MP (16 megapixels)
offers face detection focus
manual focus not available
lack of manual exposure
can't use external flash
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW format
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-P1 Street photography features
Panasonic SZ8 Street photography features
74
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
exports RAW files
screen does not articulate
63
built in image stabilization (Optical)
lighter than competition in class (159 grams)
no articulating screen
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW format
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-P1 Sports photography info
Panasonic SZ8 Sports photography info
40
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
slow continuous shooting (3.0 frames per second)
resolution not great (12 megapixels)
low battery power (300 shots)
lacks phase detect autofocus
34
built in image stabilization (Optical)
decent MP (16MP)
slow continuous shooting (1.0 frames/s)
lack of shutter priority mode
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
not so great battery (200 per charge)
doesn't have phase detect auto focus
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-P1 Travel photography advice
Panasonic SZ8 Travel photography advice
43
does not have Timelapse mode
low battery power (300 shots)
resolution not great (12 megapixels)
doesn't feature selfie friendly display
67
lighter than competition in class (159g)
decent MP (16MP)
flash built-in
pretty wide (24mm)
very long zoom (288mm)
missing Timelapse mode
not so great battery (200 shots)
doesn't feature selfie friendly screen
somewhat slow max aperture (f3.1)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-P1 Landscape photography advice
Panasonic SZ8 Landscape photography advice
60
you can focus manually
switch lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
screen size is good (3 inch)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
exports RAW files
resolution not great (12 megapixels)
low battery power (300 CIPA)
does not have Timelapse mode
42
pretty wide (24mm)
screen size is good (3 inch)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
decent MP (16MP)
manual focus not available
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
somewhat slow max aperture (f3.1)
lack of manual exposure
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW format
not so great battery (200 per charge)
missing Timelapse mode
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-P1 Vlogging details
Panasonic SZ8 Vlogging details
29
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
comes with face detection autofocus
doesn't feature selfie friendly display
low quality video (1280 x 720 pixels)
does not have external microphone jack
32
pretty wide (24mm)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
offers face detection focus
lighter than competition in class (159 grams)
somewhat slow max aperture (f3.1)
doesn't feature selfie friendly screen
video quality not great (1280 x 720 pxls)
missing external microphone port
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Olympus E-P1 vs Panasonic SZ8 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-P1 and Panasonic SZ8
 Olympus PEN E-P1Panasonic Lumix DMC-SZ8
General Information
Brand Name Olympus Panasonic
Model Olympus PEN E-P1 Panasonic Lumix DMC-SZ8
Category Entry-Level Mirrorless Small Sensor Superzoom
Launched 2009-07-29 2014-01-06
Body design Rangefinder-style mirrorless Compact
Sensor Information
Powered by TruePic V Venus Engine
Sensor type CMOS CCD
Sensor size Four Thirds 1/2.3"
Sensor measurements 17.3 x 13mm 6.08 x 4.56mm
Sensor surface area 224.9mm² 27.7mm²
Sensor resolution 12MP 16MP
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Highest resolution 4032 x 3024 4608 x 3456
Highest native ISO 6400 1600
Highest boosted ISO - 6400
Min native ISO 100 100
RAW photos
Autofocusing
Focus manually
AF touch
AF continuous
AF single
AF tracking
AF selectice
AF center weighted
Multi area AF
Live view AF
Face detection AF
Contract detection AF
Phase detection AF
Number of focus points 11 9
Lens
Lens mount Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens focal range - 24-288mm (12.0x)
Highest aperture - f/3.1-6.3
Number of lenses 107 -
Focal length multiplier 2.1 5.9
Screen
Range of screen Fixed Type Fixed Type
Screen diagonal 3 inch 3 inch
Resolution of screen 230 thousand dot 460 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch function
Screen tech HyperCrystal LCD with AR(Anti-Reflective) coating TFT LCD
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type None None
Features
Slowest shutter speed 60 secs 8 secs
Maximum shutter speed 1/4000 secs 1/2000 secs
Continuous shooting speed 3.0 frames per sec 1.0 frames per sec
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes -
Set WB
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash range no built-in flash 5.20 m
Flash modes Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in, Slow Sync, Manual (3 levels) Auto, Auto/Red-eye Reduction, Forced On, Slow Sync./Red-eye Reduction, Forced Off
Hot shoe
AE bracketing
WB bracketing
Maximum flash sync 1/180 secs -
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Supported video resolutions 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps) 1280 x 720 (30p), 640 x 480 (30p), 320 x 240 (30p)
Highest video resolution 1280x720 1280x720
Video format Motion JPEG Motion JPEG
Microphone jack
Headphone jack
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 proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 355g (0.78 lbs) 159g (0.35 lbs)
Dimensions 121 x 70 x 36mm (4.8" x 2.8" x 1.4") 100 x 60 x 27mm (3.9" x 2.4" x 1.1")
DXO scores
DXO All around score 55 not tested
DXO Color Depth score 21.4 not tested
DXO Dynamic range score 10.4 not tested
DXO Low light score 536 not tested
Other
Battery life 300 images 200 images
Style of battery Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery model BLS-1 -
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse recording
Storage media SD/SDHC card SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal
Storage slots Single Single
Pricing at launch $182 $275