Olympus E-P2 vs Panasonic ZS8

Let's take a more detailed look at the Olympus E-P2 and Panasonic ZS8, one is a Entry-Level Mirrorless and the latter is a Small Sensor Superzoom by brands Olympus and Panasonic. The image resolution of the E-P2 (12MP) and the ZS8 (14MP) is pretty close but the E-P2 (Four Thirds) and ZS8 (1/2.3") provide totally different sensor dimensions.

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The E-P2 was brought out 15 months before the ZS8 which makes them a generation away from one another. Both of these cameras have different body design with the Olympus E-P2 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Panasonic ZS8 being a Compact camera.

Before delving right into a thorough comparison, here is a short highlight of how the E-P2 grades versus the ZS8 in the way of portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

The following is a preview of the gallery images for Olympus PEN E-P2 and Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS8. The entire galleries are viewable at Olympus E-P2 Gallery and Panasonic ZS8 Gallery.

In case you're intending to travel with your camera, you are going to need to factor in its weight and volume. The Olympus E-P2 offers outer dimensions of 121mm x 70mm x 36mm (4.8" x 2.8" x 1.4") and a weight of 355 grams (0.78 lbs) whilst the Panasonic ZS8 has sizing of 105mm x 58mm x 33mm (4.1" x 2.3" x 1.3") accompanied by a weight of 210 grams (0.46 lbs).

Check the Olympus E-P2 and Panasonic ZS8 in the new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Take into consideration, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary dependant on the lens you have attached at the time. The following is a front view measurement comparison of the E-P2 versus the ZS8.

Looking at dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the E-P2 and ZS8 is 86 and 92 respectively.

More often than not, it is very difficult to see the contrast in sensor dimensions purely by viewing specs. The picture below will provide you a better sense of the sensor dimensions in the E-P2 and ZS8.

All in all, both of the cameras provide different megapixels and different sensor dimensions. The E-P2 because of its bigger sensor will make getting shallow depth of field simpler and the Panasonic ZS8 will result in more detail having its extra 2MP. Higher resolution will also allow you to crop photographs more aggressively. The more aged E-P2 will be disadvantaged with regard to sensor tech.