Olympus E-PL2 vs Panasonic FH8

Below is a comprehensive analysis of the Olympus E-PL2 and Panasonic FH8, one being a Entry-Level Mirrorless and the latter is a Small Sensor Compact by rivals Olympus and Panasonic. There exists a huge gap between the resolutions of the E-PL2 (12MP) and FH8 (16MP) and the E-PL2 (Four Thirds) and FH8 (1/2.3") posses different sensor size.

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The E-PL2 was launched 11 months prior to the FH8 and they are both of a similar generation. Both cameras have different body design with the Olympus E-PL2 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Panasonic FH8 being a Compact camera.

Before going right into a complete comparison, here is a brief overview of how the E-PL2 scores versus the FH8 when considering portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Below is a preview of the gallery photos for Olympus PEN E-PL2 and Panasonic Lumix DMC-FH8. The complete galleries are available at Olympus E-PL2 Gallery and Panasonic FH8 Gallery.

When you are planning to lug around your camera frequently, you will need to think about its weight and volume. The Olympus E-PL2 enjoys physical dimensions of 114mm x 72mm x 42mm (4.5" x 2.8" x 1.7") with a weight of 362 grams (0.80 lbs) while the Panasonic FH8 has sizing of 96mm x 57mm x 19mm (3.8" x 2.2" x 0.7") accompanied by a weight of 123 grams (0.27 lbs).

Take a look at the Olympus E-PL2 and Panasonic FH8 in the all new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Remember, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ dependant on the lens you select at that moment. The following is a front view sizing comparison of the E-PL2 against the FH8.

Factoring in dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the E-PL2 and FH8 is 85 and 96 respectively.

Typically, its hard to visualize the difference between sensor measurements merely by going over specs. The graphic below will help offer you a much better sense of the sensor sizes in the E-PL2 and FH8.

All in all, the two cameras have different resolutions and different sensor measurements. The E-PL2 featuring a bigger sensor is going to make shooting shallow DOF less difficult and the Panasonic FH8 will deliver greater detail utilizing its extra 4MP. Higher resolution can also make it easier to crop pictures a bit more aggressively. The older E-PL2 is going to be disadvantaged in sensor tech.