Olympus E-PL3 vs Panasonic FH8

Below is a thorough review of the Olympus E-PL3 vs Panasonic FH8, former being a Entry-Level Mirrorless while the other is a Small Sensor Compact by companies Olympus and Panasonic. There is a sizable difference between the sensor resolutions of the E-PL3 (12MP) and FH8 (16MP) and the E-PL3 (Four Thirds) and FH8 (1/2.3") posses totally different sensor dimensions.

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The E-PL3 was introduced 3 months prior to the FH8 which means that they are both of a similar age. Both the cameras feature different body design with the Olympus E-PL3 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Panasonic FH8 being a Compact camera.

Before going straight to a in-depth comparison, here is a concise synopsis of how the E-PL3 scores versus the FH8 with respect to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Below is a sample of the gallery pictures for Olympus PEN E-PL3 & Panasonic Lumix DMC-FH8. The whole galleries are available at Olympus E-PL3 Gallery & Panasonic FH8 Gallery.

For anyone who is going to lug around your camera, you will want to factor its weight and proportions. The Olympus E-PL3 provides outer dimensions of 110mm x 64mm x 37mm (4.3" x 2.5" x 1.5") having a weight of 313 grams (0.69 lbs) while the Panasonic FH8 has measurements of 96mm x 57mm x 19mm (3.8" x 2.2" x 0.7") having a weight of 123 grams (0.27 lbs).

Analyze the Olympus E-PL3 vs Panasonic FH8 in our brand new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Bear in mind, the weight of an ILC will differ depending on the lens you are utilising at that time. Below is a front view proportions comparison of the E-PL3 compared to the FH8.

Factoring in size and weight, the portability rating of the E-PL3 and FH8 is 88 and 96 respectively.

In many cases, it's difficult to visualise the contrast between sensor measurements just by reading specifications. The photograph below will offer you a far better sense of the sensor sizes in the E-PL3 and FH8.

To sum up, both of the cameras feature different resolutions and different sensor measurements. The E-PL3 with its larger sensor will make shooting shallow DOF less difficult and the Panasonic FH8 will deliver extra detail using its extra 4 Megapixels. Greater resolution can also allow you to crop images way more aggressively.