Olympus E-PL3 vs Panasonic ZS8

Lets look a bit more closely at the Olympus E-PL3 vs Panasonic ZS8, former being a Entry-Level Mirrorless while the latter is a Small Sensor Superzoom by rivals Olympus and Panasonic. The image resolution of the E-PL3 (12MP) and the ZS8 (14MP) is relatively similar but the E-PL3 (Four Thirds) and ZS8 (1/2.3") enjoy totally different sensor dimensions.

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The E-PL3 was manufactured 3 months later than the ZS8 so they are both of a similar age. The two cameras offer different body type with the Olympus E-PL3 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Panasonic ZS8 being a Compact camera.

Before diving straight into a comprehensive comparison, below is a simple summation of how the E-PL3 scores vs the ZS8 in terms of portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Below is a preview of the gallery photos for Olympus PEN E-PL3 & Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS8. The entire galleries are provided at Olympus E-PL3 Gallery & Panasonic ZS8 Gallery.

For those who are intending to lug around your camera frequently, you need to factor its weight and size. The Olympus E-PL3 provides exterior dimensions of 110mm x 64mm x 37mm (4.3" x 2.5" x 1.5") and a weight of 313 grams (0.69 lbs) whilst the Panasonic ZS8 has specifications of 105mm x 58mm x 33mm (4.1" x 2.3" x 1.3") along with a weight of 210 grams (0.46 lbs).

Check the Olympus E-PL3 vs Panasonic ZS8 in our completely new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Take into account, the weight of an ILC will differ dependant on the lens you choose during that time. Here is the front view proportions comparison of the E-PL3 and the ZS8.

Taking into consideration size and weight, the portability grade of the E-PL3 and ZS8 is 88 and 92 respectively.

Generally, it can be difficult to envision the contrast between sensor measurements purely by reading specifications. The visual below should provide you a far better sense of the sensor sizes in the E-PL3 and ZS8.

Plainly, both cameras offer different megapixels and different sensor measurements. The E-PL3 featuring a bigger sensor will make getting shallow depth of field simpler and the Panasonic ZS8 will deliver more detail due to its extra 2 Megapixels. Higher resolution will also enable you to crop shots a little more aggressively.