Olympus E-PL6 vs Panasonic FH8

Its time to look a bit more closely at the Olympus E-PL6 vs Panasonic FH8, former being a Entry-Level Mirrorless while the latter is a Small Sensor Compact by competitors Olympus and Panasonic. The resolution of the E-PL6 (16MP) and the FH8 (16MP) is relatively similar but the E-PL6 (Four Thirds) and FH8 (1/2.3") offer totally different sensor measurements.

Samsung Releases Faster Versions of EVO MicroSD Cards

The E-PL6 was unveiled 2 years later than the FH8 and that is quite a large difference as far as technology is concerned. Each of the cameras have different body design with the Olympus E-PL6 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Panasonic FH8 being a Compact camera.

Before getting into a complete comparison, here is a simple view of how the E-PL6 scores against the FH8 in terms of portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Here is a preview of the gallery photos for Olympus PEN E-PL6 & Panasonic Lumix DMC-FH8. The full galleries are viewable at Olympus E-PL6 Gallery & Panasonic FH8 Gallery.

In case you're aiming to lug around your camera often, you should think about its weight and measurements. The Olympus E-PL6 has outside measurements of 111mm x 64mm x 38mm (4.4" x 2.5" x 1.5") with a weight of 325 grams (0.72 lbs) and the Panasonic FH8 has proportions of 96mm x 57mm x 19mm (3.8" x 2.2" x 0.7") accompanied by a weight of 123 grams (0.27 lbs).

Compare the Olympus E-PL6 vs Panasonic FH8 in our brand new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Bear in mind, the weight of an ILC will vary dependant on the lens you choose during that time. Below is a front view scale comparison of the E-PL6 compared to the FH8.

Looking at dimensions and weight, the portability score of the E-PL6 and FH8 is 88 and 96 respectively.

Sometimes, it is difficult to envision the gap between sensor measurements just by going over technical specs. The visual below will give you a greater sense of the sensor sizing in the E-PL6 and FH8.

As you can tell, both of these cameras have the same megapixel count albeit not the same sensor measurements. The E-PL6 contains the bigger sensor which will make obtaining shallow DOF less difficult. The younger E-PL6 is going to have an advantage when it comes to sensor technology.