Olympus E-PL6 vs Panasonic ZS8

Below is a thorough comparison of the Olympus E-PL6 and Panasonic ZS8, former being a Entry-Level Mirrorless while the other is a Small Sensor Superzoom by companies Olympus and Panasonic. The image resolution of the E-PL6 (16MP) and the ZS8 (14MP) is fairly similar but the E-PL6 (Four Thirds) and ZS8 (1/2.3") feature totally different sensor size.

Photography Glossary

The E-PL6 was launched 3 years later than the ZS8 and that is quite a serious difference as far as technology is concerned. Both cameras come with different body type with the Olympus E-PL6 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Panasonic ZS8 being a Compact camera.

Before getting through a step-by-step comparison, below is a brief overview of how the E-PL6 grades versus the ZS8 with respect to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Below is a sample of the gallery pictures for Olympus PEN E-PL6 & Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS8. The complete galleries are provided at Olympus E-PL6 Gallery & Panasonic ZS8 Gallery.

For anyone who is aiming to lug around your camera regularly, you need to factor its weight and volume. The Olympus E-PL6 offers outer measurements of 111mm x 64mm x 38mm (4.4" x 2.5" x 1.5") along with a weight of 325 grams (0.72 lbs) and the Panasonic ZS8 has sizing of 105mm x 58mm x 33mm (4.1" x 2.3" x 1.3") along with a weight of 210 grams (0.46 lbs).

Examine the Olympus E-PL6 and Panasonic ZS8 in our brand new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Remember that, the weight of an ILC will change depending on the lens you are working with at that time. The following is the front view size comparison of the E-PL6 compared to the ZS8.

Taking into consideration dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the E-PL6 and ZS8 is 88 and 92 respectively.

Normally, it is very difficult to see the difference between sensor measurements merely by reading technical specs. The visual underneath will help provide you a much better sense of the sensor sizing in the E-PL6 and ZS8.

As you have seen, the 2 cameras posses different megapixels and different sensor measurements. The E-PL6 due to its larger sensor will make achieving shallower depth of field simpler and the Olympus E-PL6 will offer you extra detail utilizing its extra 2 Megapixels. Greater resolution can also allow you to crop pics somewhat more aggressively. The younger E-PL6 is going to have a benefit with regard to sensor tech.