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Olympus E-PL8 vs Olympus E-PM1

Portability
86
Imaging
54
Features
76
Overall
62
Olympus PEN E-PL8 front
 
Olympus PEN E-PM1 front
Portability
89
Imaging
48
Features
52
Overall
49

Olympus E-PL8 vs Olympus E-PM1 Key Specs

Olympus E-PL8
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Screen
  • ISO 200 - 25600
  • Sensor based 5-axis Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 357g - 115 x 67 x 38mm
  • Revealed September 2016
  • Previous Model is Olympus E-PL7
  • New Model is Olympus E-PL9
Olympus E-PM1
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 12800
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 265g - 110 x 64 x 34mm
  • Revealed November 2011
  • Successor is Olympus E-PM2
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Olympus E-PL8 vs Olympus E-PM1 Overview

Lets look closer at the Olympus E-PL8 vs Olympus E-PM1, both Entry-Level Mirrorless cameras and both of them are offered by Olympus. There exists a large gap among the sensor resolutions of the E-PL8 (16MP) and E-PM1 (12MP) but they come with the same exact sensor measurements (Four Thirds).

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The E-PL8 was revealed 4 years after the E-PM1 which is a fairly serious difference as far as camera technology is concerned. Both the cameras offer the identical body type (Rangefinder-style mirrorless).

Before diving in to a more detailed comparison, below is a short view of how the E-PL8 grades vs the E-PM1 in terms of portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-PL8 over the Olympus E-PM1

 E-PL8 E-PM1 
RevealedSeptember 2016November 2011More modern by 59 months
Screen typeTiltingFixed Tilting screen
Screen resolution1037k460kCrisper screen (+577k dot)
Touch screen Quickly navigate

Reasons to pick Olympus E-PM1 over the Olympus E-PL8

 E-PM1 E-PL8 

Common features in the Olympus E-PL8 and Olympus E-PM1

 E-PL8 E-PM1 
Manual focus Dial exact focus
Screen sizing3"3"Equivalent screen measurements
Selfie screen No selfie screen

Olympus E-PL8 vs Olympus E-PM1 Physical Comparison

If you are looking to carry around your camera often, you're going to have to factor in its weight and proportions. The Olympus E-PL8 enjoys external measurements of 115mm x 67mm x 38mm (4.5" x 2.6" x 1.5") accompanied by a weight of 357 grams (0.79 lbs) whilst the Olympus E-PM1 has measurements of 110mm x 64mm x 34mm (4.3" x 2.5" x 1.3") with a weight of 265 grams (0.58 lbs).

Take a look at the Olympus E-PL8 vs Olympus E-PM1 in our newest Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Remember, the weight of an ILC will vary dependant on the lens you have during that time. Following is the front view size comparison of the E-PL8 and the E-PM1.

Olympus E-PL8 vs Olympus E-PM1 size comparison

Using dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the E-PL8 and E-PM1 is 86 and 89 respectively.

Olympus E-PL8 vs Olympus E-PM1 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-PL8 vs Olympus E-PM1 Sensor Comparison

Typically, its hard to imagine the difference in sensor sizes simply by checking out specifications. The picture here might give you a stronger sense of the sensor sizing in the E-PL8 and E-PM1.

To sum up, the 2 cameras enjoy the same exact sensor sizing albeit different megapixels. You can count on the Olympus E-PL8 to produce more detail because of its extra 4MP. Higher resolution can also help you crop photographs far more aggressively. The younger E-PL8 provides an edge when it comes to sensor innovation.

Olympus E-PL8 vs Olympus E-PM1 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-PL8 vs Olympus E-PM1 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-PL8 vs Olympus E-PM1 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
Photography Glossary

Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-PL8 Portrait photography advice
Olympus E-PM1 Portrait photography advice
72
focusing manually
decent sensor resolution (16MP)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
provides face detection autofocus
exports RAW files
60
has manual focus
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
comes with face detection focus
supports RAW files
low megapixels (12 megapixels)
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-PL8 Street photography factors
Olympus E-PM1 Street photography factors
84
screen tilts
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
exports RAW files
has focus via touch
very good high ISO (25,600)
75
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
supports RAW files
fixed screen
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-PL8 Sports photography factors
Olympus E-PM1 Sports photography factors
67
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
decent sensor resolution (16MP)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
provides tracking autofocus
no phase detect autofocus
49
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
comes with tracking autofocus
max fps very slow (6.0 frames per second)
low megapixels (12MP)
lack of phase detect auto focus
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-PL8 Travel photography advice
Olympus E-PM1 Travel photography advice
71
has focus via touch
decent sensor resolution (16 megapixels)
screen isn't selfie friendly
45
lack of Time Lapse recording
low megapixels (12MP)
does not contain selfie friendly screen
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-PL8 Landscape photography details
Olympus E-PM1 Landscape photography details
80
focusing manually
change lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
pretty good screen size (3 inches)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
decent sensor resolution (16MP)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
very good high ISO (25,600)
exports RAW files
65
has manual focus
swap lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
screen size is good (3 inches)
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
supports RAW files
low megapixels (12 megapixels)
lack of Time Lapse recording
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Vlogging Comparison

Vlogging with Olympus E-PL8
Vlogging with Olympus E-PM1
35
touchscreen capability
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
provides face detection autofocus
high quality video (1920 x 1080 pixels)
screen isn't selfie friendly
missing external mic port
34
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
comes with face detection focus
high quality video (1920 x 1080 pixels)
does not contain selfie friendly screen
lack of external mic port
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Olympus E-PL8 vs Olympus E-PM1 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-PL8 and Olympus E-PM1
 Olympus PEN E-PL8Olympus PEN E-PM1
General Information
Brand Olympus Olympus
Model Olympus PEN E-PL8 Olympus PEN E-PM1
Type Entry-Level Mirrorless Entry-Level Mirrorless
Revealed 2016-09-19 2011-11-23
Body design Rangefinder-style mirrorless Rangefinder-style mirrorless
Sensor Information
Chip TruePic VII TruePic VI
Sensor type CMOS CMOS
Sensor size Four Thirds Four Thirds
Sensor dimensions 17.3 x 13mm 17.3 x 13mm
Sensor surface area 224.9mm² 224.9mm²
Sensor resolution 16 megapixel 12 megapixel
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 4:3
Max resolution 4608 x 3456 4032 x 3024
Max native ISO 25600 12800
Lowest native ISO 200 100
RAW format
Lowest enhanced ISO 100 -
Autofocusing
Focus manually
AF touch
Continuous AF
AF single
Tracking AF
AF selectice
AF center weighted
AF multi area
Live view AF
Face detection focusing
Contract detection focusing
Phase detection focusing
Number of focus points 81 35
Lens
Lens mount Micro Four Thirds Micro Four Thirds
Amount of lenses 107 107
Crop factor 2.1 2.1
Screen
Range of screen Tilting Fixed Type
Screen sizing 3" 3"
Screen resolution 1,037 thousand dot 460 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch friendly
Screen technology - HyperCrystal LCD AR(Anti-Reflective) coating
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Electronic (optional) Electronic (optional)
Features
Min shutter speed 60s 60s
Max shutter speed 1/4000s 1/4000s
Continuous shutter speed 8.0 frames/s 6.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Custom WB
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash range no built-in flash no built-in flash
Flash settings no built-in flash Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in, Slow Sync, Manual (3 levels)
Hot shoe
Auto exposure bracketing
White balance bracketing
Max flash sync - 1/160s
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Supported video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (30p), 1280 x 720 (30p), 640 x 480 (30 fps) 1920 x 1080 (60 fps), 1280 x 720 (60, 30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps)
Max video resolution 1920x1080 1920x1080
Video data format H.264, Motion JPEG AVCHD, Motion JPEG
Mic jack
Headphone jack
Connectivity
Wireless Built-In None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environment seal
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 357 gr (0.79 lb) 265 gr (0.58 lb)
Dimensions 115 x 67 x 38mm (4.5" x 2.6" x 1.5") 110 x 64 x 34mm (4.3" x 2.5" x 1.3")
DXO scores
DXO Overall score not tested 52
DXO Color Depth score not tested 21.0
DXO Dynamic range score not tested 10.3
DXO Low light score not tested 499
Other
Battery life 350 images 330 images
Form of battery Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery model - BLS-5
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec, custom) Yes (2 or 12 sec)
Time lapse shooting
Storage media SD/SDHC/SDXC card SD/SDHC/SDXC
Storage slots 1 1
Price at release $500 $499