Olympus E-PL8 vs Olympus 550WP

In this write-up, we are looking at the Olympus E-PL8 vs Olympus 550WP, former is a Entry-Level Mirrorless while the other is a Small Sensor Compact and both are created by Olympus. There exists a large gap between the sensor resolutions of the E-PL8 (16MP) and 550WP (10MP) and the E-PL8 (Four Thirds) and 550WP (1/2.3") come with different sensor measurements.

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The E-PL8 was released 7 years after the 550WP which is quite a serious difference as far as technology is concerned. Both the cameras offer different body type with the Olympus E-PL8 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Olympus 550WP being a Compact camera.

Before getting through a step-by-step comparison, below is a simple introduction of how the E-PL8 scores versus the 550WP with regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

The following is a sample of the gallery pictures for Olympus PEN E-PL8 & Olympus Stylus 550WP. The complete galleries are viewable at Olympus E-PL8 Gallery & Olympus 550WP Gallery.

When you are aiming to travel with your camera often, you will want to factor in its weight and proportions. The Olympus E-PL8 provides outside measurements of 115mm x 67mm x 38mm (4.5" x 2.6" x 1.5") and a weight of 357 grams (0.79 lbs) and the Olympus 550WP has measurements of 94mm x 62mm x 22mm (3.7" x 2.4" x 0.9") having a weight of 167 grams (0.37 lbs).

Check out the Olympus E-PL8 vs Olympus 550WP in our brand new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Always remember, the weight of an ILC will change depending on the lens you are utilizing during that time. Underneath is the front view dimensions comparison of the E-PL8 compared to the 550WP.

Considering dimensions and weight, the portability score of the E-PL8 and 550WP is 86 and 94 respectively.

More often than not, its difficult to picture the difference between sensor dimensions just by looking at technical specs. The image below might provide you a clearer sense of the sensor measurements in the E-PL8 and 550WP.

As you have seen, the two cameras offer different resolutions and different sensor dimensions. The E-PL8 because of its larger sensor is going to make achieving shallow DOF easier and the Olympus E-PL8 will resolve greater detail as a result of its extra 6MP. Greater resolution will make it easier to crop photos a little more aggressively. The younger E-PL8 provides a benefit with regard to sensor technology.