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Olympus E-PL8 vs Olympus VG-160

Portability
86
Imaging
54
Features
76
Overall
62
Olympus PEN E-PL8 front
 
Olympus VG-160 front
Portability
96
Imaging
37
Features
26
Overall
32

Olympus E-PL8 vs Olympus VG-160 Key Specs

Olympus E-PL8
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Display
  • ISO 200 - 25600
  • Sensor based 5-axis Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 357g - 115 x 67 x 38mm
  • Introduced September 2016
  • Superseded the Olympus E-PL7
  • Refreshed by Olympus E-PL9
Olympus VG-160
(Full Review)
  • 14MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 80 - 1600
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 26-130mm (F2.8-6.5) lens
  • 125g - 96 x 57 x 19mm
  • Introduced January 2012
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Olympus E-PL8 vs Olympus VG-160 Overview

Its time to take a more detailed look at the Olympus E-PL8 and Olympus VG-160, former is a Entry-Level Mirrorless while the latter is a Small Sensor Compact and both are built by Olympus. The resolution of the E-PL8 (16MP) and the VG-160 (14MP) is pretty similar but the E-PL8 (Four Thirds) and VG-160 (1/2.3") feature totally different sensor sizes.

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The E-PL8 was released 4 years after the VG-160 which is quite a significant difference as far as technology is concerned. The two cameras offer different body type with the Olympus E-PL8 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Olympus VG-160 being a Compact camera.

Before going straight into a in depth comparison, below is a short overview of how the E-PL8 matches up versus the VG-160 with respect to portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-PL8 over the Olympus VG-160

 E-PL8 VG-160 
IntroducedSeptember 2016January 2012Newer by 58 months
Manual focus Very exact focusing
Screen typeTiltingFixed Tilting screen
Screen resolution1037k230kSharper screen (+807k dot)
Touch friendly screen Quickly navigate

Reasons to pick Olympus VG-160 over the Olympus E-PL8

 VG-160 E-PL8 

Common features in the Olympus E-PL8 and Olympus VG-160

 E-PL8 VG-160 
Screen sizing3"3"Equivalent screen dimensions
Selfie screen Neither has selfie screen

Olympus E-PL8 vs Olympus VG-160 Physical Comparison

In case you're going to travel with your camera frequently, you'll have to factor in its weight and volume. The Olympus E-PL8 has physical measurements of 115mm x 67mm x 38mm (4.5" x 2.6" x 1.5") with a weight of 357 grams (0.79 lbs) whilst the Olympus VG-160 has sizing of 96mm x 57mm x 19mm (3.8" x 2.2" x 0.7") with a weight of 125 grams (0.28 lbs).

Take a look at the Olympus E-PL8 and Olympus VG-160 in our completely new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Remember that, the weight of an ILC will change based on the lens you choose during that time. Following is the front view dimensions comparison of the E-PL8 vs the VG-160.

Olympus E-PL8 vs Olympus VG-160 size comparison

Factoring in dimensions and weight, the portability score of the E-PL8 and VG-160 is 86 and 96 respectively.

Olympus E-PL8 vs Olympus VG-160 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-PL8 vs Olympus VG-160 Sensor Comparison

More often than not, it is very tough to visualise the contrast between sensor dimensions only by reviewing a spec sheet. The image here will help offer you a much better sense of the sensor sizing in the E-PL8 and VG-160.

As you can see, each of the cameras enjoy different resolutions and different sensor dimensions. The E-PL8 because of its bigger sensor will make getting shallower depth of field less difficult and the Olympus E-PL8 will deliver greater detail as a result of its extra 2MP. Higher resolution can also help you crop photographs far more aggressively. The fresher E-PL8 will have an edge when it comes to sensor technology.

Olympus E-PL8 vs Olympus VG-160 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-PL8 vs Olympus VG-160 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-PL8 vs Olympus VG-160 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
Photography Glossary

Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Portrait photography with Olympus E-PL8
Portrait photography with Olympus VG-160
72
you can focus manually
decent sensor resolution (16MP)
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
includes face detect focusing
saves RAW files
33
resolution is good (14 megapixels)
features face detection autofocus
lack of manual focus
no manual control
can't use external flash
tiny sensor (1/2.3")
no RAW format
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-PL8 Street photography factors
Olympus VG-160 Street photography factors
84
screen tilts
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
saves RAW files
offers focus via touch
above average ISO range (25,600)
56
lighter than others in class (125 grams)
screen is fixed
lack of image stabilization
tiny sensor (1/2.3")
no RAW format
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-PL8 as a Sports photography camera
Olympus VG-160 as a Sports photography camera
67
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
decent sensor resolution (16 megapixels)
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
includes tracking focus
has no phase detect AF
26
resolution is good (14MP)
no shutter priority mode
lack of image stabilization
tiny sensor (1/2.3")
bad battery pack (165 shots)
no phase detect autofocus
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-PL8 Travel photography details
Olympus VG-160 Travel photography details
71
offers focus via touch
decent sensor resolution (16MP)
screen isn't selfie friendly
65
lighter than others in class (125 grams)
resolution is good (14 megapixels)
built-in flash
quite wide (26mm)
lack of Timelapse recording
bad battery pack (165 shots)
does not posses selfie friendly display
sluggish maximum aperture (f2.8)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-PL8 Landscape photography factors
Olympus VG-160 Landscape photography factors
80
you can focus manually
swap lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
screen size is good (3")
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
decent sensor resolution (16MP)
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
above average ISO range (25,600)
saves RAW files
36
quite wide (26mm)
screen is a good size (3 inches)
resolution is good (14 megapixels)
lack of manual focus
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
sluggish maximum aperture (f2.8)
no manual control
lack of image stabilization
tiny sensor (1/2.3")
no RAW format
bad battery pack (165 per charge)
lack of Timelapse recording
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-PL8 as a Vlogging camera
Olympus VG-160 as a Vlogging camera
35
has touchscreen
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
includes face detect focusing
video resolution high (1920 x 1080 pxls)
screen isn't selfie friendly
lack of mic socket
30
quite wide (26mm)
features face detection autofocus
lighter than others in class (125 grams)
sluggish maximum aperture (f2.8)
does not posses selfie friendly display
lack of image stabilization
low res video (1280 x 720 pixels)
lack of external microphone support
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Olympus E-PL8 vs Olympus VG-160 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-PL8 and Olympus VG-160
 Olympus PEN E-PL8Olympus VG-160
General Information
Manufacturer Olympus Olympus
Model type Olympus PEN E-PL8 Olympus VG-160
Class Entry-Level Mirrorless Small Sensor Compact
Introduced 2016-09-19 2012-01-10
Physical type Rangefinder-style mirrorless Compact
Sensor Information
Powered by TruePic VII -
Sensor type CMOS CCD
Sensor size Four Thirds 1/2.3"
Sensor measurements 17.3 x 13mm 6.17 x 4.55mm
Sensor area 224.9mm² 28.1mm²
Sensor resolution 16 megapixel 14 megapixel
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 4:3
Highest Possible resolution 4608 x 3456 4288 x 3216
Maximum native ISO 25600 1600
Minimum native ISO 200 80
RAW data
Minimum enhanced ISO 100 -
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch to focus
Continuous autofocus
Autofocus single
Autofocus tracking
Selective autofocus
Center weighted autofocus
Autofocus multi area
Autofocus live view
Face detect autofocus
Contract detect autofocus
Phase detect autofocus
Total focus points 81 -
Cross type focus points - -
Lens
Lens mount type Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens zoom range - 26-130mm (5.0x)
Maximum aperture - f/2.8-6.5
Macro focusing range - 7cm
Number of lenses 107 -
Crop factor 2.1 5.8
Screen
Display type Tilting Fixed Type
Display diagonal 3" 3"
Resolution of display 1,037 thousand dots 230 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch function
Display tech - TFT Color LCD
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Electronic (optional) None
Features
Min shutter speed 60 seconds 4 seconds
Max shutter speed 1/4000 seconds 1/2000 seconds
Continuous shutter rate 8.0 frames per second -
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual mode
Exposure compensation Yes -
Custom white balance
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash distance no built-in flash 4.80 m
Flash options no built-in flash Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in
External flash
Auto exposure bracketing
White balance bracketing
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (30p), 1280 x 720 (30p), 640 x 480 (30 fps) 1280 x 720 (30,15 fps), 640 x 480 (30, 15 fps), 320 x 180 (30,15 fps)
Maximum video resolution 1920x1080 1280x720
Video file format H.264, Motion JPEG Motion JPEG
Microphone support
Headphone support
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 sealing
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 357 gr (0.79 lb) 125 gr (0.28 lb)
Dimensions 115 x 67 x 38mm (4.5" x 2.6" x 1.5") 96 x 57 x 19mm (3.8" x 2.2" x 0.7")
DXO scores
DXO Overall rating not tested not tested
DXO Color Depth rating not tested not tested
DXO Dynamic range rating not tested not tested
DXO Low light rating not tested not tested
Other
Battery life 350 images 165 images
Battery style Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID - LI-70B
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec, custom) Yes (2 or 12 sec)
Time lapse shooting
Type of storage SD/SDHC/SDXC card SD/SDHC
Card slots 1 1
Retail price $500 $90