Olympus E-PL8 vs Olympus XZ-2 iHS

Lets look a little more closely at the Olympus E-PL8 versus Olympus XZ-2 iHS, one is a Entry-Level Mirrorless and the other is a Small Sensor Compact and both are created by Olympus. There exists a sizeable gap between the resolutions of the E-PL8 (16MP) and XZ-2 iHS (12MP) and the E-PL8 (Four Thirds) and XZ-2 iHS (1/1.7") use different sensor measurements.

Photography Glossary

The E-PL8 was launched 3 years after the XZ-2 iHS which is quite a large gap as far as technology is concerned. Both cameras offer different body type with the Olympus E-PL8 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Olympus XZ-2 iHS being a Compact camera.

Before we go in to a more detailed comparison, below is a concise summary of how the E-PL8 scores versus the XZ-2 iHS when it comes to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

This is a sample of the gallery pictures for Olympus PEN E-PL8 and Olympus XZ-2 iHS. The complete galleries are available at Olympus E-PL8 Gallery and Olympus XZ-2 iHS Gallery.

When you are looking to carry around your camera regularly, you will want to take into account its weight and dimensions. The Olympus E-PL8 comes with exterior dimensions of 115mm x 67mm x 38mm (4.5" x 2.6" x 1.5") along with a weight of 357 grams (0.79 lbs) while the Olympus XZ-2 iHS has dimensions of 113mm x 65mm x 48mm (4.4" x 2.6" x 1.9") with a weight of 346 grams (0.76 lbs).

Analyze the Olympus E-PL8 versus Olympus XZ-2 iHS in the all new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Don't forget, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change depending on the lens you are employing at that moment. Below is the front view physical size comparison of the E-PL8 compared to the XZ-2 iHS.

Taking into account dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the E-PL8 and XZ-2 iHS is 86 and 85 respectively.

Typically, it's difficult to picture the difference between sensor sizes purely by checking technical specs. The pic underneath will offer you a greater sense of the sensor sizes in the E-PL8 and XZ-2 iHS.

As you can tell, both of these cameras offer different megapixel count and different sensor sizes. The E-PL8 due to its larger sensor is going to make shooting shallower depth of field less difficult and the Olympus E-PL8 will resolve greater detail utilizing its extra 4 Megapixels. Greater resolution will let you crop photos a little more aggressively. The fresher E-PL8 provides an edge when it comes to sensor technology.