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Olympus E-PL8 vs Panasonic GH5S

Portability
86
Imaging
55
Features
76
Overall
63
Olympus PEN E-PL8 front
 
Panasonic Lumix DC-GH5S front
Portability
62
Imaging
50
Features
82
Overall
62

Olympus E-PL8 vs Panasonic GH5S 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
  • Launched September 2016
  • Earlier Model is Olympus E-PL7
  • New Model is Olympus E-PL9
Panasonic GH5S
(Full Review)
  • 10MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3.2" Fully Articulated Screen
  • ISO 160 - 51200 (Increase to 204800)
  • No Anti-Alias Filter
  • 1/8000s Max Shutter
  • 4096 x 2160 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 660g - 139 x 98 x 87mm
  • Announced January 2018
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Olympus E-PL8 vs Panasonic GH5S Overview

Its time to look more closely at the Olympus E-PL8 and Panasonic GH5S, one being a Entry-Level Mirrorless and the latter is a Pro Mirrorless by companies Olympus and Panasonic. There exists a sizeable gap between the sensor resolutions of the E-PL8 (16MP) and GH5S (10MP) but both cameras offer the identical sensor sizing (Four Thirds).

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The E-PL8 was unveiled 15 months prior to the GH5S which makes them a generation apart from one another. Both of the cameras feature different body design with the Olympus E-PL8 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Panasonic GH5S being a SLR-style mirrorless camera.

Before going straight to a in depth comparison, here is a brief synopsis of how the E-PL8 grades vs the GH5S for portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-PL8 over the Panasonic GH5S

 E-PL8 GH5S 

Reasons to pick Panasonic GH5S over the Olympus E-PL8

 GH5S E-PL8 
AnnouncedJanuary 2018September 2016Fresher by 15 months
Screen typeFully ArticulatedTiltingFully Articulating screen
Screen size3.2"3"Bigger screen (+0.2")
Screen resolution1620k1037kClearer screen (+583k dot)
Selfie screen Take selfies

Common features in the Olympus E-PL8 and Panasonic GH5S

 E-PL8 GH5S 
Manual focus Very precise focus
Touch friendly screen Quickly navigate

Olympus E-PL8 vs Panasonic GH5S Physical Comparison

For those who are going to carry your camera regularly, you should think about its weight and size. The Olympus E-PL8 features outer dimensions of 115mm x 67mm x 38mm (4.5" x 2.6" x 1.5") having a weight of 357 grams (0.79 lbs) and the Panasonic GH5S has specifications of 139mm x 98mm x 87mm (5.5" x 3.9" x 3.4") and a weight of 660 grams (1.46 lbs).

Compare the Olympus E-PL8 and Panasonic GH5S in the all new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Remember, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change based on the lens you select at the time. Below is a front view sizing comparison of the E-PL8 versus the GH5S.

Olympus E-PL8 vs Panasonic GH5S size comparison

Looking at dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the E-PL8 and GH5S is 86 and 62 respectively.

Olympus E-PL8 vs Panasonic GH5S top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-PL8 vs Panasonic GH5S Sensor Comparison

Typically, it's tough to see the contrast between sensor sizing merely by reading specs. The photograph underneath should give you a stronger sense of the sensor sizes in the E-PL8 and GH5S.

All in all, both the cameras come with the identical sensor size albeit not the same resolution. You should expect the Olympus E-PL8 to offer more detail having an extra 6 Megapixels. Higher resolution will allow you to crop pictures a good deal more aggressively. The older E-PL8 is going to be disadvantaged with regard to sensor innovation.

Olympus E-PL8 vs Panasonic GH5S sensor size comparison

Olympus E-PL8 vs Panasonic GH5S Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-PL8 vs Panasonic GH5S Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Portrait photography with Olympus E-PL8
Portrait photography with Panasonic GH5S
73
manual focus
megapixel count good (16 megapixels)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
features face detection autofocus
exports RAW formats
62
has manual focus
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
provides face detect focusing
delivers RAW formats
sensor resolution low (10MP)
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-PL8 Street photography factors
Panasonic GH5S Street photography factors
84
has a tilting screen
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
exports RAW formats
comes with touch focus
great high ISO (25,600)
68
screen can move to multiple angles
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
delivers RAW formats
supports touch to focus
environment sealing
very good high ISO (51,200)
lack of image stabilization
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-PL8 Sports photography highlights
Panasonic GH5S Sports photography highlights
67
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
megapixel count good (16 megapixels)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
features tracking autofocus
doesn't have phase detect autofocus
56
high shutter speed (1/8,000 seconds)
quiet shutter (1/16,000 seconds)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
provides tracking focus
environment sealing
lack of image stabilization
sensor resolution low (10MP)
lack of phase detect AF
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-PL8 Travel photography information
Panasonic GH5S Travel photography information
72
comes with touch focus
megapixel count good (16MP)
display is not selfie friendly
61
environment sealing
has bluetooth
supports touch to focus
display is selfie friendly
no Time Lapse mode
sensor resolution low (10MP)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-PL8 Landscape photography features
Panasonic GH5S Landscape photography features
80
manual focus
interchangeable lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
good sized screen (3")
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
megapixel count good (16MP)
sensor size is nice (Four Thirds)
great high ISO (25,600)
exports RAW formats
63
has manual focus
interchangeable lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
good sized screen (3.2 inch)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
no low pass filter
very good high ISO (51,200)
delivers RAW formats
environment sealing
has double storage slots
lack of image stabilization
sensor resolution low (10MP)
no Time Lapse mode
Photography Glossary

Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-PL8 as a Vlogging camera
Panasonic GH5S as a Vlogging camera
36
touch screen
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
features face detection autofocus
high quality video (1920 x 1080 resolution)
display is not selfie friendly
lack of external microphone support
68
display is selfie friendly
touchscreen capability
provides face detect focusing
video resolution high (4096 x 2160 pxls)
comes with mic port
lack of image stabilization
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Olympus E-PL8 vs Panasonic GH5S Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-PL8 and Panasonic GH5S
 Olympus PEN E-PL8Panasonic Lumix DC-GH5S
General Information
Make Olympus Panasonic
Model type Olympus PEN E-PL8 Panasonic Lumix DC-GH5S
Type Entry-Level Mirrorless Pro Mirrorless
Launched 2016-09-19 2018-01-08
Body design Rangefinder-style mirrorless SLR-style mirrorless
Sensor Information
Processor TruePic VII Venus Engine 10
Sensor type CMOS CMOS
Sensor size Four Thirds Four Thirds
Sensor dimensions 17.3 x 13mm 17.3 x 13mm
Sensor area 224.9mm² 224.9mm²
Sensor resolution 16 megapixels 10 megapixels
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Peak resolution 4608 x 3456 3680 x 2760
Highest native ISO 25600 51200
Highest enhanced ISO - 204800
Lowest native ISO 200 160
RAW format
Lowest enhanced ISO 100 80
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch to focus
AF continuous
Single AF
AF tracking
Selective AF
Center weighted AF
Multi area AF
AF live view
Face detect focusing
Contract detect focusing
Phase detect focusing
Total focus points 81 225
Lens
Lens mount type Micro Four Thirds Micro Four Thirds
Available lenses 107 107
Focal length multiplier 2.1 2.1
Screen
Display type Tilting Fully Articulated
Display diagonal 3 inch 3.2 inch
Display resolution 1,037 thousand dot 1,620 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch screen
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Electronic (optional) Electronic
Viewfinder resolution - 3,680 thousand dot
Viewfinder coverage - 100%
Viewfinder magnification - 0.76x
Features
Minimum shutter speed 60 secs 60 secs
Fastest shutter speed 1/4000 secs 1/8000 secs
Fastest quiet shutter speed - 1/16000 secs
Continuous shutter speed 8.0 frames/s 12.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Custom WB
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash distance no built-in flash no built-in flash
Flash modes no built-in flash Auto, Auto/Red-eye Reduction, Forced On, Forced On/Red-eye Reduction, Slow Sync., Slow Sync./Red-eye Reduction, Forced Off
External flash
Auto exposure bracketing
WB bracketing
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (30p), 1280 x 720 (30p), 640 x 480 (30 fps) 4096 x 2160 @ 60p / 150 Mbps, MOV, H.264, Linear PCM
Highest video resolution 1920x1080 4096x2160
Video format H.264, Motion JPEG MPEG-4, H.264, H.265
Mic jack
Headphone jack
Connectivity
Wireless Built-In Built-In
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 3.1
GPS None None
Physical
Environmental seal
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 357g (0.79 lbs) 660g (1.46 lbs)
Physical dimensions 115 x 67 x 38mm (4.5" x 2.6" x 1.5") 139 x 98 x 87mm (5.5" x 3.9" x 3.4")
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 440 images
Type of battery Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID - DMW-BLF19
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec, custom) Yes (2 or 10 secs, 10 secs w/3 images)
Time lapse shooting
Type of storage SD/SDHC/SDXC card Dual SD/SDHC/SDXC cards (UHS-II V60 cards supported)
Storage slots Single 2
Retail price $500 $2,498