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Olympus E-PL8 vs Panasonic FX78

Portability
86
Imaging
54
Features
76
Overall
62
Olympus PEN E-PL8 front
 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX78 front
Portability
95
Imaging
35
Features
31
Overall
33

Olympus E-PL8 vs Panasonic FX78 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
  • Released September 2016
  • Replaced the Olympus E-PL7
  • Later Model is Olympus E-PL9
Panasonic FX78
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3.5" Fixed Display
  • ISO 100 - 6400
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 24-120mm (F2.5-5.9) lens
  • 142g - 100 x 55 x 21mm
  • Revealed January 2011
  • Also Known as Lumix DMC-FX77
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Olympus E-PL8 vs Panasonic FX78 Overview

Let's look closer at the Olympus E-PL8 and Panasonic FX78, one being a Entry-Level Mirrorless and the other is a Small Sensor Compact by manufacturers Olympus and Panasonic. There exists a big gap among the image resolutions of the E-PL8 (16MP) and FX78 (12MP) and the E-PL8 (Four Thirds) and FX78 (1/2.3") offer totally different sensor size.

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The E-PL8 was released 5 years later than the FX78 and that is a fairly big gap as far as camera technology is concerned. Both of the cameras have different body design with the Olympus E-PL8 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Panasonic FX78 being a Compact camera.

Before diving straight to a more detailed comparison, here is a simple highlight of how the E-PL8 scores vs the FX78 with regard to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-PL8 over the Panasonic FX78

 E-PL8 FX78 
RevealedSeptember 2016January 2011Fresher by 69 months
Manual focus Dial exact focusing
Display typeTiltingFixed Tilting display
Display resolution1037k230kClearer display (+807k dot)

Reasons to pick Panasonic FX78 over the Olympus E-PL8

 FX78 E-PL8 
Display dimensions3.5"3"Larger display (+0.5")

Common features in the Olympus E-PL8 and Panasonic FX78

 E-PL8 FX78 
Selfie screen Neither offers selfie screen
Touch friendly display Easily navigate

Olympus E-PL8 vs Panasonic FX78 Physical Comparison

For anyone who is intending to carry your camera frequently, you will want to factor its weight and proportions. The Olympus E-PL8 offers physical 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) and the Panasonic FX78 has measurements of 100mm x 55mm x 21mm (3.9" x 2.2" x 0.8") accompanied by a weight of 142 grams (0.31 lbs).

Contrast the Olympus E-PL8 and Panasonic FX78 in the all new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Always remember, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change based on the lens you are utilizing at the time. Following is a front view physical size comparison of the E-PL8 compared to the FX78.

Olympus E-PL8 vs Panasonic FX78 size comparison

Taking into consideration dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the E-PL8 and FX78 is 86 and 95 respectively.

Olympus E-PL8 vs Panasonic FX78 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-PL8 vs Panasonic FX78 Sensor Comparison

Typically, it can be tough to see the gap in sensor sizing only by researching specs. The visual here will help provide you a more clear sense of the sensor sizes in the E-PL8 and FX78.

All in all, the two cameras have different megapixel count and different sensor sizing. The E-PL8 because of its larger sensor will make shooting shallow DOF simpler and the Olympus E-PL8 will provide you with more detail as a result of its extra 4MP. Greater resolution will also enable you to crop pics a bit more aggressively. The more recent E-PL8 is going to have an advantage when it comes to sensor innovation.

Olympus E-PL8 vs Panasonic FX78 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-PL8 vs Panasonic FX78 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-PL8 vs Panasonic FX78 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-PL8 Portrait photography highlights
Panasonic FX78 Portrait photography highlights
72
has manual focus
good MP (16MP)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
features face detect focus
saves RAW formats
21
lack of manual focus
no manual exposure
no external flash support
MP count low (12 megapixels)
sensor size is very small (1/2.3")
does not have RAW format
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-PL8 Street photography advice
Panasonic FX78 Street photography advice
84
screen tilts
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
saves RAW formats
boasts focus via touch
very good ISO range (25,600)
57
built in image stabilization (Optical)
no moving screen
sensor size is very small (1/2.3")
does not have RAW format
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-PL8 as a Sports photography camera
Panasonic FX78 as a Sports photography camera
67
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
good MP (16MP)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
features tracking focus
lacks phase detect auto focus
28
built in image stabilization (Optical)
includes tracking focus
low maximum shutter speed (1/1,400 seconds)
max frames per second low (4.0 frames/s)
no shutter priority
MP count low (12MP)
sensor size is very small (1/2.3")
terrible battery pack (200 shots)
does not have phase detect autofocus
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-PL8 Travel photography info
Panasonic FX78 Travel photography info
71
boasts focus via touch
good MP (16MP)
doesn't have selfie friendly display
56
flash built-in
fairly wide (24mm)
missing Time Lapse mode
terrible battery pack (200 shots)
MP count low (12 megapixels)
display is not selfie friendly
somewhat slow max aperture (f2.5)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-PL8 Landscape photography details
Panasonic FX78 Landscape photography details
80
has manual focus
interchangeable lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
nice screen size (3")
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
good MP (16 megapixels)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
very good ISO range (25,600)
saves RAW formats
36
fairly wide (24mm)
bigger than average screen (3.5 inches)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
lack of manual focus
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
somewhat slow max aperture (f2.5)
no manual exposure
MP count low (12 megapixels)
sensor size is very small (1/2.3")
does not have RAW format
terrible battery pack (200 CIPA)
missing Time Lapse mode
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-PL8 as a Vlogging camera
Panasonic FX78 as a Vlogging camera
35
built-in touchscreen
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
features face detect focus
video res high (1920 x 1080 pxls)
doesn't have selfie friendly display
missing microphone port
33
fairly wide (24mm)
touchscreen functionality
built in image stabilization (Optical)
video res high (1920 x 1080 pixels)
somewhat slow max aperture (f2.5)
display is not selfie friendly
missing mic jack
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Olympus E-PL8 vs Panasonic FX78 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-PL8 and Panasonic FX78
 Olympus PEN E-PL8Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX78
General Information
Brand Olympus Panasonic
Model type Olympus PEN E-PL8 Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX78
Otherwise known as - Lumix DMC-FX77
Class Entry-Level Mirrorless Small Sensor Compact
Released 2016-09-19 2011-01-25
Body design Rangefinder-style mirrorless Compact
Sensor Information
Processor Chip TruePic VII Venus Engine FHD
Sensor type CMOS CCD
Sensor size Four Thirds 1/2.3"
Sensor dimensions 17.3 x 13mm 6.08 x 4.56mm
Sensor surface area 224.9mm² 27.7mm²
Sensor resolution 16MP 12MP
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Max resolution 4608 x 3456 4000 x 3000
Max native ISO 25600 6400
Minimum native ISO 200 100
RAW files
Minimum enhanced ISO 100 -
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Autofocus touch
Autofocus continuous
Autofocus single
Tracking autofocus
Autofocus selectice
Center weighted autofocus
Multi area autofocus
Live view autofocus
Face detect focus
Contract detect focus
Phase detect focus
Total focus points 81 11
Lens
Lens mount type Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens zoom range - 24-120mm (5.0x)
Maximum aperture - f/2.5-5.9
Macro focusing distance - 5cm
Total lenses 107 -
Focal length multiplier 2.1 5.9
Screen
Display type Tilting Fixed Type
Display sizing 3" 3.5"
Display resolution 1,037 thousand dot 230 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch capability
Display technology - TFT LCD
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Electronic (optional) None
Features
Min shutter speed 60 seconds 60 seconds
Max shutter speed 1/4000 seconds 1/1400 seconds
Continuous shutter speed 8.0 frames per sec 4.0 frames per sec
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes -
Set white balance
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash distance no built-in flash 5.60 m
Flash modes no built-in flash Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Slow Syncro
Hot shoe
AE bracketing
White balance 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) 1920 x 1080 (60 fps), 1280 x 720 (60, 30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 240 (30 fps)
Max video resolution 1920x1080 1920x1080
Video file format H.264, Motion JPEG MPEG-4, AVCHD
Mic input
Headphone input
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
Environmental seal
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 357g (0.79 lb) 142g (0.31 lb)
Physical dimensions 115 x 67 x 38mm (4.5" x 2.6" x 1.5") 100 x 55 x 21mm (3.9" x 2.2" x 0.8")
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 200 images
Style of battery Battery Pack Battery Pack
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec, custom) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse recording
Type of storage SD/SDHC/SDXC card SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal
Storage slots Single Single
Price at release $500 $210