Olympus E-PL8 vs Panasonic FZ2500

The following is a extended overview of the Olympus E-PL8 vs Panasonic FZ2500, former is a Entry-Level Mirrorless while the latter is a Large Sensor Superzoom by companies Olympus and Panasonic. The resolution of the E-PL8 (16MP) and the FZ2500 (20MP) is relatively similar but the E-PL8 (Four Thirds) and FZ2500 (1") offer totally different sensor measurements.

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The E-PL8 was launched about the same time to the FZ2500 so they are of a similar age. Each of these cameras have different body design with the Olympus E-PL8 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Panasonic FZ2500 being a SLR-like (bridge) camera.

Before getting straight to a complete comparison, here is a simple introduction of how the E-PL8 grades against the FZ2500 when it comes to portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

Here is a preview of the gallery photos for Olympus PEN E-PL8 & Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ2500. The complete galleries are viewable at Olympus E-PL8 Gallery & Panasonic FZ2500 Gallery.

When you are planning to travel with your camera frequently, you're going to have to take into account 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") and a weight of 357 grams (0.79 lbs) while the Panasonic FZ2500 has specifications of 138mm x 102mm x 135mm (5.4" x 4.0" x 5.3") and a weight of 915 grams (2.02 lbs).

Contrast the Olympus E-PL8 vs Panasonic FZ2500 in our completely new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Remember, the weight of an ILC will change depending on the lens you are using at that moment. Here is a front view scale comparison of the E-PL8 compared to the FZ2500.

Taking into account dimensions and weight, the portability score of the E-PL8 and FZ2500 is 86 and 53 respectively.

Typically, it's difficult to see the contrast between sensor dimensions simply by reading a spec sheet. The picture here will help offer you a better sense of the sensor sizes in the E-PL8 and FZ2500.

As you can see, the 2 cameras have different resolutions and different sensor dimensions. The E-PL8 due to its bigger sensor will make shooting shallow DOF less difficult and the Panasonic FZ2500 will offer you more detail utilizing its extra 4 Megapixels. Higher resolution can also let you crop photographs a bit more aggressively.