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Olympus E-PL8 vs Panasonic FZ80

Portability
86
Imaging
54
Features
76
Overall
62
Olympus PEN E-PL8 front
 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ80 front
Portability
63
Imaging
44
Features
62
Overall
51

Olympus E-PL8 vs Panasonic FZ80 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
  • Superseded the Olympus E-PL7
  • Replacement is Olympus E-PL9
Panasonic FZ80
(Full Review)
  • 18MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 80 - 3200 (Raise to 6400)
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 3840 x 2160 video
  • 20-1200mm (F2.8-5.9) lens
  • 616g - 130 x 94 x 119mm
  • Revealed January 2017
  • Additionally referred to as Lumix DMC-FZ82
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Olympus E-PL8 vs Panasonic FZ80 Overview

Below, we will be contrasting the Olympus E-PL8 versus Panasonic FZ80, one is a Entry-Level Mirrorless and the latter is a Small Sensor Superzoom by companies Olympus and Panasonic. The sensor resolution of the E-PL8 (16MP) and the FZ80 (18MP) is relatively similar but the E-PL8 (Four Thirds) and FZ80 (1/2.3") come with totally different sensor sizes.

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The E-PL8 was introduced 3 months before the FZ80 and they are of a similar generation. Each of the cameras come with different body type with the Olympus E-PL8 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Panasonic FZ80 being a SLR-like (bridge) camera.

Before going straight into a more detailed comparison, below is a simple summary of how the E-PL8 grades versus the FZ80 in the way of portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

Photography Glossary
	
	

Reasons to pick Olympus E-PL8 over the Panasonic FZ80

 E-PL8 FZ80 
Screen typeTiltingFixed Tilting screen

Reasons to pick Panasonic FZ80 over the Olympus E-PL8

 FZ80 E-PL8 
Screen resolution1040k1037kCrisper screen (+3k dot)

Common features in the Olympus E-PL8 and Panasonic FZ80

 E-PL8 FZ80 
RevealedSeptember 2016January 2017Similar generation
Manual focus More accurate focus
Screen dimension3"3"Identical screen dimensions
Selfie screen Neither has selfie screen
Touch friendly screen Quickly navigate

Olympus E-PL8 vs Panasonic FZ80 Physical Comparison

If you're aiming to travel with your camera regularly, you'll have to think about its weight and proportions. The Olympus E-PL8 has physical measurements of 115mm x 67mm x 38mm (4.5" x 2.6" x 1.5") along with a weight of 357 grams (0.79 lbs) whilst the Panasonic FZ80 has measurements of 130mm x 94mm x 119mm (5.1" x 3.7" x 4.7") along with a weight of 616 grams (1.36 lbs).

Take a look at the Olympus E-PL8 versus Panasonic FZ80 in the latest Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Do not forget, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary based on the lens you choose at the time. The following is the front view size comparison of the E-PL8 versus the FZ80.

Olympus E-PL8 vs Panasonic FZ80 size comparison

Taking into consideration size and weight, the portability grade of the E-PL8 and FZ80 is 86 and 63 respectively.

Olympus E-PL8 vs Panasonic FZ80 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-PL8 vs Panasonic FZ80 Sensor Comparison

Generally, its tough to see the difference between sensor dimensions purely by going over a spec sheet. The pic below might provide you a clearer sense of the sensor measurements in the E-PL8 and FZ80.

As you can see, each of these cameras posses different megapixel count and different sensor dimensions. The E-PL8 with its bigger sensor will make achieving bokeh simpler and the Panasonic FZ80 will offer extra detail using its extra 2 Megapixels. Higher resolution can also enable you to crop pictures somewhat more aggressively.

Olympus E-PL8 vs Panasonic FZ80 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-PL8 vs Panasonic FZ80 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-PL8 vs Panasonic FZ80 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-PL8 Portrait photography advice
Panasonic FZ80 Portrait photography advice
72
focusing manually
sensor resolution is decent (16 megapixels)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
provides face detection focus
supports RAW files
58
manual focus
good MP (18MP)
features face detection focusing
delivers RAW formats
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-PL8 Street photography features
Panasonic FZ80 Street photography features
84
has a tilting screen
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
supports RAW files
comes with touch focus
above average ISO range (25,600)
54
has image stabilization (Optical)
delivers RAW formats
has touch to focus
screen does not articulate
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
heavier than competition (616 grams)
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-PL8 as a Sports photography camera
Panasonic FZ80 as a Sports photography camera
67
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
sensor resolution is decent (16 megapixels)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
provides tracking autofocus
no phase detect auto focus
57
long zoom range (20-1200mm 60.0 x zoom)
quiet shooting (1/16,000s)
has image stabilization (Optical)
good MP (18 megapixels)
features tracking autofocus
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
doesn't have phase detect AF
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-PL8 as a Travel photography camera
Panasonic FZ80 as a Travel photography camera
71
comes with touch focus
sensor resolution is decent (16 megapixels)
screen isn't selfie friendly
59
has touch to focus
good MP (18 megapixels)
flash built-in
fairly wide (20mm)
very long reach (1200mm)
heavier than competition (616 grams)
display is not selfie friendly
slow maximum aperture (f2.8)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-PL8 Landscape photography advice
Panasonic FZ80 Landscape photography advice
80
focusing manually
swap lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
screen is a decent size (3 inch)
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
sensor resolution is decent (16MP)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
above average ISO range (25,600)
supports RAW files
57
manual focus
fairly wide (20mm)
screen size is good (3 inch)
has image stabilization (Optical)
good MP (18MP)
delivers RAW formats
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
slow maximum aperture (f2.8)
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
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Vlogging Comparison

Vlogging with Olympus E-PL8
Vlogging with Panasonic FZ80
35
touchscreen enabled
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
provides face detection focus
high res video (1920 x 1080 pxls)
screen isn't selfie friendly
lack of external mic socket
28
fairly wide (20mm)
has touchscreen
has image stabilization (Optical)
features face detection focusing
video resolution high (3840 x 2160 resolution)
slow maximum aperture (f2.8)
display is not selfie friendly
doesn't have external mic port
heavier than competition (616 grams)
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Olympus E-PL8 vs Panasonic FZ80 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-PL8 and Panasonic FZ80
 Olympus PEN E-PL8Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ80
General Information
Company Olympus Panasonic
Model type Olympus PEN E-PL8 Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ80
Also referred to as - Lumix DMC-FZ82
Class Entry-Level Mirrorless Small Sensor Superzoom
Launched 2016-09-19 2017-01-04
Body design Rangefinder-style mirrorless SLR-like (bridge)
Sensor Information
Chip TruePic VII Venus Engine
Sensor type CMOS BSI-CMOS
Sensor size Four Thirds 1/2.3"
Sensor dimensions 17.3 x 13mm 6.17 x 4.55mm
Sensor surface area 224.9mm² 28.1mm²
Sensor resolution 16 megapixels 18 megapixels
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 4:3
Peak resolution 4608 x 3456 4896 x 3672
Highest native ISO 25600 3200
Highest enhanced ISO - 6400
Min native ISO 200 80
RAW support
Min enhanced ISO 100 -
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch focus
AF continuous
AF single
Tracking AF
AF selectice
Center weighted AF
Multi area AF
Live view AF
Face detect focusing
Contract detect focusing
Phase detect focusing
Total focus points 81 49
Lens
Lens support Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens zoom range - 20-1200mm (60.0x)
Maximum aperture - f/2.8-5.9
Macro focusing range - 1cm
Amount of lenses 107 -
Crop factor 2.1 5.8
Screen
Display type Tilting Fixed Type
Display diagonal 3 inch 3 inch
Display resolution 1,037 thousand dot 1,040 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch operation
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Electronic (optional) Electronic
Viewfinder resolution - 1,166 thousand dot
Viewfinder coverage - 100%
Viewfinder magnification - 0.46x
Features
Minimum shutter speed 60s 4s
Fastest shutter speed 1/4000s 1/2000s
Fastest quiet shutter speed - 1/16000s
Continuous shutter speed 8.0 frames/s 10.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Set WB
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash distance no built-in flash 14.10 m (at Auto ISO)
Flash modes no built-in flash Auto, Auto/Red-eye Reduction, Forced Off, Forced On, Forced On/Red-eye Reduction, Slow Sync, Slow Sync/Red-eye Reduction, 1st Curtain Sync, 2nd Curtain Sync
External flash
AEB
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) 3840 x 2160 @ 30p / 100 Mbps, MP4, H.264, AAC1920 x 1080 @ 60p / 28 Mbps, MP4, H.264, AAC
Highest video resolution 1920x1080 3840x2160
Video file format H.264, Motion JPEG MPEG-4, AVCHD
Mic jack
Headphone jack
Connectivity
Wireless Built-In Built-In
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environment seal
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 357g (0.79 lb) 616g (1.36 lb)
Dimensions 115 x 67 x 38mm (4.5" x 2.6" x 1.5") 130 x 94 x 119mm (5.1" x 3.7" x 4.7")
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 shots 330 shots
Style of battery Battery Pack Battery Pack
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec, custom) Yes (2 or 10 secs, 3 images x 10 secs)
Time lapse feature
Type of storage SD/SDHC/SDXC card SD/SDHC/SDXC card
Storage slots One One
Retail pricing $500 $399