Olympus E-PL8 vs Panasonic GH1

In this article, we are comparing the Olympus E-PL8 versus Panasonic GH1, one being a Entry-Level Mirrorless and the other is a Advanced Mirrorless by companies Olympus and Panasonic. There exists a big gap among the image resolutions of the E-PL8 (16MP) and GH1 (12MP) but they use the same exact sensor size (Four Thirds).

Photography Glossary

The E-PL8 was announced 7 years later than the GH1 and that is a fairly big gap as far as camera technology is concerned. Each of these cameras offer different body type with the Olympus E-PL8 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Panasonic GH1 being a SLR-style mirrorless camera.

Before going in to a step-by-step comparison, below is a quick synopsis of how the E-PL8 scores against the GH1 when it comes to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

The following is a sample of the gallery pics for Olympus PEN E-PL8 and Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH1. The whole galleries are provided at Olympus E-PL8 Gallery and Panasonic GH1 Gallery.

If you're looking to lug around your camera, you need to factor its weight and proportions. The Olympus E-PL8 comes with 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) whilst the Panasonic GH1 has measurements of 124mm x 90mm x 45mm (4.9" x 3.5" x 1.8") accompanied by a weight of 385 grams (0.85 lbs).

See the Olympus E-PL8 versus Panasonic GH1 in the new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Take into consideration, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ based on the lens you use at the time. Below is the front view size comparison of the E-PL8 vs the GH1.

Using dimensions and weight, the portability score of the E-PL8 and GH1 is 86 and 81 respectively.

Quite often, it is very hard to imagine the gap in sensor measurements only by looking through specifications. The graphic underneath may offer you a better sense of the sensor sizes in the E-PL8 and GH1.

To sum up, each of the cameras enjoy the same exact sensor sizing but different megapixels. You should expect to see the Olympus E-PL8 to provide you with more detail with its extra 4MP. Greater resolution will enable you to crop images far more aggressively. The fresher E-PL8 provides an advantage with regard to sensor innovation.