Olympus E-PL8 vs Panasonic S3

Let's look more in depth at the Olympus E-PL8 versus Panasonic S3, one being a Entry-Level Mirrorless and the other is a Small Sensor Compact by brands Olympus and Panasonic. The image resolution of the E-PL8 (16MP) and the S3 (14MP) is very comparable but the E-PL8 (Four Thirds) and S3 (1/2.3") posses totally different sensor sizes.

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The E-PL8 was revealed 5 years later than the S3 and that is a fairly serious gap as far as camera technology is concerned. Both the cameras have different body design with the Olympus E-PL8 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Panasonic S3 being a Compact camera.

Before diving right into a thorough comparison, here is a concise summary of how the E-PL8 matches up versus the S3 in relation 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-S3. The full galleries are provided at Olympus E-PL8 Gallery and Panasonic S3 Gallery.

When you are intending to lug around your camera often, you'll have to consider its weight and dimensions. The Olympus E-PL8 offers physical dimensions of 115mm x 67mm x 38mm (4.5" x 2.6" x 1.5") accompanied by a weight of 357 grams (0.79 lbs) whilst the Panasonic S3 has dimensions of 99mm x 59mm x 21mm (3.9" x 2.3" x 0.8") having a weight of 117 grams (0.26 lbs).

Compare the Olympus E-PL8 versus Panasonic S3 in the new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Keep in mind, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change dependant on the lens you use at that time. The following is a front view over all size comparison of the E-PL8 versus the S3.

Taking into account dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the E-PL8 and S3 is 86 and 96 respectively.

Typically, its tough to see the difference in sensor measurements just by going through specs. The photograph below may provide you a clearer sense of the sensor sizes in the E-PL8 and S3.

All in all, each of the cameras have different megapixel count and different sensor measurements. The E-PL8 having a larger sensor will make getting shallow depth of field less difficult and the Olympus E-PL8 will produce more detail because of its extra 2MP. Greater resolution will make it easier to crop pics a bit more aggressively. The more modern E-PL8 will have a benefit in sensor tech.