Olympus E-PL8 vs Panasonic ZS1

Below is a extensive review of the Olympus E-PL8 vs Panasonic ZS1, former being a Entry-Level Mirrorless while the other is a Small Sensor Superzoom by rivals Olympus and Panasonic. There exists a considerable gap among the resolutions of the E-PL8 (16MP) and ZS1 (10MP) and the E-PL8 (Four Thirds) and ZS1 (1/2.5") offer different sensor sizing.

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The E-PL8 was revealed 7 years later than the ZS1 and that is a fairly large difference as far as camera technology is concerned. Both the cameras feature different body design with the Olympus E-PL8 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Panasonic ZS1 being a Compact camera.

Before diving right into a complete comparison, here is a concise introduction of how the E-PL8 matches up against the ZS1 with regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

This is a sample of the gallery pictures for Olympus PEN E-PL8 & Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS1. The full galleries are viewable at Olympus E-PL8 Gallery & Panasonic ZS1 Gallery.

For those who are aiming to lug around your camera regularly, you need to factor its weight and dimensions. The Olympus E-PL8 has got outer measurements of 115mm x 67mm x 38mm (4.5" x 2.6" x 1.5") and a weight of 357 grams (0.79 lbs) whilst the Panasonic ZS1 has dimensions of 103mm x 60mm x 33mm (4.1" x 2.4" x 1.3") accompanied by a weight of 229 grams (0.50 lbs).

Look at the Olympus E-PL8 vs Panasonic ZS1 in our completely new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Do not forget, the weight of an ILC will vary based on the lens you are utilizing during that time. The following is a front view measurements comparison of the E-PL8 compared to the ZS1.

Considering dimensions and weight, the portability score of the E-PL8 and ZS1 is 86 and 91 respectively.

Sometimes, its hard to picture the gap in sensor measurements purely by seeing specs. The visual below will help give you a much better sense of the sensor sizing in the E-PL8 and ZS1.

All in all, both the cameras feature different resolutions and different sensor measurements. The E-PL8 having a larger sensor is going to make achieving shallower depth of field easier and the Olympus E-PL8 will produce more detail because of its extra 6 Megapixels. Greater resolution will let you crop pics way more aggressively. The younger E-PL8 should have an edge with regard to sensor technology.