Olympus E-PL8 vs Panasonic ZS50
86 Imaging
54 Features
76 Overall
62


90 Imaging
37 Features
57 Overall
45
Olympus E-PL8 vs Panasonic ZS50 Key Specs
(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
- Released September 2016
- Superseded the Olympus E-PL7
- Replacement is Olympus E-PL9
(Full Review)
- 12MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
- 3" Fixed Display
- ISO 80 - 6400
- Optical Image Stabilization
- 1920 x 1080 video
- 24-720mm (F3.3-6.4) lens
- 243g - 111 x 65 x 34mm
- Announced January 2015
- Additionally referred to as Lumix DMC-TZ70
- Old Model is Panasonic ZS45
- Refreshed by Panasonic ZS60

Olympus E-PL8 vs Panasonic ZS50 Overview
Below, we are analyzing the Olympus E-PL8 vs Panasonic ZS50, former is a Entry-Level Mirrorless while the other is a Small Sensor Superzoom by rivals Olympus and Panasonic. There exists a large gap between the image resolutions of the E-PL8 (16MP) and ZS50 (12MP) and the E-PL8 (Four Thirds) and ZS50 (1/2.3") come with different sensor size.

The E-PL8 was announced 21 months after the ZS50 making the cameras a generation away from one another. Both of these cameras come with different body type with the Olympus E-PL8 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Panasonic ZS50 being a Compact camera.
Before delving in to a in depth comparison, below is a concise highlight of how the E-PL8 matches up versus the ZS50 in the way of portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

Olympus E-PL8 vs Panasonic ZS50 Gallery
Here is a sample of the gallery pictures for Olympus PEN E-PL8 & Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS50. The whole galleries are available at Olympus E-PL8 Gallery & Panasonic ZS50 Gallery.
Reasons to pick Olympus E-PL8 over the Panasonic ZS50
E-PL8 | ZS50 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Announced | September 2016 | ![]() | January 2015 | More modern by 21 months |
Display type | Tilting | ![]() | Fixed | Tilting display |
Touch display | ![]() | Easily navigate |
Reasons to pick Panasonic ZS50 over the Olympus E-PL8
ZS50 | E-PL8 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Display resolution | 1040k | ![]() | 1037k | Sharper display (+3k dot) |
Common features in the Olympus E-PL8 and Panasonic ZS50
E-PL8 | ZS50 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Manually focus | ![]() | Dial precise focus | ||
Display dimension | 3" | ![]() | 3" | Identical display size |
Selfie screen | ![]() | Lack of selfie screen |
Olympus E-PL8 vs Panasonic ZS50 Physical Comparison
For those who are looking to carry around your camera often, you have to think about its weight and measurements. The Olympus E-PL8 provides outer 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) and the Panasonic ZS50 has proportions of 111mm x 65mm x 34mm (4.4" x 2.6" x 1.3") accompanied by a weight of 243 grams (0.54 lbs).
Take a look at the Olympus E-PL8 vs Panasonic ZS50 in our brand new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.
Always remember, the weight of an ILC will change depending on the lens you have at the time. Following is the front view dimension comparison of the E-PL8 against the ZS50.

Looking at dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the E-PL8 and ZS50 is 86 and 90 respectively.

Olympus E-PL8 vs Panasonic ZS50 Sensor Comparison
Normally, it can be hard to visualize the gap between sensor sizes only by going over specifications. The pic here may provide you a stronger sense of the sensor sizes in the E-PL8 and ZS50.
To sum up, both the cameras have got different resolutions and different sensor sizes. The E-PL8 using its larger sensor is going to make shooting shallow depth of field easier and the Olympus E-PL8 will offer extra detail with its extra 4 Megapixels. Greater resolution will help you crop photos much more aggressively. The more recent E-PL8 provides an edge with regard to sensor technology.

Olympus E-PL8 vs Panasonic ZS50 Screen and ViewFinder


Photography Type Scores
Portrait Comparison

Street Comparison

Sports Comparison

Travel Comparison

Landscape Comparison

Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-PL8 vs Panasonic ZS50 Specifications
Olympus PEN E-PL8 | Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS50 | |
---|---|---|
General Information | ||
Brand | Olympus | Panasonic |
Model type | Olympus PEN E-PL8 | Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS50 |
Also referred to as | - | Lumix DMC-TZ70 |
Class | Entry-Level Mirrorless | Small Sensor Superzoom |
Released | 2016-09-19 | 2015-01-06 |
Physical type | Rangefinder-style mirrorless | Compact |
Sensor Information | ||
Chip | TruePic VII | - |
Sensor type | CMOS | 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 | 12 megapixels |
Anti alias filter | ||
Aspect ratio | 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 | 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 |
Peak resolution | 4608 x 3456 | 4000 x 3000 |
Highest native ISO | 25600 | 6400 |
Min native ISO | 200 | 80 |
RAW data | ||
Min enhanced ISO | 100 | - |
Autofocusing | ||
Manual focusing | ||
Touch to focus | ||
Continuous autofocus | ||
Single autofocus | ||
Autofocus tracking | ||
Selective autofocus | ||
Center weighted autofocus | ||
Autofocus multi area | ||
Autofocus live view | ||
Face detect autofocus | ||
Contract detect autofocus | ||
Phase detect autofocus | ||
Total focus points | 81 | 23 |
Lens | ||
Lens mount type | Micro Four Thirds | fixed lens |
Lens zoom range | - | 24-720mm (30.0x) |
Max aperture | - | f/3.3-6.4 |
Macro focusing range | - | 3cm |
Amount of lenses | 107 | - |
Crop factor | 2.1 | 5.8 |
Screen | ||
Type of display | Tilting | Fixed Type |
Display size | 3 inches | 3 inches |
Resolution of display | 1,037 thousand dots | 1,040 thousand dots |
Selfie friendly | ||
Liveview | ||
Touch capability | ||
Viewfinder Information | ||
Viewfinder type | Electronic (optional) | Electronic |
Viewfinder resolution | - | 1,166 thousand dots |
Viewfinder coverage | - | 100% |
Viewfinder magnification | - | 0.46x |
Features | ||
Min shutter speed | 60s | 4s |
Max shutter speed | 1/4000s | 1/2000s |
Continuous shutter rate | 8.0 frames per sec | 10.0 frames per sec |
Shutter priority | ||
Aperture priority | ||
Expose Manually | ||
Exposure compensation | Yes | Yes |
Custom white balance | ||
Image stabilization | ||
Integrated flash | ||
Flash distance | no built-in flash | 6.40 m |
Flash options | no built-in flash | Auto, Auto/Red-eye Reduction, Forced On, Slow Sync./Red-eye Reduction, Forced Off |
External flash | ||
Auto exposure bracketing | ||
WB bracketing | ||
Exposure | ||
Multisegment metering | ||
Average metering | ||
Spot metering | ||
Partial metering | ||
AF area metering | ||
Center weighted metering | ||
Video features | ||
Supported video resolutions | 1920 x 1080 (30p), 1280 x 720 (30p), 640 x 480 (30 fps) | 1920 x 1080 (60p/60i/30p), 1280 x 720 (60p/30p), 640 x 480 (30p) |
Highest video resolution | 1920x1080 | 1920x1080 |
Video file format | H.264, Motion JPEG | MPEG-4, AVCHD |
Mic port | ||
Headphone port | ||
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 sealing | ||
Water proofing | ||
Dust proofing | ||
Shock proofing | ||
Crush proofing | ||
Freeze proofing | ||
Weight | 357g (0.79 lbs) | 243g (0.54 lbs) |
Dimensions | 115 x 67 x 38mm (4.5" x 2.6" x 1.5") | 111 x 65 x 34mm (4.4" x 2.6" x 1.3") |
DXO scores | ||
DXO Overall rating | not tested | 44 |
DXO Color Depth rating | not tested | 20.0 |
DXO Dynamic range rating | not tested | 11.2 |
DXO Low light rating | not tested | 138 |
Other | ||
Battery life | 350 photographs | 300 photographs |
Battery type | Battery Pack | Battery Pack |
Self timer | Yes (2 or 12 sec, custom) | Yes (2 or 10 sec) |
Time lapse recording | ||
Storage type | SD/SDHC/SDXC card | SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal |
Card slots | One | One |
Price at release | $500 | $350 |