Olympus E-PL8 vs Pentax E70

Below is a comprehensive review of the Olympus E-PL8 versus Pentax E70, one being a Entry-Level Mirrorless and the latter is a Small Sensor Compact by rivals Olympus and Pentax. There is a crucial difference among the image resolutions of the E-PL8 (16MP) and E70 (10MP) and the E-PL8 (Four Thirds) and E70 (1/2.3") offer different sensor sizes.

Photography Glossary

The E-PL8 was introduced 7 years later than the E70 and that is a fairly serious gap as far as camera tech is concerned. Both of the cameras feature different body design with the Olympus E-PL8 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Pentax E70 being a Compact camera.

Before getting right into a thorough comparison, here is a brief synopsis of how the E-PL8 matches up vs the E70 when considering portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Here is a preview of the gallery images for Olympus PEN E-PL8 and Pentax Optio E70. The whole galleries are provided at Olympus E-PL8 Gallery and Pentax E70 Gallery.

For anyone who is looking to lug around your camera regularly, you'll need to take into account its weight and dimensions. The Olympus E-PL8 enjoys physical measurements of 115mm x 67mm x 38mm (4.5" x 2.6" x 1.5") and a weight of 357 grams (0.79 lbs) and the Pentax E70 has dimensions of 94mm x 61mm x 26mm (3.7" x 2.4" x 1.0") having a weight of 175 grams (0.39 lbs).

Check the Olympus E-PL8 versus Pentax E70 in the latest Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Keep in mind, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ based on the lens you are utilising at the time. Following is a front view dimensions comparison of the E-PL8 compared to the E70.

Taking into account size and weight, the portability rating of the E-PL8 and E70 is 86 and 94 respectively.

In many cases, it can be difficult to imagine the gap in sensor measurements just by viewing technical specs. The photograph underneath will help give you a stronger sense of the sensor sizing in the E-PL8 and E70.

As you can tell, the 2 cameras feature different megapixel count and different sensor measurements. The E-PL8 using its bigger sensor is going to make achieving shallower DOF simpler and the Olympus E-PL8 will provide you with more detail using its extra 6 Megapixels. Higher resolution can also let you crop photographs way more aggressively. The more modern E-PL8 provides a benefit with regard to sensor tech.