Olympus E-PL8 vs Pentax Q

Its time to look a little more in depth at the Olympus E-PL8 versus Pentax Q, both Entry-Level Mirrorless cameras by companies Olympus and Pentax. There exists a considerable gap among the image resolutions of the E-PL8 (16MP) and Q (12MP) and the E-PL8 (Four Thirds) and Q (1/2.3") have totally different sensor sizes.

Meta to Introduce 'AI-Generated' Labels for Media starting next month

The E-PL8 was brought out 5 years after the Q which is a fairly large difference as far as camera technology is concerned. Each of these cameras feature the same body design (Rangefinder-style mirrorless).

Before getting right into a full comparison, here is a short introduction of how the E-PL8 matches up vs the Q with regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

This is a sample of the gallery pictures for Olympus PEN E-PL8 & Pentax Q. The entire galleries are available at Olympus E-PL8 Gallery & Pentax Q Gallery.

When you are intending to carry around your camera often, you are going to need to take into account its weight and volume. The Olympus E-PL8 provides outside measurements 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 Pentax Q has sizing of 98mm x 57mm x 31mm (3.9" x 2.2" x 1.2") accompanied by a weight of 180 grams (0.40 lbs).

Check the Olympus E-PL8 versus Pentax Q in our newest Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Take into account, the weight of an ILC will differ based on the lens you use at that time. Below is a front view physical size comparison of the E-PL8 and the Q.

Looking at dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the E-PL8 and Q is 86 and 93 respectively.

More often than not, it can be difficult to see the contrast in sensor sizes merely by researching a spec sheet. The picture below may offer you a greater sense of the sensor sizing in the E-PL8 and Q.

As you can see, both of these cameras feature different resolutions and different sensor sizes. The E-PL8 due to its larger sensor will make achieving shallower depth of field less difficult and the Olympus E-PL8 will provide you with greater detail having its extra 4 Megapixels. Greater resolution can also make it easier to crop images way more aggressively. The younger E-PL8 is going to have an edge with regard to sensor innovation.