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Olympus E-PM1 vs Panasonic FH8

Portability
89
Imaging
48
Features
52
Overall
49
Olympus PEN E-PM1 front
 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FH8 front
Portability
96
Imaging
39
Features
32
Overall
36

Olympus E-PM1 vs Panasonic FH8 Key Specs

Olympus E-PM1
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 100 - 12800
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 265g - 110 x 64 x 34mm
  • Introduced November 2011
  • Successor is Olympus E-PM2
Panasonic FH8
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 100 - 6400
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 24-120mm (F2.5-6.4) lens
  • 123g - 96 x 57 x 19mm
  • Revealed January 2012
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Olympus E-PM1 vs Panasonic FH8 Overview

Lets look much closer at the Olympus E-PM1 and Panasonic FH8, former is a Entry-Level Mirrorless while the other is a Small Sensor Compact by companies Olympus and Panasonic. There is a large difference among the image resolutions of the E-PM1 (12MP) and FH8 (16MP) and the E-PM1 (Four Thirds) and FH8 (1/2.3") posses different sensor measurements.

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The E-PM1 was released at a similar time to the FH8 and they are of a similar age. Both of these cameras feature different body design with the Olympus E-PM1 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Panasonic FH8 being a Compact camera.

Before we go into a more detailed comparison, here is a simple summation of how the E-PM1 scores against the FH8 with respect to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-PM1 over the Panasonic FH8

 E-PM1 FH8 
Manually focus Very accurate focusing
Display resolution460k230kSharper display (+230k dot)

Reasons to pick Panasonic FH8 over the Olympus E-PM1

 FH8 E-PM1 

Common features in the Olympus E-PM1 and Panasonic FH8

 E-PM1 FH8 
RevealedNovember 2011January 2012Same age
Display typeFixed Fixed Fixed display
Display size3"3"Same display measurements
Selfie screen Missing selfie screen
Touch friendly display Missing Touch friendly display

Olympus E-PM1 vs Panasonic FH8 Physical Comparison

If you're intending to carry around your camera, you have to take into account its weight and proportions. The Olympus E-PM1 has got outside measurements of 110mm x 64mm x 34mm (4.3" x 2.5" x 1.3") along with a weight of 265 grams (0.58 lbs) and the Panasonic FH8 has measurements of 96mm x 57mm x 19mm (3.8" x 2.2" x 0.7") and a weight of 123 grams (0.27 lbs).

Analyze the Olympus E-PM1 and Panasonic FH8 in our newest Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Don't forget, the weight of an ILC will differ dependant on the lens you are using during that time. The following is a front view physical size comparison of the E-PM1 vs the FH8.

Olympus E-PM1 vs Panasonic FH8 size comparison

Looking at size and weight, the portability rating of the E-PM1 and FH8 is 89 and 96 respectively.

Olympus E-PM1 vs Panasonic FH8 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-PM1 vs Panasonic FH8 Sensor Comparison

Often, it is very difficult to picture the gap in sensor sizes only by viewing specs. The image here will help offer you a much better sense of the sensor measurements in the E-PM1 and FH8.

All in all, the 2 cameras come with different megapixel count and different sensor sizes. The E-PM1 due to its larger sensor is going to make getting shallower depth of field easier and the Panasonic FH8 will result in extra detail as a result of its extra 4MP. Greater resolution will also allow you to crop photos a good deal more aggressively.

Olympus E-PM1 vs Panasonic FH8 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-PM1 vs Panasonic FH8 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-PM1 vs Panasonic FH8 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-PM1 Portrait photography features
Panasonic FH8 Portrait photography features
60
manual focus
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
offers face detection focus
saves RAW files
sensor resolution low (12MP)
34
megapixel count good (16MP)
comes with face detect focus
no manual focus
manual exposure not available
cannot use external flash
sensor size is small (1/2.3")
has no RAW support
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Street Comparison

Street photography with Olympus E-PM1
Street photography with Panasonic FH8
75
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
saves RAW files
no articulating screen
63
image stabilization (Optical)
lighter than average in class (123 grams)
fixed screen
sensor size is small (1/2.3")
has no RAW support
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-PM1 Sports photography advice
Panasonic FH8 Sports photography advice
49
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
offers tracking autofocus
max frames per second low (6.0 fps)
sensor resolution low (12 megapixels)
lacks phase detect auto focus
40
image stabilization (Optical)
megapixel count good (16 megapixels)
comes with tracking focus
continuous shooting slow (1.0 fps)
no shutter priority mode
sensor size is small (1/2.3")
has no phase detect auto focus
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-PM1 Travel photography details
Panasonic FH8 Travel photography details
45
missing Timelapse function
sensor resolution low (12 megapixels)
display isn't selfie friendly
69
lighter than average in class (123g)
megapixel count good (16 megapixels)
built-in flash
relatively wide (24mm)
lack of Time Lapse function
display isn't selfie friendly
sluggish max aperture (f2.5)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-PM1 Landscape photography details
Panasonic FH8 Landscape photography details
65
manual focus
switch lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
nice screen size (3")
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
saves RAW files
sensor resolution low (12MP)
missing Timelapse function
43
relatively wide (24mm)
pretty good screen size (3 inch)
image stabilization (Optical)
megapixel count good (16MP)
no manual focus
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
sluggish max aperture (f2.5)
manual exposure not available
sensor size is small (1/2.3")
has no RAW support
lack of Time Lapse function
Photography Glossary

Vlogging Comparison

Vlogging with Olympus E-PM1
Vlogging with Panasonic FH8
34
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
offers face detection focus
high res video (1920 x 1080 resolution)
display isn't selfie friendly
missing external microphone jack
33
relatively wide (24mm)
image stabilization (Optical)
comes with face detect focus
lighter than average in class (123 grams)
sluggish max aperture (f2.5)
display isn't selfie friendly
low res video (1280 x 720 pixels)
lack of mic jack
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Olympus E-PM1 vs Panasonic FH8 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-PM1 and Panasonic FH8
 Olympus PEN E-PM1Panasonic Lumix DMC-FH8
General Information
Brand Name Olympus Panasonic
Model Olympus PEN E-PM1 Panasonic Lumix DMC-FH8
Category Entry-Level Mirrorless Small Sensor Compact
Introduced 2011-11-23 2012-01-09
Body design Rangefinder-style mirrorless Compact
Sensor Information
Processor TruePic VI -
Sensor type CMOS CCD
Sensor size Four Thirds 1/2.3"
Sensor dimensions 17.3 x 13mm 6.08 x 4.56mm
Sensor surface area 224.9mm² 27.7mm²
Sensor resolution 12 megapixels 16 megapixels
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Full resolution 4032 x 3024 4608 x 3456
Max native ISO 12800 6400
Min native ISO 100 100
RAW photos
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch to focus
AF continuous
Single AF
Tracking AF
AF selectice
AF center weighted
Multi area AF
Live view AF
Face detect AF
Contract detect AF
Phase detect AF
Number of focus points 35 23
Lens
Lens mount Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens focal range - 24-120mm (5.0x)
Maximum aperture - f/2.5-6.4
Macro focus distance - 4cm
Available lenses 107 -
Crop factor 2.1 5.9
Screen
Display type Fixed Type Fixed Type
Display sizing 3" 3"
Resolution of display 460 thousand dot 230 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch operation
Display technology HyperCrystal LCD AR(Anti-Reflective) coating TFT Color LCD
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Electronic (optional) None
Features
Slowest shutter speed 60s 8s
Maximum shutter speed 1/4000s 1/1600s
Continuous shooting speed 6.0 frames/s 1.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes -
Change WB
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash range no built-in flash 5.60 m
Flash settings Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in, Slow Sync, Manual (3 levels) Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye reduction
External flash
AEB
WB bracketing
Maximum flash sync 1/160s -
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Supported video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (60 fps), 1280 x 720 (60, 30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps) 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps)
Max video resolution 1920x1080 1280x720
Video file format AVCHD, Motion JPEG MPEG-4
Mic input
Headphone input
Connectivity
Wireless None None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environment seal
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 265 gr (0.58 lbs) 123 gr (0.27 lbs)
Physical dimensions 110 x 64 x 34mm (4.3" x 2.5" x 1.3") 96 x 57 x 19mm (3.8" x 2.2" x 0.7")
DXO scores
DXO All around score 52 not tested
DXO Color Depth score 21.0 not tested
DXO Dynamic range score 10.3 not tested
DXO Low light score 499 not tested
Other
Battery life 330 pictures 260 pictures
Style of battery Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery model BLS-5 -
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse feature
Storage media SD/SDHC/SDXC SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal
Storage slots 1 1
Cost at launch $499 $149