Olympus 5010 vs Panasonic GF8

On this page, we are evaluating the Olympus 5010 and Panasonic GF8, former being a Ultracompact while the other is a Entry-Level Mirrorless by competitors Olympus and Panasonic. The resolution of the 5010 (14MP) and the GF8 (16MP) is very well matched but the 5010 (1/2.3") and GF8 (Four Thirds) have different sensor dimensions.

Photography Glossary

The 5010 was brought out 7 years earlier than the GF8 and that is quite a significant difference as far as tech is concerned. Each of the cameras have different body design with the Olympus 5010 being a Ultracompact camera and the Panasonic GF8 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera.

Before getting right into a comprehensive comparison, here is a brief synopsis of how the 5010 scores versus the GF8 in regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

This is a sample of the gallery pics for Olympus Stylus 5010 & Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF8. The entire galleries are available at Olympus 5010 Gallery & Panasonic GF8 Gallery.

For anybody who is planning to lug around your camera often, you'll need to consider its weight and proportions. The Olympus 5010 has got external dimensions of 95mm x 56mm x 20mm (3.7" x 2.2" x 0.8") having a weight of 126 grams (0.28 lbs) and the Panasonic GF8 has measurements of 107mm x 65mm x 33mm (4.2" x 2.6" x 1.3") and a weight of 266 grams (0.59 lbs).

Check out the Olympus 5010 and Panasonic GF8 in our brand new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Don't forget, the weight of an ILC will differ dependant on the lens you are working with at that time. Below is a front view over all size comparison of the 5010 and the GF8.

Factoring in size and weight, the portability rating of the 5010 and GF8 is 96 and 90 respectively.

Generally, it is hard to picture the difference between sensor measurements purely by checking specifications. The visual below will help give you a greater sense of the sensor sizes in the 5010 and GF8.

To sum up, both cameras have different megapixels and different sensor measurements. The 5010 featuring a tinier sensor is going to make shooting shallower depth of field more difficult and the Panasonic GF8 will resolve more detail having its extra 2 Megapixels. Greater resolution will also allow you to crop images a bit more aggressively. The older 5010 is going to be disadvantaged in sensor innovation.