Olympus 550WP vs Panasonic GF8

Below, we are looking at the Olympus 550WP vs Panasonic GF8, one being a Small Sensor Compact and the other is a Entry-Level Mirrorless by brands Olympus and Panasonic. There exists a sizeable gap between the image resolutions of the 550WP (10MP) and GF8 (16MP) and the 550WP (1/2.3") and GF8 (Four Thirds) come with different sensor measurements.

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The 550WP was launched 8 years prior to the GF8 and that is quite a large gap as far as technology is concerned. Both of the cameras come with different body type with the Olympus 550WP being a Compact camera and the Panasonic GF8 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera.

Before getting through a more detailed comparison, below is a concise summary of how the 550WP scores versus the GF8 in the way of portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Here is a sample of the gallery pictures for Olympus Stylus 550WP and Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF8. The complete galleries are provided at Olympus 550WP Gallery and Panasonic GF8 Gallery.

For those who are going to lug around your camera regularly, you will need to think about its weight and size. The Olympus 550WP provides physical measurements of 94mm x 62mm x 22mm (3.7" x 2.4" x 0.9") having a weight of 167 grams (0.37 lbs) and the Panasonic GF8 has specifications of 107mm x 65mm x 33mm (4.2" x 2.6" x 1.3") accompanied by a weight of 266 grams (0.59 lbs).

Contrast the Olympus 550WP vs Panasonic GF8 in the new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Remember that, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change dependant on the lens you are working with at the time. The following is the front view measurement comparison of the 550WP compared to the GF8.

Looking at dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the 550WP and GF8 is 94 and 90 respectively.

Sometimes, it is very difficult to imagine the difference between sensor measurements just by reviewing technical specs. The photograph here will help give you a much better sense of the sensor sizing in the 550WP and GF8.

As you can tell, each of these cameras posses different resolutions and different sensor measurements. The 550WP featuring a tinier sensor is going to make getting shallower depth of field tougher and the Panasonic GF8 will deliver greater detail utilizing its extra 6MP. Greater resolution will make it easier to crop images somewhat more aggressively. The older 550WP is going to be disadvantaged with regard to sensor innovation.