Olympus XZ-10 vs Panasonic GX8

Let's look a bit more in depth at the Olympus XZ-10 vs Panasonic GX8, one being a Small Sensor Compact and the latter is a Advanced Mirrorless by companies Olympus and Panasonic. There exists a crucial gap among the sensor resolutions of the XZ-10 (12MP) and GX8 (20MP) and the XZ-10 (1/2.3") and GX8 (Four Thirds) enjoy totally different sensor size.

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The XZ-10 was revealed 3 years earlier than the GX8 and that is a fairly serious gap as far as camera technology is concerned. Both of these cameras come with different body type with the Olympus XZ-10 being a Compact camera and the Panasonic GX8 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera.

Before going straight into a in depth comparison, below is a short highlight of how the XZ-10 grades versus the GX8 with regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

This is a preview of the gallery images for Olympus Stylus XZ-10 and Panasonic Lumix DMC-GX8. The full galleries are viewable at Olympus XZ-10 Gallery and Panasonic GX8 Gallery.

If you are planning to carry your camera often, you'll have to take into account its weight and dimensions. The Olympus XZ-10 has outer dimensions of 102mm x 61mm x 34mm (4.0" x 2.4" x 1.3") having a weight of 221 grams (0.49 lbs) and the Panasonic GX8 has dimensions of 133mm x 78mm x 63mm (5.2" x 3.1" x 2.5") with a weight of 487 grams (1.07 lbs).

Examine the Olympus XZ-10 vs Panasonic GX8 in the all new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Remember, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary dependant on the lens you select during that time. Underneath is the front view measurement comparison of the XZ-10 compared to the GX8.

Considering dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the XZ-10 and GX8 is 91 and 74 respectively.

More often than not, its tough to envision the contrast in sensor sizing simply by researching specs. The graphic below may give you a more clear sense of the sensor dimensions in the XZ-10 and GX8.

As you can plainly see, each of these cameras have got different megapixel count and different sensor sizing. The XZ-10 having a smaller sensor will make achieving shallower DOF more challenging and the Panasonic GX8 will result in greater detail because of its extra 8 Megapixels. Higher resolution will let you crop shots much more aggressively. The older XZ-10 will be disadvantaged in sensor technology.