In depth comparison and review of Olympus OM-D E-M1 and Olympus PEN E-PL8. Compare design, sensors, proximity features, memory capacities and other important specifications and features to easily choose the right camera for you. Our goal is to help you uncover differences between the products and find the digital camera that will best fit your needs.
| DESIGN AND DIMENSIONS | Olympus OM-D E-M1 | Olympus PEN E-PL8 |
|---|
| Product Type | Digital camera - 1080p - mirrorless system | Digital camera - 1080p - mirrorless system |
|---|---|---|
| Lens Included | Body only | Body only |
| Height | 9.35 cm | 6.83 cm |
| Width | 13.04 cm | 11.71 cm |
| Depth | 6.31 cm | 3.84 cm |
| Weight | 443 g | 326 g |
| Weight Details | - | Camera body only: 326 g Camera with battery and memory card: 374 g Camera with battery, memory card and M.Zuiko 14-42mm II R lens: 491 g |
| Body Material | Magnesium alloy | - |
| Enclosure Colour | Silver | Black | Black | White |
| Protection | Splashproof, freezeproof, dust-resistant | - |
| SENSOR | Olympus OM-D E-M1 | Olympus PEN E-PL8 |
|---|
| Sensor Resolution | 16.3 Megapixel | 16.1 Megapixel |
|---|---|---|
| Optical Sensor Type | Live MOS | Live MOS |
| Total Pixels | 16,800,000 pixels | 17,200,000 pixels |
| Effective Sensor Resolution | 16,300,000 pixels | 16,100,000 pixels |
| Optical Sensor Size | Four Thirds (4/3") | Four Thirds (17.3 x 13.0 mm) |
| Frame Rate (Max Resolution) | - | 30 fps |
| Sensor Dust Reduction | - | Yes |
| Sensor Features | - | Supersonic Wave Filter (SWF) |
| Image Stabiliser | Optical (5-axis image sensor shift mechanism) | Optical (3-axis image sensor shift mechanism) |
| Built-in Optical Image Stabiliser | Yes | Yes |
| Sensors | Digital level metre | - |
| PROCESSOR | Olympus OM-D E-M1 | Olympus PEN E-PL8 |
|---|
| Image Processor | TruePic VII | TruePic VII |
|---|
| LENS | Olympus OM-D E-M1 | Olympus PEN E-PL8 |
|---|
| Lens Mounting Type | Micro Four Thirds | Micro Four Thirds |
|---|
| FOCUSING | Olympus OM-D E-M1 | Olympus PEN E-PL8 |
|---|
| Auto Focus | TTL contrast and phase detection | TTL contrast detection |
|---|---|---|
| Auto Focus Points (Zones) Qty | - | 800 |
| AE/AF Control | Face-priority AF, Subject-tracking AF, Eye detection AF | Face-priority AF, Subject-tracking AF, Touch Area AF, Eye detection AF |
| Face Detection | Yes | Eye Detect AF |
| VIEWFINDER | Olympus OM-D E-M1 | Olympus PEN E-PL8 |
|---|
| Viewfinder Type | Built-in - electronic | - |
|---|---|---|
| Viewfinder Colour Support | Colour | - |
| Viewfinder Resolution | 2,360,000 pixels | - |
| Optical Viewfinder Field Coverage | 100% | - |
| Optical Viewfinder Magnification | 1.48x | - |
| Optical Viewfinder Dioptric Correction Range | -4 to +2 | - |
| Field of View Crop Factor | 2 | - |
| EXPOSURE & WHITE BALANCE | Olympus OM-D E-M1 | Olympus PEN E-PL8 |
|---|
| ISO (Max) | 25600 | 25600 |
|---|---|---|
| Native ISO | - | 100-25600 |
| Light Sensitivity | ISO 200-25600, ISO auto (200-25600) | ISO 100-25600, ISO auto (100-25600) |
| Exposure Metering | Multi-segment, centre-weighted, spot | Multi-segment, centre-weighted, spot, highlight spot, shadow spot |
| Exposure Metering Zones | 324 | 324 |
| Exposure Modes | Programme, bulb, automatic, manual, aperture-priority, shutter-priority | Programme, bulb, automatic, manual, aperture-priority, shutter-priority |
| Bracketing Modes | Art Filter bracketing, ISO sensitivity bracketing | Art Filter bracketing, focus bracketing, ISO sensitivity bracketing, white balance bracketing |
| Shooting Programs | Landscape, portrait mode, macro, beach/snow, landscape-portrait, Children, fireworks, 3D image, panorama assist, night scene, sports mode, sunset, candle, high key, night scene with portrait, anti shake, low key, documents, nature macro, e-portrait, fisheye converter, wide converter, macro converter | - |
| Special Effects | Black & White, Sepia, soft focus, Water Colour, Diorama, Cross Process, Grainy Film, Light Tone, Pop Art, Pale & Light Colour, pin hole, Gentle Sepia, Dramatic Tone, Key Line, Star Light, Defocus, White Edge | Sepia, Monotone, Neutral, Vivid, Custom Effect, soft focus, natural, Muted, Water Colour, Diorama, Cross Process, partial colour, Grainy Film, Light Tone, Pop Art, Pale & Light Colour, pin hole, Gentle Sepia, Dramatic Tone, Key Line, Vintage |
| White Balance | Custom, automatic, presets | Custom, automatic, presets |
| White Balance Presets | Incandescent, fluorescent, cloudy, sunlight, Flash, shade, Underwater, 2000K - 14000K | Incandescent, fluorescent, cloudy, sunlight, Flash, shade, Underwater, 2000K - 14000K |
| Shutter Type | - | Electronic |
| Max Shutter Speed | 1/8000 sec | 1/4000 sec |
| Min Shutter Speed | 60 sec | 60 sec |
| Exposure Compensation | ±5 EV range, in 1, 1/2 or 1/3 EV steps | ±5 EV range, in 1, 1/2 or 1/3 EV steps |
| Auto Exposure Bracketing | - | 7 steps in 1/3 or 2/3 EV steps |
| White Balance Bracketing | - | Yes |
| X-sync Speed | - | 1/125sec, 1/4000 sec |
| Exposure Range | EV 2-20 (ISO 100) | EV -2-20 - wide lens (ISO 100) |
| DISPLAY | Olympus OM-D E-M1 | Olympus PEN E-PL8 |
|---|
| Type | 3" LCD display | 3" LCD display |
|---|---|---|
| Touch Screen | Yes | Yes |
| Display Format | 1,037,000 pixels | 1,037,000 pixels |
| Display Form Factor | Folding | Folding |
| Display Features | Contrast control, display brightness control, display colour control | Display brightness control, display colour control |
| FLASH | Olympus OM-D E-M1 | Olympus PEN E-PL8 |
|---|
| Camera Flash | Detachable flash | Detachable flash |
|---|---|---|
| Guide Number (m / ISO 100) | 7 | 10 |
| Flash Modes | Fill-in mode, rear curtain sync, slow synchro, auto mode, flash OFF mode, red-eye reduction | Fill-in mode, rear curtain sync, slow synchro, auto mode, flash OFF mode, red-eye reduction |
| Red-Eye Reduction | Yes | Yes |
| Features | AF illuminator, flash +/- compensation, wireless off-camera control, flash exposure bracketing | AF illuminator, flash +/- compensation, wireless off-camera control |
| External Flash Name | - | Olympus FL-LM1 |
| VIDEOGRAPHY / CAMCORDER | Olympus OM-D E-M1 | Olympus PEN E-PL8 |
|---|
| Digital Video Format | AVI, MJPEG, H.264, MOV | AVI, MJPEG, H.264, MOV |
|---|---|---|
| Image Recording Format | JPEG, RAW, RAW + JPEG, MPO | JPEG, RAW, RAW + JPEG, MPO |
| Max Video Resolution | 1920 x 1080 | 1920 x 1080 |
| Microphone Operation Mode | Stereo | Stereo |
| Microphone Features | Wind noise reduction, sensitivity control | Wind noise reduction, sensitivity control |
| MEMORY | Olympus OM-D E-M1 | Olympus PEN E-PL8 |
|---|
| Memory Card Slot | SD card | SD card |
|---|---|---|
| Supported Memory Cards | SD Memory Card, SDXC Memory Card, SDHC Memory Card, SDHC UHS-I Memory Card, SDXC UHS-I Memory Card | SD Memory Card, SDXC Memory Card, SDHC Memory Card, SDHC UHS-I Memory Card, SDXC UHS-I Memory Card |
| Memory Card Included | No | No |
| Image Storage | RAW 4608 x 3456 - 17 MB JPEG 4608 x 3456 - 7.5 MB JPEG 4608 x 3456 - 3.5 MB JPEG 2560 x 1920 - 1.1 MB |
RAW 4608 x 3456 - 17 MB JPEG 4608 x 3456 - 7.5 MB JPEG 4608 x 3456 - 3.5 MB JPEG 2560 x 1920 - 1.1 MB JPEG 1280 x 960 - 0.4 MB |
| Video Capture | MOV - 1920 x 1080 - 30 fps - 24Mbps MOV - 1920 x 1080 - 30 fps - 16Mbps MOV - 1280 x 720 - 30 fps - 12Mbps MOV - 1280 x 720 - 30 fps - 8Mbps MJPEG - 1280 x 720 - 30 fps MJPEG - 640 x 480 - 30 fps |
MOV - 1920 x 1080 p - 30 fps - 24Mbps MOV - 1920 x 1080 p - 30 fps - 16Mbps MOV - 1280 x 720 p - 30 fps - 12Mbps MOV - 1280 x 720 p - 30 fps - 8Mbps MJPEG - 1280 x 720 - 30 fps MJPEG - 640 x 480 - 30 fps |
| BATTERY AND CHARGING | Olympus OM-D E-M1 | Olympus PEN E-PL8 |
|---|
| Battery Type | Olympus BLN-1 Lithium Ion | Olympus BLS-50 Lithium Ion |
|---|---|---|
| Details | Olympus BLN-1 Li-ion rechargeable battery (included) | Olympus BLS-50 Li-ion rechargeable battery (included) |
| Battery Life | Photo shooting - 250 shots | Photo shooting - 350 shots Video recording - 2.5 hours |
| CONNECTIONS | Olympus OM-D E-M1 | Olympus PEN E-PL8 |
|---|
| Interface | Composite video/audio, HDMI, USB 2.0, Wireless LAN | Composite video/audio, HDMI, USB 2.0, IEEE 802.11b/g/n |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity Features | Remote control via mobile devices, remote live view | Remote control via mobile devices, remote live view |
| Print Standard | DPOF support, Exif Print support, PRINT Image Matching | DPOF support, Exif Print support, PRINT Image Matching |
| Flash Terminal | Hot shoe | Hot shoe |
| Connector Type | USB 2.0 Composite video/audio output HDMI output (19 pin micro HDMI Type D) Microphone Accessory port |
USB 2.0 Composite video/audio output HDMI output (19 pin micro HDMI Type D) |
| FEATURES | Olympus OM-D E-M1 | Olympus PEN E-PL8 |
|---|
| Self-Timer Delay | 2sec, 12sec | 2sec, 12sec |
|---|---|---|
| Continuous Shooting Speed | 10 frames per second, 6.5 frames per second | 3.7 frames per second, 8.5 frames per second, 7.4 frames per second |
| HDR Mode | - | Auto HDR mode, HDR post-processing |
| Additional Features | Audio recording, built-in speaker, RGB primary colour filter, auto power save, sharpness control, histogram display, AE lock, AF lock, cropping an image, resizing an image, saturation control, in-camera red-eye fix, interval shooting mode, face detection, Shadow Adjustment Technology, in-camera RAW processing, Full-time Live View, Intelligent AUTO (iAUTO), Eye-Fi Card Ready, Touch Shutter technology, GPS via mobile | Audio recording, built-in speaker, auto power save, digital image rotation, camera orientation detection, histogram display, shadow point display, highlight point display, in-camera RAW processing, Full-time Live View, Intelligent AUTO (iAUTO), Eye-Fi Card Ready, Touch Shutter technology |
| OTHERS | Olympus OM-D E-M1 | Olympus PEN E-PL8 |
|---|
| Included Accessories | Battery charger, body cap, shoulder strap, USB cable | Battery charger, body cap, shoulder strap, USB cable |
|---|---|---|
| Software | Drivers & Utilities, Olympus Viewer 3 | Drivers & Utilities, Olympus Viewer 3 |
| Max Operating Temperature | 40 °C | 40 °C |
| Min Operating Temperature | -10 °C | 0 °C |
cs
sk
de
it
es
fr
hu
pt
ru
pl
br
ro
