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Olympus E-PL8 vs Sony A6500 Comparison

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Olympus E-PL8

16 MP | Four Thirds (17.3 x 13 mm) CMOS Sensor

Olympus E-PL8
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Sony A6500

24 MP | APS-C (23.5 x 15.6 mm) CMOS Sensor

Sony A6500
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Olympus E-PL8 vs Sony A6500 Comparison Overview

Here we are comparing E-PL8 and A6500, two Mirrorless cameras from Olympus and Sony. Olympus PEN E-PL8 is a Entry-Level Mirrorless class camera and Sony Alpha a6500 is a Advanced Mirrorless class camera.

Olympus E-PL8 was introduced to market in September 2016 and Sony A6500 was launched in October 2016. There is only 1 months difference between E-PL8 and A6500 so we are expecting this to be a fair comparison regarding age and technology level.

Here is a brief look at the main features of Olympus E-PL8 and Sony A6500 before getting into our more detailed comparison.

Olympus E-PL8 Key Specs

  • Announcement Date: 2016-09-19
  • 16MP - Four Thirds CMOS Sensor
  • ISO 200 - 25600 ( expands to 100)
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • Sensor-shift Image Stabilization
  • 3.00" Tilting Screen
  • 8.0fps continuous shooting
  • Full HD - 1920 x 1080 video resolution
  • Built-in Wireless
  • 357g. 115 x 67 x 38 mm
  • Replaced Olympus PEN E-PL7 Compare

Sony A6500 Key Specs

  • Announcement Date: 2016-10-06
  • 24MP - APS-C CMOS Sensor
  • ISO 100 - 25600 ( expands to 51200)
  • Sony E Mount
  • Sensor-shift Image Stabilization
  • 3.00" Tilting Screen
  • 2359k dot Electronic viewfinder
  • 11.0fps continuous shooting
  • 4K (UHD) - 3840 x 2160 video resolution
  • 120fps High-Speed Video
  • Built-in Wireless
  • 453g. 120 x 67 x 53 mm
  • Weather Sealed Body

Olympus E-PL8 was replaced by Olympus PEN E-PL8. You may also be interested in these comparisons:
Olympus PEN E-PL8 vs Olympus PEN E-PL8
Olympus PEN E-PL8 vs Sony Alpha a6500

Sony A6500 was replaced by Sony Alpha a6600. You may also be interested in these comparisons:
Sony Alpha a6600 vs Sony Alpha a6500
Sony Alpha a6600 vs Olympus PEN E-PL8

Let's read on the following sections in order to better understand in detail how Olympus E-PL8 and Sony A6500 compares and hopefully end up with enough arguments to decide which one is better for you.


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Reasons to choose Olympus PEN E-PL8 over Sony Alpha a6500
LCD Screen Resolution
1.037k dots vs 922k dots 12% higher resolution screen
Weight
357 g vs 453 g 96 g lighter
Timelapse Recording
Yes vs With optional app creative shooting
CHECK E-PL8 PRICE


Reasons to choose Sony Alpha a6500 over Olympus PEN E-PL8
Built-in Flash
Yes vs No Useful in low-light
Tiltable Flash
Yes vs No Bounce built-in flash off the ceiling
Viewfinder
Electronic vs Electronic (Optional) Better framing and control
Max Sensor Resolution
24 MP vs 16 MP 50% more pixels
Number of Focus Points
425 vs 81 344 more focus points
Continuous Shooting
11.0fps vs 8.0fps 3 fps faster
Microphone Port
Yes vs No High quality audio recording option
Environmental Sealing
Yes vs No shoot at tough conditions
Sensor Pixel Area
15.28µm2 vs 14.12µm2 8% larger pixel area
Max Video Resolution
3840 x 2160 vs 1920 x 1080 Higher Resolution Video
NFC Connection
Yes vs No Easy wireless connectivity with compatible devices
Bluetooth
Yes vs No Connect your camera to other devices via Blueetooth
Webcam Function
Yes vs No Use your camera as a Webcam
Eye Tracking Focus
Yes vs No Autofocus system locks on the eye and tracks the subject
CHECK A6500 PRICE

Common Strengths of Olympus PEN E-PL8 and Sony Alpha a6500
Wireless Connection
Yes vs Yes Better connectivity
Image Stabilization
Sensor-shift vs Sensor-shift Sharper images at longer focal lengths and long exposures
Adjustable LCD Screen
Tilting vs Tilting Flexible shooting positions
External Flash Shoe
Yes vs Yes Better for flash photography
Touch Screen
Yes vs Yes Easy control of camera functions
RAW Support
Yes vs Yes Better image quality
Face Detection Focus
Yes vs Yes very handy for portraits
AE Bracketing
Yes vs Yes Useful for tough lighting conditions and HDR
Smartphone Remote
Yes vs Yes Remote control your camera with a smartphone
Common Weaknesses of Olympus PEN E-PL8 and Sony Alpha a6500
Olympus E-PL8 vs Sony A6500: Physical Specs and Body features Comparison

Size and weight is a big decision factor when you are trying to find the ideal camera for your needs. In this section, We are going to illustrate Olympus E-PL8 and Sony A6500 side-by-side from the front, back and top in their relative dimensions. Olympus E-PL8 has external dimensions of 115 x 67 x 38 mm (4.53 x 2.64 x 1.5″) and weighs 357 g (0.79 lb / 12.59 oz) (including batteries). Sony A6500 has external dimensions of 120 x 67 x 53 mm (4.72 x 2.64 x 2.09″) and weighs 453 g (1.00 lb / 15.98 oz) (including batteries).

Below you can see the front view size comparison of Olympus E-PL8 and Sony A6500. Olympus E-PL8 is 5mm narrower and 15mm thinner than Olympus E-PL8 but they have the same height of 67mm.

Olympus E-PL8 vs Sony A6500 Camera Size Comparison - Front View
Comparison image of Olympus E-PL8 and Sony A6500 Size, Weight and External Dimensions - Front View

Here is the back view size comparison of Olympus E-PL8 and Sony A6500.

Olympus E-PL8 vs Sony A6500 Camera Size Comparison - Back View
Comparison image of Olympus E-PL8 and Sony A6500 Size and Weight - Back View

Now lets look at the top view comparison of Olympus E-PL8 and Sony A6500.
Olympus E-PL8 vs Sony A6500 Camera Size Comparison - Top View
Top View Comparison image of Olympus E-PL8 and Sony A6500 Size

Weight is another important factor especially when deciding on a camera that you want to carry with you all day. Olympus E-PL8 is significantly lighter (96g ) than the Sony A6500 which may become a big advantage especially on long walking trips.

Also keep in mind that body weight is not the only deciding factor when comparing two interchangeable camera bodies, you have to also take into account the lenses that you will be using with these bodies. Since Sony A6500 has an APS-C sized sensor and Olympus E-PL8 has a smaller Four Thirds sensor, Olympus E-PL8's lenses for a similar focal length and aperture will generally be lighter and smaller than the Sony A6500 lenses.

Weight Comparison

Mirrorless Cameras

E-PL8
A6500
Min
Average
Max
Thickness Comparison

Mirrorless Cameras

E-PL8
A6500
Min
Average
Max

Weather Sealing

Thanks to the weather sealed body of A6500, you can use this camera with more confidence under conditions where there is risk of exposure to water and dust compared to E-PL8.

LCD Screen Size and Features

Olympus E-PL8 and Sony A6500's LCD screens has the same diagonal size of 3.00".

Both cameras feature Tilting screens where you can change the angle of the screen to make it easier to shoot from waist or over the head levels.
Olympus E-PL8 vs Sony A6500: Sensor Comparison

Olympus E-PL8 has a 16.0MP Four Thirds (17.3 x 13 mm ) sized CMOS sensor and features TruePic VII processor. On the other hand, Sony A6500 has a 24.0MP APS-C (23.5 x 15.6 mm ) sized CMOS sensor and features Bionz X processor.

Sony A6500's sensor provides 8MP more than Olympus E-PL8's sensor, which gives a significant advantage in real life. You can print your images larger or crop more freely. On the other hand, please keep in mind that Max sensor resolution is not the only determinant of resolving power. Factors such as the optical elements, low pass filter, pixel size and sensor technology also affects the final resolution of the captured image.

Below you can see the E-PL8 and A6500 sensor size comparison.

Olympus E-PL8 vs Sony A6500 Sensor Size Comparison
Sensor Size and Resolution Comparison image of Olympus E-PL8 and Sony A6500 Cameras


As seen above, Sony A6500 has a 1.6x Larger sensor area than Olympus E-PL8. Larger sensors give photographer more control on the depth of field and blurry background compared to smaller sensor when shot in same focal length and aperture.

Olympus E-PL8 vs Sony A6500 Comparison of Available Lenses
Which camera has more lenses?

Number of available lenses is a big decision factor while choosing your interchangeable lens camera. When we look at the available lenses for these two cameras, we see that Sony A6500 has an advantage over Olympus E-PL8 There are 182 lenses for Sony A6500's Sony E mount, on the other hand there are only 119 lenses for Olympus E-PL8's Micro Four Thirds lens mount.

Another important factor is the availability of image stabilization. Both Olympus E-PL8 and Sony A6500 has Sensor based Image stabilization which means that all the lenses will be stabilized in these bodies. E-PL8's built-in Image stabilization system is effective to compensate vibration up to 3.5-stops according to CIPA standards.

Lens Type # of Olympus E-PL8 Lenses # of Sony A6500 Lenses
Standard Zoom 17 18
Standard Prime 15 32
Wideangle Zoom 6 12
Wideangle Prime 32 55
Telephoto Zoom 19 15
Telephoto Prime 11 26
SuperZoom 8 10
Wideangle Fisheye Prime 5 2
Macro Prime 4 9
Perspective Control Prime n/a 2
Telephoto Mirror Prime 1 n/a
TOTAL 119 182


Now let's compare some sample lenses from each mount with typical Focal ranges for Olympus E-PL8 and Sony A6500 to see how these lenses compares:

Fast Standard Zoom Lenses
Model FF Equiv. Weight Weight w/ Cam Length Street Price
Olympus ED 12-40mm f2.8 PRO Lens Olympus ED 12-40mm f2.8 PRO
24 - 80mm 382gr 739gr 84mm Amazon B&H Photo
Sony E 16-55mm F2.8 G Lens Sony E 16-55mm F2.8 G
24 - 82.5mm 494gr 947gr 100mm Amazon B&H Photo
Fast Tele Zoom Equivalent Lenses
Model FF Equiv. Weight Weight w/ Cam Length Street Price
Olympus ED 35-100mm f2.0 Lens Olympus ED 35-100mm f2.0
70 - 200mm 1650gr 2007gr 214mm Amazon B&H Photo
Sony E 55-210mm F4.5-6.3 OSS Lens Sony E 55-210mm F4.5-6.3 OSS
82.5 - 315mm 345gr 798gr 108mm Amazon B&H Photo
Fast Normal Prime Equivalent Lenses
Model FF Equiv. Weight Weight w/ Cam Length Street Price
Olympus M 25mm F1.8 Lens Olympus M 25mm F1.8
50mm 136gr 493gr 41mm Amazon B&H Photo
Sony E 35mm F1.8 OSS Lens Sony E 35mm F1.8 OSS
52.5mm 155gr 608gr 45mm Amazon B&H Photo
Fast Wideangle Zoom Equivalent Lenses
Model FF Equiv. Weight Weight w/ Cam Length Street Price
Olympus ED 7-14mm F2.8 PRO Lens Olympus ED 7-14mm F2.8 PRO
14 - 28mm 534gr 891gr 106mm Amazon B&H Photo
Sony E 10-18mm F4 OSS Lens Sony E 10-18mm F4 OSS
15 - 27mm 225gr 678gr 64mm Amazon B&H Photo
24-105mm f4 Equivalent Lenses
Model FF Equiv. Weight Weight w/ Cam Length Street Price
Olympus ED 12-60mm f2.8-4.0 SWD Lens Olympus ED 12-60mm f2.8-4.0 SWD
24 - 120mm 575gr 932gr 99mm Amazon B&H Photo
Sony E 16-70mm F4 ZA OSS Lens Sony E 16-70mm F4 ZA OSS
24 - 105mm 308gr 761gr 75mm Amazon B&H Photo
Super-Tele Zoom Equivalent Lenses
Model FF Equiv. Weight Weight w/ Cam Length Street Price
Olympus 150-400mm F4.5 TC 1.25x IS Lens Olympus 150-400mm F4.5 TC 1.25x IS
300 - 800mm 1850gr 2207gr 314mm Amazon B&H Photo
Sony E 70-350mm F4.5-6.3 G OSS Lens Sony E 70-350mm F4.5-6.3 G OSS
105 - 525mm 625gr 1078gr 142mm Amazon B&H Photo
What types of Photography are Olympus E-PL8 and Sony A6500 Good for?
In this section, we rank and compare Olympus E-PL8 and Sony A6500 for five different photography types in order to make your decision process easier in case you are specifically interested in one or more of these areas.

Olympus E-PL8 for Portrait Photography

GOOD

Sony A6500 for Portrait Photography

GOOD
Large Four Thirds (17.3 x 13 mm) sensor
Image Stabilization
Average Resolution Sensor: 16.0MP
Optional External Viewfinder
Average Ergonomics&Handling
Read the details
Large APS-C (23.5 x 15.6 mm) sensor
Very High Resolution Sensor: 24.0MP
Image Stabilization
Electronic Built-in Viewfinder
Average Ergonomics&Handling
Read the details

Olympus E-PL8 for Street Photography

EXCELLENT

Sony A6500 for Street Photography

EXCELLENT
Large Four Thirds (17.3 x 13 mm) sensor
Image Stabilization
Live-view
Face-Detection Focusing
Tilting LCD Screen
Optional External Viewfinder
Medium sized Body
Read the details
Large APS-C (23.5 x 15.6 mm) sensor
Image Stabilization
Electronic Built-in Viewfinder
Live-view
Face-Detection Focusing
Tilting LCD Screen
Medium sized Body
Read the details

Olympus E-PL8 for Sports Photography

GOOD

Sony A6500 for Sports Photography

GOOD
Image Stabilization
Fast Continuous Shooting: 8.0fps
Fast Max shutter speed: 1/4000s
81 Focus Points
Wireless Connection
Optional External Viewfinder
Average Ergonomics&Handling
Environmental Sealings
Read the details
Image Stabilization
Electronic Built-in Viewfinder
Fast Continuous Shooting: 11.0fps
Environmental Sealings
Fast Max shutter speed: 1/4000s
425 Focus Points
Good Low Light ISO
Wireless Connection
Average Ergonomics&Handling
Read the details

Olympus E-PL8 for Daily Photography

GOOD

Sony A6500 for Daily Photography

GOOD
Large Four Thirds (17.3 x 13 mm) sensor
Medium size Body
357g
Read the details
Large APS-C (23.5 x 15.6 mm) sensor
Environmental Sealings
Medium size Body
453g
Body Thickness 53mm
Read the details

Olympus E-PL8 for Landscape Photography

POOR

Sony A6500 for Landscape Photography

AVERAGE
Large Four Thirds (17.3 x 13 mm) sensor
Live-view
Average Resolution Sensor: 16.0MP
No Environmental Sealings
Read the details
Large APS-C (23.5 x 15.6 mm) sensor
Very High Resolution Sensor: 24.0MP
Environmental Sealings
Live-view
Read the details

Olympus E-PL8 vs Sony A6500: OUR DECISION

You may have already made your decision about which camera suits better for your needs and your budget so far but in case you wonder how we rated Olympus E-PL8 and Sony A6500, below you can find their scores in five different aspects. Our Decision Algorithm dynamically scores cameras using 69 different specs, current price and DxO Mark scores (where possible) in order to make a more objective and consistent comparison.

Here is a summary of how Olympus E-PL8 and Sony A6500 scores compare:

Olympus E-PL8
Imaging
Features
Value
Portability
Overall
Ranked #34 out of 130 in Rangefinder-style mirrorless cameras
Ranked #214 out of 1244 in all Cameras
Sony A6500
Imaging
Features
Value
Portability
Overall
Ranked #6 out of 130 in Rangefinder-style mirrorless cameras
Ranked #79 out of 1244 in all Cameras

Sony A6500 is the overall winner of this comparison. It has a higher Overall Score and beats Olympus E-PL8 in all criteria except one: Portability.
If small size and light body is a big priority for you, choose Olympus E-PL8. Otherwise, Sony A6500 is the better camera overall.

Olympus E-PL8
Olympus E-PL8
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Sony A6500
Sony A6500
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Sony A6500 vs Olympus E-PL8 Specs Table
Detailed comparison of specifications
General Olympus PEN E-PL8 Sony Alpha a6500
Brand Olympus Sony
Announced 2016-09-19 2016-10-06
Body Type Rangefinder-style mirrorless Rangefinder-style mirrorless
Sensor
Type CMOS CMOS
Size Four Thirds APS-C
Dimensions 17.3 x 13 mm 23.5 x 15.6 mm
Area 224.90mm2 366.60mm2
Megapixels 16 megapixels 24 megapixels
Max Resolution 4608 x 3456 6000 x 4000
Max Native Light sensitivity 25,600 ISO 25,600 ISO
Max Boosted Light Sensitivity - 51200 ISO
Min Native Light sensitivity 200 ISO 100 ISO
Min Boosted Light Sensitivity 100 ISO -
RAW Support
Autofocus
AF Touch
AF Continuous
AF Single
AF Tracking
AF Selective
AF Center
AF Multi Area
AF Live View
AF Face Detection
AF Contrast Detection
AF Phase Detection
Number of Focus Points 81 425
Lens
Manual Focus
Lens Mount Micro Four Thirds Sony E
Number of Available Lenses 119 182
Screen
Type Tilting Tilting
Size 3.00" 3.00"
Resolution 1,037k dots 922k dots
Touch Screen
Viewfinder
Viewfinder Electronic (optional) Electronic
Viewfinder Resolution no electronic viewfinder 2,359k dots
Viewfinder Coverage n/a 100%
Viewfinder Magnification n/a 0.7x
Photography Features
Max Mechanical Shutter 1/4000s 1/4000s
Max Electronic Shutter n/a 1/32000s
Shutter Priority
Aperture Priority
Manual Exposure Mode
Custom White Balance
Built-in Image Stabilization Sensor-shift Sensor-shift
Built-in Flash
Flash Range no built-in flash 6.00 m (at ISO 100)
Max Flash Sync n/a 1/160s
External Flash
Continuous Shooting 8.0 fps 11.0 fps
Multi-Segment Metering
Average Metering
Spot Metering
Partial Metering
AF-Area Metering
Center Weighted Metering
AE Bracketing
WB Bracketing
Video Features
Max Video Resolution 1920 x 1080 3840 x 2160
Video Formats H.264, Motion JPEG MPEG-4, AVCHD, XAVC S
Microphone Port
Headphone Port
Connectivity
Wireless Connectivity Built-In Built-In
HDMI
Physical
Environmental Sealing
Weight 357g 453g
Dimensions 115 x 67 x 38mm 120 x 67 x 53mm
Battery Life 350 shots 350 shots
Other Features
Timelapse Recording With Downloadable App
GPS None None
DxO Sensor Scores
DxO Overall Score not tested 85
DxO Color Depth not tested 24.5
DxO Dynamic Range not tested 13.7
DxO Low Light ISO not tested 1405
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