Both Olympus PEN-F and Panasonic GX8 have Four Thirds sized 20.0 MP resolution sensors so sensor size and resolution is not a differentiator between these two cameras.
Below you can see the PEN-F and GX8 sensor size comparison.
Sensor Size and Resolution Comparison image of Olympus PEN-F and Panasonic GX8 Cameras
Olympus PEN-F and Panasonic GX8 have the same sensor sizes so they will provide same level of control over the depth of field when used with same focal length and aperture.
DxOMark Sensor Scores
DxOMark is a benchmark that scientifically assesses image quality of camera sensors. It scores camera sensors for color depth (DXO Portrait), dynamic range (DXO Landscape) and low-light sensitivity (DXO Sports), and also gives them an overall score. Olympus PEN-F and Panasonic GX8 sensors have been tested by DxO and the results show that GX8 has a better overall score of 75, 1 points higher compared to PEN-F's score of 74.
Model
Overall
Color Depth
Dynamic Range
Low-light ISO
Olympus PEN-F
74
23.1 bits
12.4 Evs
894 ISO
Panasonic GX8
75
23.5 bits
12.6 Evs
806 ISO
Sensor size sets the circle of confusion, so it drives how much depth of field each
of these bodies gives you at a given aperture. You can calculate it exactly for the
Olympus PEN-F
or the
Panasonic GX8 ,
including hyperfocal distance.
