LCD and Viewfinder
Olympus E-PL8 has a Tilting 3" LCD screen with a resolution of 1,037k dots. Both the screen size and the screen resolution is up to the standards of this class.
LCD is
Touch screen type, so you can change the settings and set the focus point with your fingertips.
E-PL8 doesn't have a built-in viewfinder but an optional external viewfinder is available. Lack of a viewfinder can be problematic especially under strong light where visibility of LCD screens goes down dramatically. If you need a Mirrorless camera with a built-in viewfinder in a similar price range, consider Olympus OM-D E-M10 II (Compare) or Panasonic Lumix DMC-GX85 (Lumix DMC-GX80 / Lumix DMC-GX7 Mark II) (Compare). If the price is not an issue, take a look at our Top Rated Cameras with Viewfinders.
Max Shutter speed
Olympus E-PL8 can shoot continuously at max speed of
8.0 fps and has max shutter speed of
1/4000 sec.
Flash
Unfortunately E-PL8 doesn't have a built-in flash but it has a flash shoe for mounting external flashes.
Focusing
Olympus E-PL8 features a Contrast Detection autofocusing system. The AF system has 81 points to choose from. Olympus E-PL8 also features
Face detection AF where it intelligently detects the faces in the frame and locks the focus automatically.
Video Features
With Olympus E-PL8, you can record your videos at a highest resolution of 1920 x 1080 at 30p fps and save in H.264 and Motion JPEG formats. Full HD resolution of Olympus E-PL8 will be adequate in most of the situations. But if you are after the highest resolution videos available, see our list of
Top Cameras with 4K (Ultra-HD) Video.
It has a Mono speaker but no built-in microphone.
Olympus E-PL8 doesn't have any connections for external microphones and headphones. If you need a Mirrorless camera with external microphone connectivity, consider Sony Alpha a6300 or Canon EOS M50 in a similar price range.
Connectivity and Storage
Olympus E-PL8 features
built-in wireless (Wi-Fi) connectivity ( 802.11b/g/n) which lets you transfer your photos directly to compatible devices without any physical connection.One other feature that we like is the ability to use our smartphone as a remote to control our E-PL8. You can change camera settings, release shutter, view LCD screen and tranfer files using remote control app.
You can connect E-PL8 to compatible devices via its HDMI port or USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) port.
Battery
Olympus E-PL8 is powered by a proprietary battery which provides a shooting life of 350 according to CIPA standards.
Considering that the average battery life of Mirrorless type cameras is 362 shots, its battery life is about average in its class but it would still be wise to invest in some spare batteries for long photo trips.
Battery Life Comparison in Entry-Level Mirrorless Cameras
Samsung NX mini with its 650shots is the model with longest battery life among Entry-Level Mirrorless cameras. Check the comparison of Olympus E-PL8 vs Samsung NX mini or take a look at Longest Battery Life Mirrorless cameras list.
Olympus E-PL8 Features Compared to Main Competitors