Olympus PEN-F vs Panasonic Lumix DMC-GX8 — Which Is Better?

The Olympus PEN-F and the Panasonic Lumix DMC-GX8 are Micro Four Thirds mirrorless cameras, so the same native lens library fits either body. This is a choice about handling and features, not about committing to a lens system. The PEN-F arrived in 2016, the GX8 in 2015.

The PEN-F is the easier camera to slip into a small bag, measuring 125 x 72 x 37 mm and weighing 427 g. The GX8 is 60 g heavier at 487 g and substantially deeper at 133 x 78 x 63 mm. That depth is the practical difference for street or travel carrying.

The PEN-F offers wider autofocus coverage for off-centre framing, with 81 AF points against 49 on the GX8. For portraits and candid street work composed away from the centre, that spread gives the focusing system more options.

Cropping room and print scale are shared, because both cameras record 20.3 megapixels on a Micro Four Thirds CMOS sensor. Burst speed and handheld steadiness match too, with 10 fps shooting and in-body stabilisation on both.

The GX8 is the pick if you film for large screens or want room to crop and reframe in editing, because it records 4K while the PEN-F stops at Full HD. Detail-rich travel films and uploads gain most from the GX8.

A difference in motion rendering favours the PEN-F for fast-moving subjects: its frame-rate ceiling is 60 fps, against 25 fps on the GX8. That smoother motion suits filming children, sport or handheld walking shots. Both cameras also offer a built-in timelapse function.

The GX8's weather sealing is the standout practical advantage here, letting you keep shooting through drizzle and dust where the PEN-F body has no such protection. Landscape and hiking photographers who work in changeable conditions get real reassurance from that.

Both share a 3-inch touchscreen that flips out of the body, plus Wi-Fi for transferring images. Neither has GPS or a built-in flash, so an external flash unit is the route on either body. The rear panels differ in type, an OLED on the GX8 and an LCD on the PEN-F, at closely matched dot counts.

Both cameras take SD, SDHC and SDXC cards in a single slot, so one set of cards and one workflow serve either body.

A difference worth noting comes in batteries, since the PEN-F uses the BLN-1 and the GX8 the DMW-BLC12, so spares do not cross between brands. Both are rated at 330 shots. Neither charges over USB, so a spare battery or an external charger is the plan for long days.