Designed to stand out, pens have an innate beauty of their own: right from the days when the E-PX was introduced in 2009, to the most recent E-PL7 and E-PL8 models and are becoming fashionable accessories in their own right thanks to vivid and elegant design. The rare machines are high-end in styling, contrasting the likes of E-PL8 with others in the same price range.
E-PL8 is a handsome little 117 x 68 x 38mm piece. The body weighs just 374g (with battery and memory card) and has a “kit” lens of less than 0.5 kg make it ideal for long periods of neck/shoulder use, as well as tossing it into a backpack or bag.
Despite its low weight, it is still highly durable. The body is well-finished using high-quality materials. While the anodized aluminum body gives satisfactory grip, the leather front imparts an element of luxury. The available three skin colors – black, white, and brown – are all exceptionally good-looking and feminine.
A great attribute of the E-PL8 is that the 3-inch monitor mounted at the back supports tilting at a maximum angle of 180 degrees down and 80 degrees up. This makes it easier for the users to pose a selfie at arm’s length or for shooting from some low angles. The navigation and video recording keys, located on the right side of the screen, are quite small and will be challenging for abnormal fingers to use.
The two dials located at the top of the camera are used for selecting the shooting programs and adjusting the priority parameters. On the inside of the priority adjustment dial is the shutter button and next to it is the on/off button. A hot shoe for adding flash or accessories such as a viewfinder. The ports for connection are on one side, where the battery and memory card are inserted at the bottom of the camera.
Olympus PEN E-PL8 White Body with 14-42mm IIR Silver Lens: Buy it now
Olympus PEN E-PL8 Black Body with 14-42mm IIR Black Lens: Buy it now
Olympus PEN E-PL8 Brown Body with 14-42mm IIR Silver Lens: Buy it now
Olympus PEN E-PL8 Mirrorless Camera w/ 14-42mm IIR Lens White w/ 32GB Focus Kit: Buy it now
Olympus PEN E-PL8 Mirrorless Camera w/ 14-42mm IIR Lens Black & 32GB Bundle: Buy it now
Easy to use, lots of functionalities
The Configuration of E-PL8 without an upgrade is that it still uses the same 16MP micro-four-thirds resolution sensor format, and the TruePic VII image processor as the previous generations. With respect to the 3-axis vibration-proof system, it has a range of 200-25,600 ranges where the exposure can be made from the shortest time of 1/4000s. The focus system of the machine consists of 81 points which identifies the contrast.
Experiences show that pictures from the E-PL8 are quite good. In the default setting, the images are bright and crisp, with soft contrast and bright colors. It offers a range of shooting scenes available for selection, such as portrait, landscape, night, close up, and sunrise/sunset, party, etc., totaling above 20 scenes. Art includes up to 14 filters, with famous names such as Pop Art, Soft Focus, Cross Process …
The challenge presented by the E-PL8 is that there is very little rotation possible for the adjustment. Compensating by having a 3 inch LCD screen helps very quickly select the focus point through touch. This screen has a resolution of 1.04 million colors and a relative good ability to outdoor viewing. The speed of the machine is quite good at focusing and lagging ends when the machine is switched on or off about 1 second. The anti-shake system within the camera body does a good job and is worthy of Olympus pride.
Its Live / Bulb composite features also spread to this particular E-PL8. Customizable layout mode is another function that enables audiences to get a more personal view of their art masterpiece through discovering types of stories. Another exciting feature is the Clip 2s, which, like a seamless ribbon, uses fade transition effects and modern background music to combine several short clips into a single, more complete movie. Unfortunately, E-PL8 records videos only in full-HD/30 fps.
For the built-in sharing images through Bluetooth, it includes remote control and geotagging using a smartphone.
Battery life of E-PL8 is approximately 350 images or 90 minutes of video on a single charge, a pretty good level given its compact form. Charging must happen via the dedicated battery charger included with the unit; it cannot be via the USB port.
Sensor and Image Quality
Olympus Pen E-PL8 uses 16.1-megapixel Micro Four Thirds Live MOS Sensor, which certainly doesn’t have enough resolution to rival APS-C and full-frame sensors. Better though, the Micro Four Thirds offers a more compact camera body and array of lenses. The TruePic VII image processor coupled with this sensor proves an imaging powerhouse.
The 16.1-megapixel resolution ensures very wide and crisp image detail, making the camera suitable for portraits, landscapes, etc. The color reproduction is excellent, with vivid and accurate colors typical of Olympus’s cherished color science. The E-PL8 also offers a good selection of picture modes and art filters, allowing users to play with various looks and creative effects.
Under well-lit conditions, the E-PL8 produces surprisingly low noise, with a panoply of dynamic range. ISO goes from 200 to 25600, which covers you from bright daylight to a dim bar without swapping bodies. Crank it up and you’ll get the grain you’d expect at that range from pretty much any camera, but the shots still hold up — run a little non-destructive noise reduction and you’re fine.
In-body stabilization is the other one worth mentioning. Slow shutter, low light, shaky hands after too much coffee — IBIS smooths that out and hands you a sharper frame than you’d get on your own, which matters most when you’re shooting handheld.
Autofocus and Performance
Autofocus implementation of Olympus Pen E-PL8 comprises 81 focus points all in contrast detection. Although it is fast and effective in most situations, it is slow when used in extreme conditions. Good lighting will work with normal settings; say within focuses and so everyday triggering.
The autofocus system gets a bit lost in low-light conditions, especially when subjects are in motion; however, for a still subject, or one that gets good lighting, the focus works reliable. Face and eye detection autofocus of the E-PL8, is especially useful when it comes to shooting portraits to lay in sharp focus on the eyes of the subject.
The speed at which the E-PL8 can sustain continuous shooting puts a little under 8.5 frames per second, which is almost good enough for this class of camera. Thereby, photographing moving subjects like kids or pets becomes easy. Considering that the buffer capacity could handle a few clicks here and there, it makes the E-PL8 great for action and sports photography.
User Interface and Controls
The Olympus Pen E-PL8 features a highly intuitive interface with a clever mix of physical control and touchscreen operation. The top plate contains a mode dial, a command dial, and a hot shoe for mounting external accessories, such as a flash or microphone. The mode dial gives you immediate access to a variety of shooting modes-from full manual to aperture priority to shutter priority and program.
The rear dial and function buttons take custom assignments, so you’re not digging through menus mid-shot for whatever setting you use constantly. The menu system is easy enough on its own, but the touchscreen is what actually makes it pleasant — tap where you want focus, swipe through menus, flick through your shots afterward. Touch-to-shoot in particular speeds things up more than you’d think.
Video
No 4K — video caps at 1080p/30fps. That said, the footage itself looks solid: good color, smooth motion, nothing to complain about for a camera at this level. Manual exposure controls carry over to video too, so aperture, shutter, and ISO are yours to set rather than the camera’s.
The tilting LCD earns its keep for vlogging — flip it forward and you can actually see yourself while shooting. There’s a built-in mic if you’re not picky, and a hot shoe for an external one if you are. Just know there’s no dedicated mic input, so you’ll need an adapter to make that work.
In addition, The E-PL8 has several other video functions including time-lapse recording and the ability to add art filters to your video; these will enhance your creative possibilities and make it an even better tool for shooting pictures and videos.
Connectivity and Battery Life
The Olympus Pen E-PL8 has built-in Wi-Fi, allowing you to pair the camera with a smartphone or tablet. The Olympus Image Share (OI.Share) app gives the option to remotely control the camera and to transfer image files and to geotag photos using GPS services from the mobile device. So, sharing your photos on social media or backing them up is a piece of cake.
The camera is powered by a rechargeable BLS-50 battery, which should guarantee a fair amount of battery life for a compact mirrorless camera. Olympus rates this battery life at about 350 shots per charge; thus, one can expect a nice day of casual shooting after such a charge. If you plan on prolonged shooting, along with video recording, I advise bringing a spare battery.
Camcorders and Miscellaneous attachments
It’s Micro Four Thirds, so lenses aren’t an issue plenty to choose from, old and new. Usually ships with the M.Zuiko 14-42mm f/3.5-5.6 EZ, a fine walk-around zoom, nothing fancy. It stabilizes on its own too, and combined with the body’s IBIS you can feel the difference once you’re somewhere dim.
Regardless of what your creative needs are, direct purchasing offers a wide variety of prime and zoom lenses, ranging from macro to telephoto lenses. The feature that makes it so great is the lightweight portable body of the E-PL8 that would act as a great companion to the M.Zuiko Digital 25mm f/1.8 or even the M.Zuiko Digital 45mm f/1.8.
Olympus also has all kinds of accessories such as compact flashes, digital hand grips, or even remote shutters. The hot shoe in addition has options of taking an external flash for better illumination while the built-in popup flash avails a flip side for use under image fill light in emergencies.
Pros and Cons
Pro
Small, looks good. Retro body, light enough that you actually bring it places instead of leaving it home.
Screen flips all the way forward. Useful if you vlog or just want to check a selfie framing, and the touch controls take the annoyance out of digging through menus.
IBIS pulls its weight. Handheld, low light, slower shutter, this is where the 3-axis stabilization saves a shot that would otherwise come out blurry.
Images look good straight out of camera. 16.1MP Four Thirds sensor, TruePic VII processor, decent color and dynamic range without needing much editing.
You can hand this to a beginner. Physical dials for people who want them, touchscreen for people who don’t, and either way it’s not intimidating.
Wi-Fi’s there when you want it. Olympus Image Share gets photos to your phone, or you can drive the camera remotely from it.
Art Filters and Picture Modes: The E-PL8 boasts all the features that address the needs of creativeness such as art filters and picture modes, which give users a chance to play with very different outcomes and effects straight from the camera.
Compatibility with Micro Four Thirds Lenses: The camera is highly compatible with many superb-quality Micro Four Thirds lenses, which allows versatility for different photography types.
Cons
Low-Light Autofocus Performance: The camera starts lagging in low-light conditions when it encounters moving objects.
Lack of 4K Video: The absence of 4K will undoubtedly be an issue for those looking to make high-res videos.
No EVF: The lack of an eye-level electronic viewfinder is probably a deal-breaker for some who want to compose through a viewfinder.
Limited Video Manual Control: Manual control over exposure is maintained for video recording, although advanced video options are not included in the system compared to E-PL8’s high-end competitors.
No Mic Input: The absence of a mic input limits audio recording options for video lovers.
Conclusion
The E-PL8 gets the basics right and looks good doing it. Small, retro, tilting touchscreen, stabilization built in — it’s an easy camera to like if you’re a beginner or just want something simple to carry around. The film simulation modes and the huge pile of Micro Four Thirds lenses mean you’re not stuck with it either; there’s room to grow.
It’s not without problems. Autofocus falls apart in really dim light, and you won’t get 4K. For what it costs, though, that’s easy to live with. Want something light and easy that still takes a genuinely good photo? This is it. Need faster AF, 4K, or an actual viewfinder? Look at the E-PL9, the Lumix GX85, or a Sony A6000 instead.
Really it comes down to size. This is the kind of camera that ends up in your bag by default, because it’s small enough that leaving it home never feels worth it.
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Tech Reviewer & Product Analyst
Định Bia has spent over 10 years testing consumer electronics with a focus on smart technology. He work as a product advisor at Biareview where he helped customers find the right devices for their needs. He personally tests every product featured on this site using a consistent evaluation framework covering quality, durability, and value. All reviews are based on experience, not influenced by the manufacturer.