Olympus E-30 vs Samsung NX5

Lets examine more in depth at the Olympus E-30 and Samsung NX5, former being a Advanced DSLR while the latter is a Entry-Level Mirrorless by manufacturers Olympus and Samsung. The resolution of the E-30 (12MP) and the NX5 (15MP) is relatively comparable but the E-30 (Four Thirds) and NX5 (APS-C) use different sensor sizing.

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The E-30 was announced 14 months before the NX5 which makes the cameras a generation apart from each other. Both the cameras come with different body type with the Olympus E-30 being a Mid-size SLR camera and the Samsung NX5 being a SLR-style mirrorless camera.

Before getting through a step-by-step comparison, below is a brief highlight of how the E-30 matches up versus the NX5 with respect to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

This is a preview of the gallery photos for Olympus E-30 & Samsung NX5. The whole galleries are viewable at Olympus E-30 Gallery & Samsung NX5 Gallery.

In case you're looking to carry your camera regularly, you'll need to consider its weight and size. The Olympus E-30 features physical dimensions of 142mm x 108mm x 75mm (5.6" x 4.3" x 3.0") having a weight of 695 grams (1.53 lbs) while the Samsung NX5 has specifications of 123mm x 87mm x 40mm (4.8" x 3.4" x 1.6") accompanied by a weight of 499 grams (1.10 lbs).

Analyze the Olympus E-30 and Samsung NX5 in our brand new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Take into account, the weight of an ILC will differ dependant on the lens you have at that time. Underneath is the front view physical size comparison of the E-30 versus the NX5.

Looking at size and weight, the portability score of the E-30 and NX5 is 60 and 80 respectively.

In many cases, it is tough to picture the gap in sensor sizing only by seeing specs. The photograph below may give you a far better sense of the sensor dimensions in the E-30 and NX5.

As you can plainly see, each of the cameras posses different resolutions and different sensor sizing. The E-30 using its smaller sensor is going to make getting shallow depth of field more challenging and the Samsung NX5 will provide more detail with its extra 3 Megapixels. Higher resolution will also let you crop photographs somewhat more aggressively. The older E-30 will be behind with regard to sensor tech.