Olympus E-420 vs Samsung NX300M

Lets take a closer look at the Olympus E-420 vs Samsung NX300M, former is a Entry-Level DSLR while the latter is a Entry-Level Mirrorless by manufacturers Olympus and Samsung. There exists a considerable gap between the sensor resolutions of the E-420 (10MP) and NX300M (20MP) and the E-420 (Four Thirds) and NX300M (APS-C) posses different sensor size.

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The E-420 was launched 5 years before the NX300M which is quite a large difference as far as technology is concerned. Each of the cameras have different body design with the Olympus E-420 being a Compact SLR camera and the Samsung NX300M being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera.

Before we go straight to a step-by-step comparison, here is a brief highlight of how the E-420 scores against the NX300M when it comes to portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

This is a preview of the gallery photos for Olympus E-420 & Samsung NX300M. The complete galleries are available at Olympus E-420 Gallery & Samsung NX300M Gallery.

In case you're looking to travel with your camera, you have to take into account its weight and size. The Olympus E-420 provides outside measurements of 130mm x 91mm x 53mm (5.1" x 3.6" x 2.1") accompanied by a weight of 426 grams (0.94 lbs) while the Samsung NX300M has specifications of 122mm x 64mm x 41mm (4.8" x 2.5" x 1.6") having a weight of 331 grams (0.73 lbs).

Contrast the Olympus E-420 vs Samsung NX300M in our newest Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Always remember, the weight of an ILC will differ based on the lens you have attached at the time. Below is a front view sizing comparison of the E-420 compared to the NX300M.

Looking at dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the E-420 and NX300M is 77 and 86 respectively.

Quite often, it is very hard to picture the difference between sensor dimensions just by going over a spec sheet. The pic here may give you a stronger sense of the sensor measurements in the E-420 and NX300M.

As you can see, the 2 cameras have different resolutions and different sensor dimensions. The E-420 because of its tinier sensor is going to make shooting shallow DOF more challenging and the Samsung NX300M will offer extra detail utilizing its extra 10MP. Higher resolution will make it easier to crop shots a bit more aggressively. The more aged E-420 is going to be behind with regard to sensor innovation.