Olympus E-M1 vs Samsung NX11

Olympus OM-D E-M1 vs Samsung NX11: An In-Depth Comparison for Photographers

Choosing the right mirrorless camera often means balancing technical performance with practical usability. Both the Olympus OM-D E-M1 and Samsung NX11 bring compelling features to the table, yet they cater to somewhat different audiences and photographic needs. After extensive hands-on testing and comparison, this article unpacks how each performs across a variety of photographic disciplines, technology fronts, and real-world scenarios - enabling you to find your ideal creative partner.

Getting to Know the Cameras: Design and Ergonomics

Before diving into image quality or autofocus, it’s essential to understand how these cameras feel and function in your hands during actual shoots.

• Olympus E-M1: Built as a pro-style mirrorless camera, the E-M1 follows a classic SLR form factor but in a compact Micro Four Thirds body. It measures 130 × 94 × 63 mm and weighs 497 grams. The grip is deep, button placement is thoughtfully executed, and it features weather sealing - ideal for outdoor and professional use. A tilting touchscreen (3 inches, 1037k dots) adds flexibility for shooting at unconventional angles.

• Samsung NX11: Positioned as an entry-level mirrorless model, the NX11 is slightly smaller (123 × 87 × 40 mm) yet almost equal in weight at 499 grams. Its design is simpler, emphasizing portability over ruggedness. The fixed 3-inch screen has a lower resolution (614k dots), lacks touchscreen capability, and omits weather sealing. A built-in flash adds convenience for casual use.

Ergonomically, the Olympus E-M1 provides a more confident grip and control layout, particularly for longer shoots or when using heavier lenses. The Samsung NX11, lighter and more compact, suits travelers and beginners looking for an uncomplicated setup.

The Olympus’s top panel reflects its advanced exposure controls and customization options, while the NX11 maintains a more minimalist interface. For photographers seeking fast access to key functions like shutter speed, ISO, and drive modes, the E-M1 excels. Meanwhile, the NX11’s simplicity can be appealing to newcomers, albeit at the cost of less tactile control.

Sensor and Image Quality: Size Matters - but Not the Whole Story

At the heart of each camera lies the image sensor, which heavily defines image quality, especially in different lighting conditions. Let's examine the key differences.

What does this tell us?

The Samsung NX11 has a physically larger APS-C sensor, which traditionally benefits noise performance and dynamic range. Yet, DxOMark testing shows the Olympus E-M1 achieves a superior overall score - largely due to its more advanced sensor and image processing pipeline (TruePIC VII processor). It delivers richer color depth and a significantly higher dynamic range, meaning better detail retention in shadows and highlights.

Low-light performance in the Olympus is also stronger, enabling cleaner images at higher ISO settings (up to 25,600 native ISO vs. 3,200 for Samsung). This is invaluable for indoor, night, and event photography.

For resolution, both cameras produce similar output with about 15–16 megapixels, adequate for large prints and cropping flexibility.

In practice, you’ll notice the Olympus's sensor combined with its processing produces images with better tonal gradation, contrast, and less high-ISO grain compared to the NX11, despite the APS-C size advantage.

LCD and Viewfinder: Interaction with Your Shot

How you interact with your camera’s display matters greatly during shoots. Here is how they compare:

• Olympus E-M1: Sports a high-resolution 3-inch tilting touchscreen with 1.037 million dots. The touchscreen brings intuitive focus point selection, menu navigation, and image review. A reliance on electronic viewfinder (EVF) with 2.36 million dots and 0.74x magnification ensures bright, detailed framing that can double as a protective factor in sunlight.

• Samsung NX11: Comes with a fixed 3-inch OLED screen with 614k dots, delivering good contrast but no touch capability. Its EVF features lower magnification (0.57x) and unspecified resolution, producing a less immersive preview.

For compositions that require flexible angles - macro, landscapes, and street photography - the Olympus E-M1’s tilting screen is a welcome advantage. Its large, detailed EVF also assists in manual focusing and fast tracking, whereas the NX11’s smaller viewfinder can feel limiting in bright or dynamic shooting conditions.

Autofocus System: Speed and Accuracy in Your Shots

Focus performance is crucial for sharp, dynamic images. Here’s how each camera fares technically and in real-world tests:

The Olympus E-M1 features an advanced hybrid AF system with 81 focus points that blend phase-detection with contrast detection, enabling quick and more accurate focusing - even on moving subjects. Face detection and tracking work effectively, contributing to solid performance in portraits, sports, and wildlife.

By contrast, the Samsung NX11’s autofocus relies purely on contrast detection, with fewer AF points and no continuous tracking. This makes it less suitable for fast action or erratic subjects but still adequate for standard portrait and street photography.

During field testing, the Olympus consistently locked focus faster and maintained better sharpness in burst mode, especially under challenging light or fast-moving scenarios.

Burst Shooting and Shutter Performance: Capturing the Decisive Moment

For sports, wildlife, and spontaneous street photography, frame rate and shutter specs matter.

The Olympus’ 10 frames per second shooting capability is excellent, locking in rapid sequences without compromising image quality, well suited for action and wildlife. You’ll find the wide shutter speed range useful to freeze fast motion or achieve creative motion blur.

Samsung’s 3 fps burst is significantly slower, limiting your ability to capture fast sequences. Its shorter max shutter speed of 1/4000 sec restrains certain bright-light or wide-aperture shooting conditions.

Build Quality and Weather Sealing: Durability for the Long Haul

Photographers who travel, shoot outdoors, or work professionally need cameras that can handle various elements:

• Olympus E-M1: Offers weather sealing, with splash, dust, and freezeproof construction. Its magnesium alloy body feels robust and ready for challenging environments.
• Samsung NX11: Lacks weather sealing, making it more vulnerable in wet or dusty conditions. Its plastic body has less durability.

If you shoot outdoors frequently or require a more reliable workhorse, the Olympus’s build solidly supports your needs.

Lens Ecosystem and Compatibility: Your Creative Toolbox

Lens choice greatly expands a camera’s creative potential.

The Micro Four Thirds system ecosystem is among the richest in mirrorless cameras. Olympus’s 107 native lenses cover everything from ultra-wide to super-telephoto and specialized macro optics. You can also leverage Panasonic and third-party lenses with proven compatibility.

The Samsung NX system has a smaller lens selection and limited third-party alternatives, so you might find fewer options especially in fast primes or specialty lenses.

For serious photographers who want choice and future-proofing, Olympus clearly leads here.

Battery Life and Storage: Keeping You Shooting Longer

• Olympus E-M1: Uses BLN-1 battery rated for approximately 350 shots per charge.
• Samsung NX11: Uses BP1130 battery with about 400 shots per charge.

Battery performance is similar, though the Samsung offers slightly longer life - but real-world use with LCD screens and EVF active tends to narrow this gap. Both cameras have one SD card slot, supporting SD, SDHC, and SDXC cards.

Connectivity and Additional Features

The Olympus’s built-in Wi-Fi facilitates easy image transfer, remote control via app, and firmware updates. Its 5-axis in-body stabilization (IBIS) hugely benefits handheld stills and video, improving clarity and reducing shake.

Samsung NX11 lacks image stabilization and any wireless features, making it more limited in modern connectivity and stabilization support.

For video shooters, Olympus also includes a dedicated microphone port for better audio control, missing in the NX11.

In Action: How These Cameras Perform Across Photography Genres

Understanding technical specs only goes so far. Let’s investigate how the cameras perform in real-world genres.

Portrait Photography

• Olympus E-M1: The hybrid AF system with eye detection, fast shutter speeds, and 5-axis stabilization aids in capturing consistently sharp portraits with natural skin tones. The Micro Four Thirds lens selection includes excellent fast primes that deliver pleasing bokeh despite the smaller sensor.

• Samsung NX11: Produces good results under controlled lighting using available primes. The larger APS-C sensor naturally provides shallower depth of field, producing creamy backgrounds. However, slower autofocus and lack of stabilization may hinder quick, sharp captures.

Landscape Photography

• The Olympus’s wide dynamic range (12.7 EV) captures incredible detail in skies and shadows. Weather sealing lets you shoot in varied conditions comfortably. The tilting touchscreen helps with composing shots from low or high angles.

• While the NX11’s APS-C sensor is physically larger, its dynamic range (10.8 EV) falls behind Olympus, resulting in less latitude for post-processing. The smaller body may be favored by hikers who prioritize weight, but lack of weather sealing is a drawback.

Wildlife and Sports Photography

• Olympus’s fast 10 fps burst, reliable AF tracking, and rugged build make it the preferred choice for capturing movement-intensive subjects.

• Samsung’s slower burst rate and contrast-detection AF limit its suitability for fast action photography.

Street Photography

• The NX11’s smaller, simpler body offers portability and discreetness for candid street work. Its built-in flash adds utility in tight spaces.

• Olympus, though larger, benefits from IBIS for handheld low-light shots and a powerful AF system for quick focus acquisition.

Macro Photography

• Olympus has superior focus bracketing and stacking capabilities (though postfocus mode is absent), plus a large selection of macro lenses. The 5-axis stabilization assists in hand-held macro work.

• NX11 lacks focus stacking/bracketing and image stabilization, making macro shooting trickier without tripod support.

Night and Astro Photography

• Olympus handles high ISO better, enabling clearer low-light images with less noise. The exposure bracketing and timelapse options enhance astrophotography workflows.

• Samsung’s limited ISO range and dynamic range pose challenges in dim settings.

Video Capabilities

• Olympus records full HD 1080p at 30 fps with stabilized footage and microphone input, making it a strong choice for casual videographers.

• Samsung caps video at 720p HD without stabilization or mic input, limiting video quality and creative control.

Looking at Sample Images

Olympus E M1 front Olympus E M1 screen back Samsung NX11 screen back

Examining comparative photos, the Olympus E-M1 produces images with better sharpness, dynamic range, and color rendition. The Samsung NX11 images show respectable tonal quality but struggle more with noise and shadow detail in challenging light.

Summarizing Overall Performance and Value

Detailed Genre-Specific Scores

• The Olympus excels especially in landscape, sports, wildlife, and macro photography areas.
• The Samsung suits street and casual travel where lightweight simplicity is prioritized.
• Video and night photography advantages clearly go to Olympus.

Who Should Choose Which?

Final Thoughts: Testing Methodology and Recommendation

In our testing, both cameras performed well within their intended market segments. We employed standardized photo and video tests, including ISO range variation, burst shooting in action scenes, landscape dynamic range assessment, and portrait bokeh evaluation. Real-world shooting under varied lighting and motion further validated usability and performance claims.

The Olympus OM-D E-M1 stands out as an exceptionally well-rounded mid-tier pro mirrorless system, delivering superior image quality, autofocus, and build, supported by a vast lens ecosystem. It is an excellent investment for serious enthusiasts and professionals building a long-term system.

The Samsung NX11 holds appeal for entry-level photographers starting their journey with mirrorless cameras. It offers a large APS-C sensor and straightforward controls in a portable package but falls short in speed, video, and modern features.

Getting Started and Accessorizing Your Choice

If you’re leaning toward the Olympus E-M1:

• Explore the extensive Micro Four Thirds lenses from Olympus, Panasonic, and Sigma.
• Take advantage of the IBIS with prime lenses for handheld low-light shooting.
• Use the Wi-Fi app to transfer images and remotely control the camera.

If Samsung NX11 suits you:

• Check for available Samsung NX lenses, focusing on primes for portraits and kit zooms for daily shooting.
• Consider external flash and tripod to complement its stabilization limitations.
• Since wireless is missing, plan on manual USB data transfers.

In Conclusion

Whether you prioritize cutting-edge autofocus, extensive lens options, and professional features versus simplicity, sensor size, and beginner-friendly operation, this comparison highlights clear paths:

• The Olympus OM-D E-M1 empowers photographers eager to harness advanced technology in a rugged but manageable package.
• The Samsung NX11 offers a capable, straightforward entry point into mirrorless photography supported by a larger sensor but without modern enhancements.

Whatever your choice, both cameras demonstrate the early promise of mirrorless systems to combine portability with great image quality. Dive in, try them out if possible, and find the camera that best fits your creative journey.

Happy shooting! For more expert reviews and deep dives into photography gear, keep exploring and stay inspired.