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Olympus E-M1 vs Samsung NX20

Portability
71
Imaging
53
Features
85
Overall
65
Olympus OM-D E-M1 front
 
Samsung NX20 front
Portability
83
Imaging
62
Features
73
Overall
66

Olympus E-M1 vs Samsung NX20 Key Specs

Olympus E-M1
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Screen
  • ISO 100 - 25600
  • Sensor based 5-axis Image Stabilization
  • 1/8000s Max Shutter
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 497g - 130 x 94 x 63mm
  • Announced October 2013
  • Updated by Olympus E-M1 II
Samsung NX20
(Full Review)
  • 20MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3" Fully Articulated Screen
  • ISO 100 - 12800
  • 1/8000s Maximum Shutter
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Samsung NX Mount
  • 341g - 122 x 90 x 40mm
  • Announced April 2012
  • Replaced the Samsung NX11
  • Refreshed by Samsung NX30
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Olympus E-M1 vs Samsung NX20 Overview

Lets take a more detailed look at the Olympus E-M1 and Samsung NX20, former being a Pro Mirrorless while the latter is a Advanced Mirrorless by rivals Olympus and Samsung. The sensor resolution of the E-M1 (16MP) and the NX20 (20MP) is relatively similar but the E-M1 (Four Thirds) and NX20 (APS-C) use totally different sensor sizing.

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The E-M1 was manufactured 19 months later than the NX20 which makes the cameras a generation apart from one another. The two cameras come with the identical body type (SLR-style mirrorless).

Before getting in to a thorough comparison, below is a short introduction of how the E-M1 scores versus the NX20 in the way of portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-M1 over the Samsung NX20

 E-M1 NX20 
AnnouncedOctober 2013April 2012Fresher by 19 months
Screen resolution1037k614kClearer screen (+423k dot)
Touch friendly screen Quickly navigate

Reasons to pick Samsung NX20 over the Olympus E-M1

 NX20 E-M1 
Screen typeFully ArticulatedTiltingFully Articulating screen
Selfie screen Easy selfies

Common features in the Olympus E-M1 and Samsung NX20

 E-M1 NX20 
Manually focus More accurate focusing
Screen dimension3"3"Identical screen measurement

Olympus E-M1 vs Samsung NX20 Physical Comparison

In case you're aiming to carry your camera, you are going to need to consider its weight and proportions. The Olympus E-M1 offers external measurements of 130mm x 94mm x 63mm (5.1" x 3.7" x 2.5") having a weight of 497 grams (1.10 lbs) while the Samsung NX20 has measurements of 122mm x 90mm x 40mm (4.8" x 3.5" x 1.6") and a weight of 341 grams (0.75 lbs).

Check the Olympus E-M1 and Samsung NX20 in our brand new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Always remember, the weight of an ILC will differ based on the lens you are utilizing at that moment. Below is the front view overall size comparison of the E-M1 vs the NX20.

Olympus E-M1 vs Samsung NX20 size comparison

Considering dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the E-M1 and NX20 is 71 and 83 respectively.

Olympus E-M1 vs Samsung NX20 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-M1 vs Samsung NX20 Sensor Comparison

Normally, it is very tough to visualise the contrast between sensor sizing purely by going over a spec sheet. The graphic here will provide you a greater sense of the sensor measurements in the E-M1 and NX20.

As you can see, both of the cameras have got different megapixels and different sensor sizing. The E-M1 due to its tinier sensor will make achieving shallow depth of field harder and the Samsung NX20 will offer extra detail due to its extra 4 Megapixels. Higher resolution will let you crop photographs much more aggressively. The more recent E-M1 is going to have an advantage with regard to sensor tech.

Olympus E-M1 vs Samsung NX20 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-M1 vs Samsung NX20 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-M1 vs Samsung NX20 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-M1 as a Portrait photography camera
Samsung NX20 as a Portrait photography camera
71
you can focus manually
above average flash sync (1/320s)
MP count good (16 megapixels)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
comes with face detect focusing
supports RAW formats
77
has manual focus
decent MP (20 megapixels)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
offers face detection focus
saves RAW files
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-M1 Street photography highlights
Samsung NX20 Street photography highlights
78
tilting screen
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
supports RAW formats
supports focus by touch
weather sealing
lighter than competition (497 grams)
good high ISO (25,600)
77
screen articulates fully
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
saves RAW files
lighter than others (341g)
no image stabilization
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-M1 Sports photography highlights
Samsung NX20 Sports photography highlights
70
high shutter speed (1/8,000 seconds)
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
MP count good (16MP)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
comes with tracking focus
weather sealing
supports phase detect AF
low battery pack (350 CIPA)
61
maximum shutter speed is high (1/8,000s)
decent MP (20 megapixels)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
no image stabilization
no phase detect auto focus
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Travel Comparison

Travel photography with Olympus E-M1
Travel photography with Samsung NX20
65
lighter than competition (497 grams)
weather sealing
supports focus by touch
MP count good (16 megapixels)
low battery pack (350 shots)
does not contain selfie friendly display
77
lighter than others (341 grams)
decent MP (20MP)
has built in flash
display is selfie friendly
no Timelapse mode
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-M1 as a Landscape photography camera
Samsung NX20 as a Landscape photography camera
73
you can focus manually
interchangeable lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
pretty good screen size (3 inches)
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
MP count good (16MP)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
good high ISO (25,600)
supports RAW formats
weather sealing
low battery pack (350 shots)
70
has manual focus
swap lenses (Samsung NX mount)
decent sized screen (3 inch)
decent MP (20MP)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
saves RAW files
no image stabilization
no Timelapse mode
Photography Glossary

Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-M1 as a Vlogging camera
Samsung NX20 as a Vlogging camera
36
touch screen
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
comes with face detect focusing
video res high (1920 x 1080 resolution)
comes with microphone jack
lighter than competition (497 grams)
does not contain selfie friendly display
78
display is selfie friendly
offers face detection focus
video res high (1920 x 1080 pixels)
comes with external microphone port
lighter than others (341g)
no image stabilization
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Olympus E-M1 vs Samsung NX20 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-M1 and Samsung NX20
 Olympus OM-D E-M1Samsung NX20
General Information
Manufacturer Olympus Samsung
Model Olympus OM-D E-M1 Samsung NX20
Class Pro Mirrorless Advanced Mirrorless
Announced 2013-10-28 2012-04-20
Body design SLR-style mirrorless SLR-style mirrorless
Sensor Information
Powered by TruePIC VII -
Sensor type CMOS CMOS
Sensor size Four Thirds APS-C
Sensor measurements 17.3 x 13mm 23.5 x 15.7mm
Sensor area 224.9mm² 369.0mm²
Sensor resolution 16 megapixel 20 megapixel
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 1:1, 3:2 and 16:9
Full resolution 4608 x 3456 5472 x 3648
Max native ISO 25600 12800
Min native ISO 100 100
RAW data
Autofocusing
Manual focus
Touch focus
Autofocus continuous
Autofocus single
Autofocus tracking
Selective autofocus
Center weighted autofocus
Multi area autofocus
Autofocus live view
Face detection focus
Contract detection focus
Phase detection focus
Number of focus points 81 15
Lens
Lens mount Micro Four Thirds Samsung NX
Number of lenses 107 32
Crop factor 2.1 1.5
Screen
Range of screen Tilting Fully Articulated
Screen size 3" 3"
Resolution of screen 1,037k dot 614k dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch function
Screen tech - Active Matrix OLED screen
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Electronic Electronic
Viewfinder resolution 2,360k dot -
Viewfinder coverage 100 percent 100 percent
Viewfinder magnification 0.74x 0.7x
Features
Slowest shutter speed 60 secs 30 secs
Maximum shutter speed 1/8000 secs 1/8000 secs
Continuous shooting speed 10.0fps 8.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Set white balance
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash range no built-in flash 11.00 m
Flash modes Flash Auto, Redeye, Fill-in, Flash Off, Red-eye Slow sync (1st curtain), Slow sync (1st curtain), Slow sync (2nd curtain), Manual Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Fill-in, 1st/2nd Curtain, Smart Flash, Manual
Hot shoe
AE bracketing
WB bracketing
Maximum flash sync 1/320 secs 1/180 secs
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Supported video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (30 fps), 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps) 1920 x 1080 (30 fps), 1920 x 810 (24 fps) 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 240 (30 fps)
Max video resolution 1920x1080 1920x1080
Video format H.264, Motion JPEG MPEG-4, H.264
Microphone jack
Headphone jack
Connectivity
Wireless Built-In Built-In
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None Optional
Physical
Environment seal
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 497 grams (1.10 lbs) 341 grams (0.75 lbs)
Dimensions 130 x 94 x 63mm (5.1" x 3.7" x 2.5") 122 x 90 x 40mm (4.8" x 3.5" x 1.6")
DXO scores
DXO All around score 73 75
DXO Color Depth score 23.0 23.4
DXO Dynamic range score 12.7 12.9
DXO Low light score 757 785
Other
Battery life 350 shots 360 shots
Form of battery Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery model BLN-1 BP1130
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 secs, custom) Yes (2 sec to 30 sec)
Time lapse feature
Storage media SD/SDHC/SDXC SD/SDHC/SDXC
Storage slots One One
Price at launch $799 $1,100