Olympus E-P2 vs Samsung NX500

Let's take a deeper look at the Olympus E-P2 and Samsung NX500, both Entry-Level Mirrorless cameras by companies Olympus and Samsung. There exists a sizeable gap among the resolutions of the E-P2 (12MP) and NX500 (28MP) and the E-P2 (Four Thirds) and NX500 (APS-C) possess different sensor sizing.

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The E-P2 was announced 5 years before the NX500 and that is a fairly large gap as far as camera technology is concerned. Both of these cameras offer the identical body type (Rangefinder-style mirrorless).

Before diving through a in-depth comparison, below is a brief summary of how the E-P2 scores vs the NX500 with respect to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

The following is a preview of the gallery images for Olympus PEN E-P2 and Samsung NX500. The whole galleries are viewable at Olympus E-P2 Gallery and Samsung NX500 Gallery.

For anyone who is planning to lug around your camera often, you will want to consider its weight and proportions. The Olympus E-P2 features outside dimensions of 121mm x 70mm x 36mm (4.8" x 2.8" x 1.4") and a weight of 355 grams (0.78 lbs) whilst the Samsung NX500 has measurements of 120mm x 64mm x 43mm (4.7" x 2.5" x 1.7") and a weight of 287 grams (0.63 lbs).

Take a look at the Olympus E-P2 and Samsung NX500 in the all new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Remember, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary dependant on the lens you are working with during that time. Below is the front view scale comparison of the E-P2 versus the NX500.

Taking into consideration dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the E-P2 and NX500 is 86 and 87 respectively.

Typically, it is difficult to imagine the contrast in sensor measurements purely by viewing a spec sheet. The visual underneath might give you a more clear sense of the sensor sizes in the E-P2 and NX500.

As you can see, each of the cameras offer different megapixels and different sensor measurements. The E-P2 with its smaller sensor is going to make shooting shallow DOF tougher and the Samsung NX500 will render more detail with its extra 16MP. Higher resolution will let you crop photographs a little more aggressively. The older E-P2 will be behind with regard to sensor technology.