Olympus E-P3 vs Samsung NX30

The following is a complete review of the Olympus E-P3 and Samsung NX30, former is a Entry-Level Mirrorless while the other is a Advanced Mirrorless by rivals Olympus and Samsung. There is a large difference among the resolutions of the E-P3 (12MP) and NX30 (20MP) and the E-P3 (Four Thirds) and NX30 (APS-C) come with different sensor sizes.

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The E-P3 was released 3 years prior to the NX30 which is a fairly serious difference as far as camera tech is concerned. Both cameras offer different body type with the Olympus E-P3 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Samsung NX30 being a SLR-style mirrorless camera.

Before diving through a thorough comparison, below is a concise introduction of how the E-P3 scores vs the NX30 in relation to portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

Here is a sample of the gallery pics for Olympus PEN E-P3 & Samsung NX30. The complete galleries are available at Olympus E-P3 Gallery & Samsung NX30 Gallery.

When you are going to travel with your camera regularly, you have to factor in its weight and volume. The Olympus E-P3 provides external measurements of 122mm x 69mm x 34mm (4.8" x 2.7" x 1.3") having a weight of 369 grams (0.81 lbs) while the Samsung NX30 has sizing of 127mm x 96mm x 58mm (5.0" x 3.8" x 2.3") along with a weight of 375 grams (0.83 lbs).

Contrast the Olympus E-P3 and Samsung NX30 in our brand new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Do not forget, the weight of an ILC will vary dependant on the lens you have chosen during that time. Underneath is the front view sizing comparison of the E-P3 and the NX30.

Looking at size and weight, the portability rating of the E-P3 and NX30 is 86 and 75 respectively.

Generally, its difficult to visualize the contrast in sensor dimensions purely by seeing technical specs. The image below should provide you a better sense of the sensor measurements in the E-P3 and NX30.

As you have seen, both the cameras offer different resolutions and different sensor dimensions. The E-P3 because of its smaller sensor is going to make getting shallower DOF more difficult and the Samsung NX30 will produce greater detail as a result of its extra 8 Megapixels. Greater resolution can also make it easier to crop photos a little more aggressively. The more aged E-P3 will be behind when it comes to sensor technology.