Olympus E-P3 vs Samsung NX300

Its time to look more in depth at the Olympus E-P3 and Samsung NX300, both Entry-Level Mirrorless cameras by brands Olympus and Samsung. There exists a substantial gap among the sensor resolutions of the E-P3 (12MP) and NX300 (20MP) and the E-P3 (Four Thirds) and NX300 (APS-C) provide totally different sensor sizes.

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The E-P3 was revealed 3 years earlier than the NX300 and that is a fairly big difference as far as camera technology is concerned. Both of the cameras have the same body design (Rangefinder-style mirrorless).

Before getting straight to a thorough comparison, here is a short summation of how the E-P3 matches up vs the NX300 when considering portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Following is a sample of the gallery pictures for Olympus PEN E-P3 & Samsung NX300. The full galleries are available at Olympus E-P3 Gallery & Samsung NX300 Gallery.

In case you're going to lug around your camera regularly, you are going to need to take into account its weight and measurements. The Olympus E-P3 offers outer measurements of 122mm x 69mm x 34mm (4.8" x 2.7" x 1.3") accompanied by a weight of 369 grams (0.81 lbs) while the Samsung NX300 has proportions of 122mm x 64mm x 41mm (4.8" x 2.5" x 1.6") with a weight of 331 grams (0.73 lbs).

Compare the Olympus E-P3 and Samsung NX300 in our completely new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Keep in mind, the weight of an ILC will change based on the lens you are employing at the time. Here is a front view physical size comparison of the E-P3 compared to the NX300.

Taking into account dimensions and weight, the portability score of the E-P3 and NX300 is 86 and 86 respectively.

Normally, it is very difficult to visualise the difference in sensor measurements just by seeing technical specs. The graphic here should offer you a greater sense of the sensor measurements in the E-P3 and NX300.

As you can tell, both of those cameras provide different resolutions and different sensor measurements. The E-P3 having a smaller sensor will make achieving shallower depth of field more challenging and the Samsung NX300 will produce greater detail because of its extra 8 Megapixels. Greater resolution will also help you crop pics more aggressively. The older E-P3 will be disadvantaged when it comes to sensor innovation.