Olympus E-PL1s vs Samsung NX3000

Lets look more closely at the Olympus E-PL1s versus Samsung NX3000, both Entry-Level Mirrorless cameras by rivals Olympus and Samsung. There is a substantial difference among the sensor resolutions of the E-PL1s (12MP) and NX3000 (20MP) and the E-PL1s (Four Thirds) and NX3000 (APS-C) boast different sensor sizing.

Photography Glossary

The E-PL1s was released 4 years prior to the NX3000 and that is a fairly big difference as far as camera tech is concerned. Both of the cameras have the same body design (Rangefinder-style mirrorless).

Before getting right into a step-by-step comparison, here is a quick highlight of how the E-PL1s grades against the NX3000 with regard to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

This is a preview of the gallery photos for Olympus PEN E-PL1s & Samsung NX3000. The complete galleries are provided at Olympus E-PL1s Gallery & Samsung NX3000 Gallery.

For those who are aiming to carry your camera often, you'll need to factor in its weight and measurements. The Olympus E-PL1s has got outer dimensions of 115mm x 72mm x 42mm (4.5" x 2.8" x 1.7") with a weight of 334 grams (0.74 lbs) whilst the Samsung NX3000 has proportions of 117mm x 66mm x 39mm (4.6" x 2.6" x 1.5") along with a weight of 230 grams (0.51 lbs).

See the Olympus E-PL1s versus Samsung NX3000 in our completely new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Don't forget, the weight of an ILC will differ based on the lens you are working with at that moment. Following is a front view overall size comparison of the E-PL1s compared to the NX3000.

Using size and weight, the portability score of the E-PL1s and NX3000 is 86 and 89 respectively.

Usually, it is hard to imagine the difference in sensor sizing only by checking out specifications. The visual here might give you a far better sense of the sensor dimensions in the E-PL1s and NX3000.

To sum up, both cameras have different megapixel count and different sensor sizing. The E-PL1s due to its smaller sensor is going to make achieving shallow depth of field harder and the Samsung NX3000 will show more detail as a result of its extra 8MP. Higher resolution will also make it easier to crop pictures a bit more aggressively. The older E-PL1s will be behind when it comes to sensor technology.