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Olympus E-PL2 vs Samsung NX mini

Portability
85
Imaging
48
Features
47
Overall
47
Olympus PEN E-PL2 front
 
Samsung NX mini front
Portability
93
Imaging
52
Features
68
Overall
58

Olympus E-PL2 vs Samsung NX mini Key Specs

Olympus E-PL2
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 6400
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 362g - 114 x 72 x 42mm
  • Launched February 2011
  • Succeeded the Olympus E-PL1s
  • Renewed by Olympus E-PL3
Samsung NX mini
(Full Review)
  • 20.5MP - 1" Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Screen
  • ISO 160 - 12800 (Increase to 25600)
  • 1/16000s Max Shutter
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Samsung NX-M Mount
  • 196g - 110 x 62 x 23mm
  • Launched March 2014
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Olympus E-PL2 vs Samsung NX mini Overview

Below is a comprehensive comparison of the Olympus E-PL2 vs Samsung NX mini, both Entry-Level Mirrorless cameras by competitors Olympus and Samsung. There exists a sizeable gap among the resolutions of the E-PL2 (12MP) and NX mini (20.5MP) and the E-PL2 (Four Thirds) and NX mini (1") come with different sensor size.

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The E-PL2 was manufactured 4 years earlier than the NX mini 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 getting in to a complete comparison, below is a concise summary of how the E-PL2 scores against the NX mini for portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-PL2 over the Samsung NX mini

 E-PL2 NX mini 

Reasons to pick Samsung NX mini over the Olympus E-PL2

 NX mini E-PL2 
LaunchedMarch 2014February 2011More recent by 37 months
Screen typeTiltingFixed Tilting screen
Screen resolution461k460kCrisper screen (+1k dot)
Touch screen Quickly navigate

Common features in the Olympus E-PL2 and Samsung NX mini

 E-PL2 NX mini 
Manual focus More precise focusing
Screen sizing3"3"Equivalent screen size
Selfie screen No selfie screen

Olympus E-PL2 vs Samsung NX mini Physical Comparison

When you are aiming to lug around your camera often, you'll need to factor in its weight and size. The Olympus E-PL2 enjoys outside dimensions of 114mm x 72mm x 42mm (4.5" x 2.8" x 1.7") along with a weight of 362 grams (0.80 lbs) and the Samsung NX mini has specifications of 110mm x 62mm x 23mm (4.3" x 2.4" x 0.9") accompanied by a weight of 196 grams (0.43 lbs).

Take a look at the Olympus E-PL2 vs Samsung NX mini in the all new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Bear in mind, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change based on the lens you select at the time. Underneath is the front view over all size comparison of the E-PL2 vs the NX mini.

Olympus E-PL2 vs Samsung NX mini size comparison

Looking at dimensions and weight, the portability score of the E-PL2 and NX mini is 85 and 93 respectively.

Olympus E-PL2 vs Samsung NX mini top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-PL2 vs Samsung NX mini Sensor Comparison

Typically, it's difficult to visualize the contrast in sensor measurements merely by researching technical specs. The graphic below will help provide you a far better sense of the sensor sizes in the E-PL2 and NX mini.

As you can tell, both cameras enjoy different megapixel count and different sensor measurements. The E-PL2 due to its bigger sensor is going to make getting shallow depth of field easier and the Samsung NX mini will provide you with extra detail due to its extra 8.5MP. Higher resolution can also help you crop shots far more aggressively. The older E-PL2 will be behind in sensor tech.

Olympus E-PL2 vs Samsung NX mini sensor size comparison

Olympus E-PL2 vs Samsung NX mini Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-PL2 vs Samsung NX mini Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-PL2 Portrait photography info
Samsung NX mini Portrait photography info
60
manual focus
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
offers face detection autofocus
supports RAW files
resolution not great (12MP)
71
you can focus manually
decent sensor resolution (20.5 megapixels)
good sensor size (1")
includes face detect focusing
exports RAW formats
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-PL2 Street photography factors
Samsung NX mini Street photography factors
73
image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
supports RAW files
screen is fixed
81
screen tilts up and down
good sensor size (1")
exports RAW formats
provides touch to focus
lighter than others (196g)
no image stabilization
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-PL2 Sports photography highlights
Samsung NX mini Sports photography highlights
45
image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
offers tracking autofocus
painfully slow continuous shooting (3.0 frames per second)
resolution not great (12MP)
not so great battery pack (280 CIPA)
lacks phase detect autofocus
54
high shutter speed (1/16,000s)
decent sensor resolution (20.5 megapixels)
good sensor size (1")
good battery power (650 CIPA)
slow fps (6.0 frames/s)
no image stabilization
has no phase detect AF
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-PL2 Travel photography advice
Samsung NX mini Travel photography advice
51
has built in flash
missing Time Lapse function
not so great battery pack (280 CIPA)
resolution not great (12 megapixels)
display isn't selfie friendly
76
good battery power (650 CIPA)
lighter than others (196g)
provides touch to focus
decent sensor resolution (20.5 megapixels)
built-in flash
no Timelapse function
screen is not selfie friendly
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-PL2 Landscape photography features
Samsung NX mini Landscape photography features
61
manual focus
interchangeable lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
screen is a good size (3 inches)
image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
supports RAW files
resolution not great (12 megapixels)
not so great battery pack (280 shots)
missing Time Lapse function
68
you can focus manually
swap lenses (Samsung NX-M mount)
nice screen size (3 inch)
decent sensor resolution (20.5 megapixels)
good sensor size (1")
exports RAW formats
good battery power (650 shots)
no image stabilization
no Timelapse function
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-PL2 Vlogging info
Samsung NX mini Vlogging info
29
image stabilization (Sensor based)
offers face detection autofocus
display isn't selfie friendly
video res low (1280 x 720 resolution)
missing external mic socket
38
touchscreen
includes face detect focusing
high quality video (1920 x 1080 pixels)
does have microphone socket
lighter than others (196g)
screen is not selfie friendly
no image stabilization
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Olympus E-PL2 vs Samsung NX mini Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-PL2 and Samsung NX mini
 Olympus PEN E-PL2Samsung NX mini
General Information
Make Olympus Samsung
Model type Olympus PEN E-PL2 Samsung NX mini
Type Entry-Level Mirrorless Entry-Level Mirrorless
Launched 2011-02-11 2014-03-19
Physical type Rangefinder-style mirrorless Rangefinder-style mirrorless
Sensor Information
Processor Truepic V -
Sensor type CMOS BSI-CMOS
Sensor size Four Thirds 1"
Sensor measurements 17.3 x 13mm 13.2 x 8.8mm
Sensor area 224.9mm² 116.2mm²
Sensor resolution 12 megapixels 20.5 megapixels
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 1:1, 3:2 and 16:9
Maximum resolution 4032 x 3024 5472 x 3648
Maximum native ISO 6400 12800
Maximum boosted ISO - 25600
Min native ISO 100 160
RAW photos
Min boosted ISO - 100
Autofocusing
Manual focusing
AF touch
Continuous AF
Single AF
AF tracking
Selective AF
Center weighted AF
AF multi area
AF live view
Face detection AF
Contract detection AF
Phase detection AF
Total focus points 11 21
Lens
Lens support Micro Four Thirds Samsung NX-M
Available lenses 107 2
Focal length multiplier 2.1 2.7
Screen
Screen type Fixed Type Tilting
Screen size 3 inch 3 inch
Screen resolution 460k dots 461k dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch operation
Screen tech HyperCrystal LCD AR(Anti-Reflective) coating TFT-LCD (180 degree tilt)
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Electronic (optional) None
Features
Lowest shutter speed 60s 30s
Highest shutter speed 1/4000s 1/16000s
Continuous shooting rate 3.0 frames per second 6.0 frames per second
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual mode
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Change WB
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash distance 10.00 m -
Flash modes Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in, Slow Sync, Manual (3 levels) Smart Flash, auto, auto + redeye reduction, fill-in, fill-in + redeye reduction, 1st curtain, 2nd curtain
External flash
AEB
White balance bracketing
Highest flash synchronize 1/160s 1/200s
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Supported video resolutions 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps) 1920 x 1080, 1280 x 720, 640 x 480, 320 x 240 (all 30 fps)
Maximum video resolution 1280x720 1920x1080
Video format Motion JPEG MPEG-4, H.264
Microphone port
Headphone port
Connectivity
Wireless None Built-In
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environmental sealing
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 362 gr (0.80 pounds) 196 gr (0.43 pounds)
Dimensions 114 x 72 x 42mm (4.5" x 2.8" x 1.7") 110 x 62 x 23mm (4.3" x 2.4" x 0.9")
DXO scores
DXO All around rating 55 not tested
DXO Color Depth rating 21.4 not tested
DXO Dynamic range rating 10.2 not tested
DXO Low light rating 573 not tested
Other
Battery life 280 images 650 images
Form of battery Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID BLS-5 B740
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2-30 sec)
Time lapse feature
Storage type SD/SDHC microSD/microSDHC/microSDXC
Card slots 1 1
Launch price $0 $530