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Olympus E-PL2 vs Samsung NX300

Portability
85
Imaging
48
Features
47
Overall
47
Olympus PEN E-PL2 front
 
Samsung NX300 front
Portability
86
Imaging
63
Features
73
Overall
67

Olympus E-PL2 vs Samsung NX300 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
  • Announced February 2011
  • Old Model is Olympus E-PL1s
  • Updated by Olympus E-PL3
Samsung NX300
(Full Review)
  • 20MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3.3" Tilting Screen
  • ISO 100 - 25600
  • 1/6000s Maximum Shutter
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Samsung NX Mount
  • 331g - 122 x 64 x 41mm
  • Revealed November 2013
  • Superseded the Samsung NX210
  • Updated by Samsung NX500
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Olympus E-PL2 vs Samsung NX300 Overview

Lets take a deeper look at the Olympus E-PL2 vs Samsung NX300, both Entry-Level Mirrorless digital cameras by companies Olympus and Samsung. There is a large difference between the resolutions of the E-PL2 (12MP) and NX300 (20MP) and the E-PL2 (Four Thirds) and NX300 (APS-C) have different sensor sizes.

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The E-PL2 was released 3 years prior to the NX300 which is quite a serious difference as far as tech is concerned. Each of the cameras feature the same body design (Rangefinder-style mirrorless).

Before delving into a comprehensive comparison, here is a concise synopsis of how the E-PL2 scores vs the NX300 for portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-PL2 over the Samsung NX300

 E-PL2 NX300 

Reasons to pick Samsung NX300 over the Olympus E-PL2

 NX300 E-PL2 
RevealedNovember 2013February 2011Newer by 33 months
Screen typeTiltingFixed Tilting screen
Screen size3.3"3"Bigger screen (+0.3")
Screen resolution768k460kClearer screen (+308k dot)
Touch friendly screen Quickly navigate

Common features in the Olympus E-PL2 and Samsung NX300

 E-PL2 NX300 
Focus manually Dial exact focusing
Selfie screen Neither offers selfie screen

Olympus E-PL2 vs Samsung NX300 Physical Comparison

For anyone who is going to travel with your camera, you'll have to think about its weight and volume. The Olympus E-PL2 offers outer 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) whilst the Samsung NX300 has sizing of 122mm x 64mm x 41mm (4.8" x 2.5" x 1.6") and a weight of 331 grams (0.73 lbs).

Analyze the Olympus E-PL2 vs Samsung NX300 in our newest Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Remember that, the weight of an ILC will differ depending on the lens you are using at that moment. Underneath is a front view dimension comparison of the E-PL2 against the NX300.

Olympus E-PL2 vs Samsung NX300 size comparison

Using size and weight, the portability score of the E-PL2 and NX300 is 85 and 86 respectively.

Olympus E-PL2 vs Samsung NX300 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-PL2 vs Samsung NX300 Sensor Comparison

Often, it is hard to picture the contrast between sensor dimensions merely by reading specs. The image here will offer you a much better sense of the sensor dimensions in the E-PL2 and NX300.

As you can plainly see, both the cameras feature different megapixel count and different sensor dimensions. The E-PL2 because of its tinier sensor is going to make getting shallow DOF trickier and the Samsung NX300 will offer extra detail as a result of its extra 8MP. Higher resolution can also let you crop photographs way more aggressively. The more aged E-PL2 is going to be behind with regard to sensor innovation.

Olympus E-PL2 vs Samsung NX300 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-PL2 vs Samsung NX300 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-PL2 vs Samsung NX300 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-PL2 Portrait photography info
Samsung NX300 Portrait photography info
60
you can focus manually
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
includes face detection focus
supports RAW files
low MP (12 megapixels)
77
manual focus
decent megapixels (20MP)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
comes with face detection focus
delivers RAW files
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Street Comparison

Street photography with Olympus E-PL2
Street photography with Samsung NX300
73
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
supports RAW files
no moving screen
80
has a tilting screen
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
delivers RAW files
has touch focus
above average ISO range (25,600)
lack of image stabilization
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-PL2 as a Sports photography camera
Samsung NX300 as a Sports photography camera
45
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
includes tracking autofocus
low fps (3.0 fps)
low MP (12MP)
bad battery pack (280 per charge)
lacks phase detect auto focus
73
maximum shutter speed is high (1/6,000s)
decent megapixels (20 megapixels)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
comes with tracking autofocus
has phase detect auto focus
lack of image stabilization
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Travel Comparison

Travel photography with Olympus E-PL2
Travel photography with Samsung NX300
51
has built in flash
does not have Time Lapse function
bad battery pack (280 per charge)
low MP (12 megapixels)
screen isn't selfie friendly
67
has touch focus
decent megapixels (20 megapixels)
lack of Time Lapse function
does not offer selfie friendly screen
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Landscape Comparison

Landscape photography with Olympus E-PL2
Landscape photography with Samsung NX300
61
you can focus manually
change lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
decent sized screen (3")
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
supports RAW files
low MP (12 megapixels)
bad battery pack (280 shots)
does not have Time Lapse function
72
manual focus
swap lenses (Samsung NX mount)
pretty good screen size (3.3")
decent megapixels (20 megapixels)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
above average ISO range (25,600)
delivers RAW files
lack of image stabilization
lack of Time Lapse function
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-PL2 Vlogging factors
Samsung NX300 Vlogging factors
29
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
includes face detection focus
screen isn't selfie friendly
low video resolution (1280 x 720 resolution)
does not have external mic support
33
touch screen
comes with face detection focus
good video quality (1920 x 1080 pxls)
does not offer selfie friendly screen
lack of image stabilization
lack of external mic socket
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Olympus E-PL2 vs Samsung NX300 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-PL2 and Samsung NX300
 Olympus PEN E-PL2Samsung NX300
General Information
Company Olympus Samsung
Model Olympus PEN E-PL2 Samsung NX300
Type Entry-Level Mirrorless Entry-Level Mirrorless
Announced 2011-02-11 2013-11-24
Physical type Rangefinder-style mirrorless Rangefinder-style mirrorless
Sensor Information
Powered by Truepic V DRIMe IV
Sensor type CMOS CMOS
Sensor size Four Thirds APS-C
Sensor dimensions 17.3 x 13mm 23.5 x 15.7mm
Sensor area 224.9mm² 369.0mm²
Sensor resolution 12 megapixels 20 megapixels
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 1:1, 3:2 and 16:9
Peak resolution 4032 x 3024 5472 x 3648
Highest native ISO 6400 25600
Lowest native ISO 100 100
RAW images
Autofocusing
Manual focus
AF touch
AF continuous
AF single
AF tracking
Selective AF
AF center weighted
Multi area AF
AF live view
Face detection focusing
Contract detection focusing
Phase detection focusing
Number of focus points 11 247
Lens
Lens mounting type Micro Four Thirds Samsung NX
Number of lenses 107 32
Focal length multiplier 2.1 1.5
Screen
Type of screen Fixed Type Tilting
Screen sizing 3 inch 3.3 inch
Screen resolution 460 thousand dots 768 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch display
Screen technology HyperCrystal LCD AR(Anti-Reflective) coating Active Matrix OLED screen
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Electronic (optional) None
Features
Minimum shutter speed 60s 30s
Fastest shutter speed 1/4000s 1/6000s
Continuous shutter rate 3.0fps 9.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Set WB
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash range 10.00 m no built-in flash
Flash options Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in, Slow Sync, Manual (3 levels) Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Fill-in, 1st/2nd Curtain, Smart Flash, Manual
Hot shoe
AE bracketing
WB bracketing
Fastest flash synchronize 1/160s 1/180s
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
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
Highest video resolution 1280x720 1920x1080
Video file format Motion JPEG MPEG-4, H.264
Mic 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 Optional
Physical
Environmental sealing
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 362g (0.80 lbs) 331g (0.73 lbs)
Physical dimensions 114 x 72 x 42mm (4.5" x 2.8" x 1.7") 122 x 64 x 41mm (4.8" x 2.5" x 1.6")
DXO scores
DXO Overall score 55 76
DXO Color Depth score 21.4 23.6
DXO Dynamic range score 10.2 12.7
DXO Low light score 573 942
Other
Battery life 280 photos 330 photos
Form of battery Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery model BLS-5 BP1130
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 sec to 30 sec)
Time lapse feature
Storage type SD/SDHC SD/SDHC/SDXC
Card slots 1 1
Cost at release $0 $750