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Olympus E-PL2 vs Samsung NX500

Portability
85
Imaging
48
Features
47
Overall
47
Olympus PEN E-PL2 front
 
Samsung NX500 front
Portability
87
Imaging
68
Features
80
Overall
72

Olympus E-PL2 vs Samsung NX500 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
  • Previous Model is Olympus E-PL1s
  • Successor is Olympus E-PL3
Samsung NX500
(Full Review)
  • 28MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Screen
  • ISO 100 - 25600 (Push to 51200)
  • No Anti-Alias Filter
  • 1/6000s Maximum Shutter
  • 4096 x 2160 video
  • Samsung NX Mount
  • 287g - 120 x 64 x 43mm
  • Revealed February 2015
  • Previous Model is Samsung NX300
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Olympus E-PL2 vs Samsung NX500 Overview

Its time to look a bit more in depth at the Olympus E-PL2 and Samsung NX500, both Entry-Level Mirrorless cameras by brands Olympus and Samsung. There exists a considerable gap among the image resolutions of the E-PL2 (12MP) and NX500 (28MP) and the E-PL2 (Four Thirds) and NX500 (APS-C) possess different sensor size.

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The E-PL2 was manufactured 5 years prior to the NX500 which is a fairly large difference as far as camera technology is concerned. The two cameras offer the identical body type (Rangefinder-style mirrorless).

Before diving in to a detailed comparison, below is a concise introduction of how the E-PL2 matches up vs the NX500 when it comes to portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-PL2 over the Samsung NX500

 E-PL2 NX500 

Reasons to pick Samsung NX500 over the Olympus E-PL2

 NX500 E-PL2 
RevealedFebruary 2015February 2011Newer by 48 months
Screen typeTiltingFixed Tilting screen
Screen resolution1036k460kSharper screen (+576k dot)
Touch screen Quickly navigate

Common features in the Olympus E-PL2 and Samsung NX500

 E-PL2 NX500 
Manual focus Very accurate focusing
Screen sizing3"3"Equivalent screen size
Selfie screen Neither comes with selfie screen

Olympus E-PL2 vs Samsung NX500 Physical Comparison

When you are going to travel with your camera often, you'll need to factor in its weight and proportions. The Olympus E-PL2 comes with exterior dimensions of 114mm x 72mm x 42mm (4.5" x 2.8" x 1.7") and a weight of 362 grams (0.80 lbs) while the Samsung NX500 has measurements of 120mm x 64mm x 43mm (4.7" x 2.5" x 1.7") and a weight of 287 grams (0.63 lbs).

Look at the Olympus E-PL2 and Samsung NX500 in our brand new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Don't forget, the weight of an ILC will differ based on the lens you are employing at that moment. Underneath is the front view scale comparison of the E-PL2 vs the NX500.

Olympus E-PL2 vs Samsung NX500 size comparison

Using dimensions and weight, the portability score of the E-PL2 and NX500 is 85 and 87 respectively.

Olympus E-PL2 vs Samsung NX500 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-PL2 vs Samsung NX500 Sensor Comparison

Normally, it's tough to visualize the contrast in sensor dimensions purely by researching technical specs. The image here might provide you a much better sense of the sensor dimensions in the E-PL2 and NX500.

As you have seen, each of the cameras offer different resolutions and different sensor dimensions. The E-PL2 due to its smaller sensor is going to make shooting shallower depth of field more difficult and the Samsung NX500 will provide you with greater detail due to its extra 16 Megapixels. Higher resolution will enable you to crop shots a little more aggressively. The more aged E-PL2 will be behind with regard to sensor technology.

Olympus E-PL2 vs Samsung NX500 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-PL2 vs Samsung NX500 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-PL2 vs Samsung NX500 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Portrait photography with Olympus E-PL2
Portrait photography with Samsung NX500
60
manual focus
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
supports face detection autofocus
exports RAW formats
low MP (12MP)
80
focusing manually
high megapixels (28MP)
nice sensor size (APS-C)
includes face detect focusing
delivers RAW files
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-PL2 Street photography highlights
Samsung NX500 Street photography highlights
73
image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
exports RAW formats
no articulating screen
81
has a tilting screen
nice sensor size (APS-C)
delivers RAW files
features touch focus
great high ISO (25,600)
no image stabilization
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-PL2 Sports photography factors
Samsung NX500 Sports photography factors
45
image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
supports tracking autofocus
slow frames per second (3.0 fps)
low MP (12 megapixels)
low battery power (280 per charge)
lacks phase detect autofocus
75
max shutter speed is good (1/6,000 seconds)
high megapixels (28MP)
nice sensor size (APS-C)
includes tracking focus
supports phase detect AF
no image stabilization
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-PL2 as a Travel photography camera
Samsung NX500 as a Travel photography camera
51
has built in flash
missing Timelapse function
low battery power (280 shots)
low MP (12 megapixels)
doesn't have a selfie friendly screen
78
has bluetooth
features touch focus
high megapixels (28 megapixels)
does not offer selfie friendly screen
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-PL2 Landscape photography advice
Samsung NX500 Landscape photography advice
61
manual focus
swap lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
screen size is good (3")
image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
exports RAW formats
low MP (12MP)
low battery power (280 CIPA)
missing Timelapse function
80
focusing manually
swap lenses (Samsung NX mount)
nice screen size (3 inches)
high megapixels (28MP)
nice sensor size (APS-C)
does not have anti-alias filter
great high ISO (25,600)
delivers RAW files
no image stabilization
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-PL2 Vlogging factors
Samsung NX500 Vlogging factors
29
image stabilization (Sensor based)
supports face detection autofocus
doesn't have a selfie friendly screen
low video resolution (1280 x 720 resolution)
missing external microphone socket
34
screen is touchscreen
includes face detect focusing
high quality video (4096 x 2160 resolution)
does not offer selfie friendly screen
no image stabilization
no microphone support
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Olympus E-PL2 vs Samsung NX500 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-PL2 and Samsung NX500
 Olympus PEN E-PL2Samsung NX500
General Information
Brand Name Olympus Samsung
Model Olympus PEN E-PL2 Samsung NX500
Type Entry-Level Mirrorless Entry-Level Mirrorless
Announced 2011-02-11 2015-02-06
Physical type Rangefinder-style mirrorless Rangefinder-style mirrorless
Sensor Information
Processor Truepic V DRIMe 5
Sensor type CMOS BSI-CMOS
Sensor size Four Thirds APS-C
Sensor measurements 17.3 x 13mm 23.5 x 15.7mm
Sensor area 224.9mm² 369.0mm²
Sensor resolution 12 megapixels 28 megapixels
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 1:1, 3:2 and 16:9
Highest Possible resolution 4032 x 3024 6480 x 4320
Maximum native ISO 6400 25600
Maximum enhanced ISO - 51200
Lowest native ISO 100 100
RAW files
Autofocusing
Manual focus
AF touch
AF continuous
Single AF
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 11 209
Lens
Lens mount Micro Four Thirds Samsung NX
Available lenses 107 32
Focal length multiplier 2.1 1.5
Screen
Type of screen Fixed Type Tilting
Screen diagonal 3" 3"
Resolution of screen 460k dots 1,036k dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch display
Screen tech HyperCrystal LCD AR(Anti-Reflective) coating -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Electronic (optional) None
Features
Minimum shutter speed 60s 30s
Fastest shutter speed 1/4000s 1/6000s
Continuous shutter rate 3.0 frames/s 9.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Change WB
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash range 10.00 m no built-in flash
Flash settings Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in, Slow Sync, Manual (3 levels) Smart flash, auto, auto w/redeye reduction, fill flash, fill w/redeye reduction, 1st-curtain, 2nd-curtain, off
Hot shoe
AE bracketing
WB bracketing
Fastest flash synchronize 1/160s -
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) 3840 x 2160 (30p), 4096 x 2160 (24p), 1920 x 1080 (60p, 50p, 30p, 25p, 24p), 1280 x 720, 640 x 480
Maximum video resolution 1280x720 4096x2160
Video file format Motion JPEG H.265
Microphone support
Headphone support
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 proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 362g (0.80 lb) 287g (0.63 lb)
Dimensions 114 x 72 x 42mm (4.5" x 2.8" x 1.7") 120 x 64 x 43mm (4.7" x 2.5" x 1.7")
DXO scores
DXO Overall score 55 87
DXO Color Depth score 21.4 24.8
DXO Dynamic range score 10.2 13.9
DXO Low light score 573 1379
Other
Battery life 280 pictures 370 pictures
Form of battery Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery model BLS-5 BP1130
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 - 30 secs)
Time lapse shooting
Storage type SD/SDHC SD/SDHC/SDXC
Card slots One One
Launch price $0 $800