Olympus E-PL3 vs Samsung NX200

Let's take a closer look at the Olympus E-PL3 vs Samsung NX200, both Entry-Level Mirrorless cameras by competitors Olympus and Samsung. There exists a substantial gap among the sensor resolutions of the E-PL3 (12MP) and NX200 (20MP) and the E-PL3 (Four Thirds) and NX200 (APS-C) offer totally different sensor measurements.

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The E-PL3 was introduced 5 months earlier than the NX200 so they are of a similar age. Both of these cameras have the same body design (Rangefinder-style mirrorless).

Before getting straight to a in-depth comparison, here is a brief highlight of how the E-PL3 grades versus the NX200 with regard to portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

This is a preview of the gallery photos for Olympus PEN E-PL3 & Samsung NX200. The whole galleries are available at Olympus E-PL3 Gallery & Samsung NX200 Gallery.

For anybody who is intending to travel with your camera frequently, you have to consider its weight and dimensions. The Olympus E-PL3 provides outside dimensions of 110mm x 64mm x 37mm (4.3" x 2.5" x 1.5") accompanied by a weight of 313 grams (0.69 lbs) while the Samsung NX200 has dimensions of 117mm x 63mm x 36mm (4.6" x 2.5" x 1.4") with a weight of 223 grams (0.49 lbs).

Analyze the Olympus E-PL3 vs Samsung NX200 in our completely new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Remember, the weight of an ILC will vary depending on the lens you have attached at the time. Underneath is a front view measurement comparison of the E-PL3 and the NX200.

Looking at dimensions and weight, the portability score of the E-PL3 and NX200 is 88 and 90 respectively.

Normally, it is hard to envision the gap in sensor dimensions just by looking through technical specs. The image underneath will provide you a much better sense of the sensor sizes in the E-PL3 and NX200.

As you have seen, each of the cameras have different resolutions and different sensor dimensions. The E-PL3 having a smaller sensor will make getting shallow depth of field more challenging and the Samsung NX200 will provide you with extra detail using its extra 8 Megapixels. Higher resolution will also make it easier to crop photographs a bit more aggressively.