Olympus E-PL3 vs Samsung NX2000

Let's look more closely at the Olympus E-PL3 and Samsung NX2000, both Entry-Level Mirrorless digital cameras by rivals Olympus and Samsung. There is a crucial difference between the sensor resolutions of the E-PL3 (12MP) and NX2000 (20MP) and the E-PL3 (Four Thirds) and NX2000 (APS-C) have different sensor size.

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The E-PL3 was manufactured 3 years before the NX2000 which is quite a serious gap as far as tech is concerned. Both cameras have the same body design (Rangefinder-style mirrorless).

Before going into a complete comparison, here is a short overview of how the E-PL3 matches up versus the NX2000 in regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

Here is a sample of the gallery pics for Olympus PEN E-PL3 and Samsung NX2000. The entire galleries are viewable at Olympus E-PL3 Gallery and Samsung NX2000 Gallery.

For those who are looking to travel with your camera regularly, you're going to have to take into account its weight and proportions. The Olympus E-PL3 has got exterior dimensions of 110mm x 64mm x 37mm (4.3" x 2.5" x 1.5") and a weight of 313 grams (0.69 lbs) and the Samsung NX2000 has measurements of 119mm x 65mm x 36mm (4.7" x 2.6" x 1.4") along with a weight of 228 grams (0.50 lbs).

See the Olympus E-PL3 and Samsung NX2000 in the new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Bear in mind, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change depending on the lens you are employing at that time. Underneath is a front view over all size comparison of the E-PL3 versus the NX2000.

Taking into account size and weight, the portability grade of the E-PL3 and NX2000 is 88 and 89 respectively.

Generally, it is difficult to visualize the contrast between sensor dimensions just by looking at a spec sheet. The pic below should offer you a better sense of the sensor sizes in the E-PL3 and NX2000.

Clearly, the 2 cameras have different megapixel count and different sensor dimensions. The E-PL3 due to its tinier sensor is going to make shooting shallow depth of field harder and the Samsung NX2000 will give extra detail due to its extra 8 Megapixels. Greater resolution will let you crop images a bit more aggressively. The more aged E-PL3 is going to be disadvantaged in sensor tech.