Olympus 9000 vs Samsung NX3000

On this page, we are matching up the Olympus 9000 and Samsung NX3000, one being a Small Sensor Compact and the other is a Entry-Level Mirrorless by competitors Olympus and Samsung. There exists a significant gap among the resolutions of the 9000 (12MP) and NX3000 (20MP) and the 9000 (1/2.3") and NX3000 (APS-C) boast different sensor measurements.

Photography Glossary

The 9000 was revealed 6 years prior to the NX3000 and that is a fairly sizable gap as far as camera technology is concerned. Both of these cameras have different body design with the Olympus 9000 being a Compact camera and the Samsung NX3000 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera.

Before going straight to a detailed comparison, here is a short summation of how the 9000 scores against the NX3000 in the way of portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Following is a sample of the gallery pictures for Olympus Stylus 9000 and Samsung NX3000. The full galleries are provided at Olympus 9000 Gallery and Samsung NX3000 Gallery.

If you are aiming to lug around your camera regularly, you will have to factor its weight and size. The Olympus 9000 enjoys external dimensions of 96mm x 60mm x 31mm (3.8" x 2.4" x 1.2") accompanied by a weight of 225 grams (0.50 lbs) whilst the Samsung NX3000 has specifications of 117mm x 66mm x 39mm (4.6" x 2.6" x 1.5") with a weight of 230 grams (0.51 lbs).

Check the Olympus 9000 and Samsung NX3000 in the new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Bear in mind, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary depending on the lens you are utilizing at that moment. Below is a front view measurements comparison of the 9000 against the NX3000.

Taking into account dimensions and weight, the portability score of the 9000 and NX3000 is 92 and 89 respectively.

Normally, it is very hard to visualize the difference in sensor measurements simply by viewing technical specs. The graphic here may give you a more clear sense of the sensor sizes in the 9000 and NX3000.

As you can tell, each of the cameras have different megapixel count and different sensor measurements. The 9000 having a smaller sensor is going to make shooting shallow DOF more difficult and the Samsung NX3000 will provide you with greater detail because of its extra 8 Megapixels. Greater resolution will also let you crop images a bit more aggressively. The older 9000 will be behind when it comes to sensor innovation.