Olympus XZ-1 vs Samsung NX500

The following is a comprehensive comparison of the Olympus XZ-1 vs Samsung NX500, one is a Small Sensor Compact and the other is a Entry-Level Mirrorless by rivals Olympus and Samsung. There is a huge difference among the sensor resolutions of the XZ-1 (10MP) and NX500 (28MP) and the XZ-1 (1/1.63") and NX500 (APS-C) posses different sensor measurements.

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The XZ-1 was manufactured 5 years before the NX500 which is a fairly significant gap as far as camera tech is concerned. The two cameras have different body design with the Olympus XZ-1 being a Compact camera and the Samsung NX500 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera.

Before getting into a thorough comparison, here is a quick highlight of how the XZ-1 scores against the NX500 in relation to portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

Below is a sample of the gallery pictures for Olympus XZ-1 and Samsung NX500. The entire galleries are available at Olympus XZ-1 Gallery and Samsung NX500 Gallery.

If you're going to travel with your camera often, you'll have to think about its weight and proportions. The Olympus XZ-1 provides external measurements of 111mm x 65mm x 42mm (4.4" x 2.6" x 1.7") with a weight of 275 grams (0.61 lbs) while the Samsung NX500 has measurements of 120mm x 64mm x 43mm (4.7" x 2.5" x 1.7") along with a weight of 287 grams (0.63 lbs).

Compare the Olympus XZ-1 vs Samsung NX500 in the latest Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Bear in mind, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ based on the lens you are employing during that time. Here is a front view measurement comparison of the XZ-1 vs the NX500.

Using size and weight, the portability grade of the XZ-1 and NX500 is 88 and 87 respectively.

Usually, its tough to visualize the gap in sensor dimensions only by researching a spec sheet. The picture below may give you a greater sense of the sensor measurements in the XZ-1 and NX500.

Clearly, each of the cameras provide different resolutions and different sensor dimensions. The XZ-1 featuring a smaller sensor is going to make achieving shallow DOF trickier and the Samsung NX500 will render extra detail due to its extra 18 Megapixels. Greater resolution will allow you to crop images more aggressively. The more aged XZ-1 will be disadvantaged in sensor innovation.