Samsung NX5 vs Sony RX100 II

The following is a thorough review of the Samsung NX5 and Sony RX100 II, former is a Entry-Level Mirrorless while the latter is a Large Sensor Compact by companies Samsung and Sony. There exists a noticeable gap among the sensor resolutions of the NX5 (15MP) and RX100 II (20MP) and the NX5 (APS-C) and RX100 II (1") offer totally different sensor sizing.

Photography Glossary

The NX5 was revealed 4 years prior to the RX100 II which is a fairly sizable difference as far as camera technology is concerned. Both cameras feature different body design with the Samsung NX5 being a SLR-style mirrorless camera and the Sony RX100 II being a Large Sensor Compact camera.

Before we go straight to a comprehensive comparison, here is a quick highlight of how the NX5 matches up vs the RX100 II when considering portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

This is a preview of the gallery images for Samsung NX5 & Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 II. The full galleries are available at Samsung NX5 Gallery & Sony RX100 II Gallery.

For anybody who is going to travel with your camera frequently, you'll have to factor in its weight and measurements. The Samsung NX5 has got outer dimensions of 123mm x 87mm x 40mm (4.8" x 3.4" x 1.6") accompanied by a weight of 499 grams (1.10 lbs) while the Sony RX100 II has proportions of 102mm x 58mm x 38mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 1.5") with a weight of 281 grams (0.62 lbs).

See the Samsung NX5 and Sony RX100 II in our completely new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Take into consideration, the weight of an ILC will vary dependant on the lens you are working with at the time. Here is a front view proportions comparison of the NX5 and the RX100 II.

Taking into consideration dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the NX5 and RX100 II is 80 and 89 respectively.

More often than not, it's tough to see the gap in sensor dimensions purely by going through technical specs. The picture below might offer you a better sense of the sensor sizes in the NX5 and RX100 II.

As you can tell, each of these cameras come with different megapixels and different sensor dimensions. The NX5 with its bigger sensor will make shooting bokeh easier and the Sony RX100 II will provide extra detail because of its extra 5MP. Higher resolution will also let you crop photographs a good deal more aggressively. The more aged NX5 will be disadvantaged when it comes to sensor tech.