Samsung NX1 has a
28.0MP APS-C (23.5 x 15.7 mm ) sized BSI-CMOS sensor and features DRIMe 5 processor. On the other hand, Nikon D500 has a
21.0MP APS-C (23.5 x 15.7 mm ) sized CMOS sensor and features Expeed 5 processor.
Samsung NX1's sensor provides 7MP more than Nikon D500's sensor, which gives a significant advantage in real life. You can print your images larger or crop more freely.
On the other hand, please keep in mind that Max sensor resolution is not the only determinant of resolving power. Factors such as the optical elements, low pass filter, pixel size and sensor technology also affects the final resolution of the captured image.
Another similarity between these two cameras is that both Nikon D500 and Samsung NX1 sensors lack anti-alias (Low-Pass) filters. Removing anti-alias filter increases the sharpness and level of detail but at the same time, it increases the chance of moiré occurring in certain scenes.
Below you can see the NX1 and D500 sensor size comparison.
Samsung NX1 and Nikon D500 have the same sensor sizes so they will provide same level of control over the depth of field when used with same focal length and aperture. On the other hand, since Nikon D500 has 35% larger pixel area (17.85µm2 vs 13.18µm2) compared to Samsung NX1, it has larger pixel area to collect light hence potential to have less noise in low light / High ISO images.
DxOMark Sensor Scores
DxOMark is a benchmark that scientifically assesses image quality of camera sensors. It scores camera sensors for color depth (DXO Portrait), dynamic range (DXO Landscape) and low-light sensitivity (DXO Sports), and also gives them an overall score. Samsung NX1 and Nikon D500 sensors have been tested by DxO and the results show that D500 has a better overall score of 84, 1 points higher compared to NX1's score of 83.
Model |
Overall |
Color Depth |
Dynamic Range |
Low-light ISO |
Samsung NX1 |
83 |
24.2 bits |
13.2 Evs |
1363 ISO |
Nikon D500 |
84 |
24.1 bits |
14.0 Evs |
1324 ISO |