Size and weight is a big decision factor when you are trying to find the ideal camera for your needs.
In this section, We are going to illustrate Samsung NX100 and Olympus E-PM2 side-by-side from the front, back and top in their relative dimensions. Samsung NX100 has external dimensions of 120 x 71 x 35 mm (4.72 x 2.8 x 1.38″) and weighs 282 g (0.62 lb / 9.95 oz) (including batteries). Olympus E-PM2 has external dimensions of 110 x 64 x 34 mm (4.33 x 2.52 x 1.34″) and weighs 269 g (0.59 lb / 9.49 oz) (including batteries).
Below you can see the front view size comparison of Samsung NX100 and Olympus E-PM2. Olympus E-PM2 is clearly the smaller of the two cameras. Its body is 10mm narrower, 7mm shorter and 1mm thinner than Samsung NX100.
![Samsung NX100 vs Olympus E-PM2 Camera Size Comparison - Front View]()
Comparison image of Samsung NX100 and Olympus E-PM2 Size, Weight and External Dimensions - Front View
Now lets look at the top view comparison of Samsung NX100 and Olympus E-PM2.
![Samsung NX100 vs Olympus E-PM2 Camera Size Comparison - Top View]()
Top View Comparison image of Samsung NX100 and Olympus E-PM2 Size
Weight is another important factor especially when deciding on a camera that you want to carry with you all day.
Olympus E-PM2 is 13g lighter than the Samsung NX100 but we don't think this will make a significant difference.
Also keep in mind that body weight is not the only deciding factor when comparing two interchangeable camera bodies, you have to also take into account the lenses that you will be using with these bodies. Since Samsung NX100 has an APS-C sized sensor and Olympus E-PM2 has a smaller Four Thirds sensor, Olympus E-PM2's lenses for a similar focal length and aperture will generally be lighter and smaller than the Samsung NX100 lenses.
Weight Comparison
Mirrorless Cameras
Thickness Comparison
Mirrorless Cameras
Weather Sealing
Unfortunately neither Samsung NX100 nor Olympus PEN E-PM2 provides any type of weather sealing in their body, so you have to give extra care especially when you are shooting outdoors. If weather sealing is a must-have feature for you, check these sections: Top Mirrorless Cameras with Weather Sealing
LCD Screen Size and Features
Samsung NX100 and Olympus E-PM2's LCD screens has the same diagonal size of 3".
Unfortunately, both cameras has fixed screens so they don't tilt or flip in directions.
Samsung NX100 has a 15.0MP APS-C (23.4 x 15.6 mm ) sized CMOS sensor and features DRIMe Engine processor. On the other hand, Olympus E-PM2 has a 16.0MP Four Thirds (17.3 x 13 mm ) sized CMOS sensor .
Below you can see the NX100 and E-PM2 sensor size comparison.
![Samsung NX100 vs Olympus E-PM2 Sensor Size Comparison]()
Sensor Size and Resolution Comparison image of Samsung NX100 and Olympus E-PM2 Cameras
As seen above, Samsung NX100 has a 1.6x Larger sensor area than Olympus E-PM2. Larger sensors give photographer more control on the depth of field and blurry background compared to smaller sensor when shot in same focal length and aperture.
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 NX100 and Olympus E-PM2 sensors have been tested by DxO and the results show that E-PM2 has a better overall score of 72, 10 points higher compared to NX100's score of 62.
| Model |
Overall |
Color Depth |
Dynamic Range |
Low-light ISO |
|
Samsung NX100 |
62 |
22.6 bits |
10.7 Evs |
563 ISO |
|
Olympus E-PM2 |
72 |
22.7 bits |
12.2 Evs |
932 ISO |
Number of available lenses is a big decision factor while choosing your interchangeable lens camera. When we look at the available lenses for these two cameras, we see that Olympus E-PM2 has an advantage over Samsung NX100 There are 107 lenses for Olympus E-PM2's Micro Four Thirds mount, on the other hand there are only 32 lenses for Samsung NX100's Samsung NX lens mount.
Another important factor is the availability of image stabilization. Both Samsung NX100 and Olympus E-PM2 has Sensor based Image stabilization which means that all the lenses will be stabilized in these bodies.
| Lens Type |
# of Samsung NX100 Lenses |
# of Olympus E-PM2 Lenses |
| Standard Zoom |
4 |
15 |
| Standard Prime |
5 |
13 |
| Wideangle Zoom |
1 |
5 |
| Wideangle Prime |
11 |
29 |
| Telephoto Zoom |
2 |
18 |
| Telephoto Prime |
3 |
9 |
| SuperZoom |
1 |
8 |
| Wideangle Fisheye Prime |
4 |
5 |
| Macro Prime |
1 |
4 |
| Perspective Control Prime |
n/a |
n/a |
| Telephoto Mirror Prime |
n/a |
1 |
| TOTAL |
32 |
107 |
In this section, we rank and compare Samsung NX100 and Olympus E-PM2 for five different photography types in order to make your decision process easier in case you are specifically interested in one or more of these areas.
Samsung NX100 for Portrait Photography
Olympus E-PM2 for Portrait Photography
Large APS-C (23.4 x 15.6 mm) sensor
Image Stabilization
Average Resolution Sensor: 15.0MP
Optional External Viewfinder
Average Ergonomics&Handling
Read the details
Large Four Thirds (17.3 x 13 mm) sensor
Image Stabilization
Average Resolution Sensor: 16.0MP
Optional External Viewfinder
Average Ergonomics&Handling
Read the details
Samsung NX100 for Street Photography
Olympus E-PM2 for Street Photography
Large APS-C (23.4 x 15.6 mm) sensor
Image Stabilization
Live-view
Face-Detection Focusing
Optional External Viewfinder
Medium sized Body
Read the details
Large Four Thirds (17.3 x 13 mm) sensor
Image Stabilization
Live-view
Face-Detection Focusing
Optional External Viewfinder
Medium sized Body
Read the details
Samsung NX100 for Sports Photography
Olympus E-PM2 for Sports Photography
Image Stabilization
Fast Max shutter speed: 1/4000s
15 Focus Points
Optional External Viewfinder
Average Ergonomics&Handling
Slow Continuous Shooting: 3.0fps
Environmental Sealings
Read the details
Image Stabilization
Fast Continuous Shooting: 8.0fps
Fast Max shutter speed: 1/4000s
35 Focus Points
Optional External Viewfinder
Average Ergonomics&Handling
Environmental Sealings
Read the details
Samsung NX100 for Daily Photography
Olympus E-PM2 for Daily Photography
Samsung NX100 for Landscape Photography
Olympus E-PM2 for Landscape Photography
Large APS-C (23.4 x 15.6 mm) sensor
Live-view
Average Resolution Sensor: 15.0MP
No Environmental Sealings
Read the details
Large Four Thirds (17.3 x 13 mm) sensor
Live-view
Average Resolution Sensor: 16.0MP
No Environmental Sealings
Read the details
You may have already made your decision about which camera suits better for your needs and your budget so far but in case you wonder how we rated Samsung NX100 and Olympus E-PM2, below you can find their scores in five different aspects.
Our Decision Algorithm dynamically scores cameras using 63 different specs, current price and DxO Mark scores (where possible) in order to make a more objective and consistent comparison.
Here is a summary of how Samsung NX100 and Olympus E-PM2 scores compare:
Samsung NX100
Ranked
#100 out of 126 in Rangefinder-style mirrorless cameras
Ranked
#425 out of 1220 in all Cameras
Olympus E-PM2
Ranked
#47 out of 126 in Rangefinder-style mirrorless cameras
Ranked
#256 out of 1220 in all Cameras
Olympus E-PM2 is the clear winner of this comparison. It has a higher Overall Score and beats Samsung NX100 in all criteria.
It has better general image quality, more features, more compact body and offers more value for the money
| General |
Samsung NX100 |
Olympus PEN E-PM2 |
| Brand |
Samsung |
Olympus |
| Announced |
2010-09-14 |
2013-05-21 |
| Body Type |
Rangefinder-style mirrorless |
Rangefinder-style mirrorless |
Sensor |
|
|
| Type |
CMOS |
CMOS |
| Size |
APS-C |
Four Thirds |
| Dimensions |
23.4 x 15.6 mm |
17.3 x 13 mm |
| Area |
365.04mm2 |
224.90mm2 |
| Megapixels |
15 megapixels |
16 megapixels |
| Max Resolution |
4592 x 3056 |
4608 x 3456 |
| Max Native Light sensitivity |
6,400 ISO |
25,600 ISO |
| Min Native Light sensitivity |
100 ISO |
200 ISO |
| RAW Support |
|
|
Autofocus |
|
|
| AF Touch |
|
|
| AF Continuous |
|
|
| AF Single |
|
|
| AF Tracking |
|
|
| AF Selective |
|
|
| AF Center |
|
|
| AF Multi Area |
|
|
| AF Live View |
|
|
| AF Face Detection |
|
|
| AF Contrast Detection |
|
|
| AF Phase Detection |
|
|
| Number of Focus Points |
15 |
35 |
Lens |
|
|
| Manual Focus |
|
|
| Lens Mount |
Samsung NX |
Micro Four Thirds |
| Number of Available Lenses |
32 |
107 |
Screen |
|
|
| Type |
Fixed type |
Fixed type |
| Size |
3" |
3" |
| Resolution |
614k dots |
460k dots |
| Touch Screen |
|
|
Viewfinder |
|
|
| Viewfinder |
Electronic (optional) |
Electronic (optional) |
Photography Features |
|
|
| Max Mechanical Shutter |
1/4000s |
1/4000s |
| Shutter Priority |
|
|
| Aperture Priority |
|
|
| Manual Exposure Mode |
|
|
| Custom White Balance |
|
|
| Image Stabilization |
Digital only |
Sensor-shift |
| Built-in Flash |
|
|
| Flash Range |
no built-in flash |
7.00 m (bundled FL-LM1) |
| Max Flash Sync |
1/180s |
1/250s |
| External Flash |
|
|
| Continuous Shooting |
3.0 fps |
8.0 fps |
| Multi-Segment |
|
|
| Average |
|
|
| Spot |
|
|
| Partial |
|
|
| AF-Area |
|
|
| Center Weighted |
|
|
| AE Bracketing |
|
|
| WB Bracketing |
|
|
Video Features |
|
|
| Max Video Resolution |
1280 x 720 |
1920 x 1080 |
| Video Formats |
H.264 |
MPEG-4, H.264, Motion JPEG |
| Microphone Port |
|
|
| Headphone Port |
|
|
Connectivity |
|
|
| Wireless Connectivity |
None |
Eye-Fi Connected |
| HDMI |
|
|
Physical |
|
|
| Environmental Sealing |
|
|
| Weight |
282g |
269g |
| Dimensions |
120 x 71 x 35mm |
110 x 64 x 34mm |
| Battery Life |
420 shots |
360 shots |
Other Features |
|
|
| Timelapse Recording |
|
|
| GPS |
Optional |
None |
DxO Sensor Scores |
|
|
| DxO Overall Score |
62 |
72 |
| DxO Color Depth |
22.6 |
22.7 |
| DxO Dynamic Range |
10.7 |
12.2 |
| DxO Low Light ISO |
563 |
932 |
|
Report a correction |
Report a correction |