Updated (August, 2012): Compare the Nikon 1 J2 vs Olympus PEN E-P3

Nikon 1 J1
Winner
Nikon 1 J1

59

vs
Olympus PEN E-P2

40

Olympus PEN E-P2
Runner-up
 
 
 
 

Reasons to buy the Nikon 1 J1

High-speed framerate
 High speed movies
1,200 fps
Continuous shooting
 Rapid fire
60 fps
Movie continuous focus
 Movie continuous focus
Makes it easy to get in-focus movies
Badge
 Phase detection video autofocus
fast and accurate
 

Reasons to buy the Olympus PEN E-P2

Image stabilization
 Image stabilization
Sensor shift
Badge
 Built-in focus motor
Autofocuses with more lenses
Interchangeable lenses
 Interchangeable lenses
Many lenses to choose from
External flash
 External flash
Better lighting
 
Differences | Recommendations | Similarities | Competitors | Appearance | Discussion

differences

Advantages of the Nikon J1
Movie format Higher resolution movies 1080p @ 30fps vs 720p @ 30fps
Help
 Shoots higher resolution Full HD (1080p) video
High-speed framerate Records high-speed movies 1,200 fps vs None
Help
 Capture events too fast for the naked eye and play them back in super-slow motion
Continuous shooting Shoots much faster 60 fps vs 3 fps
Help
 20x faster continuous shooting
Autofocus Faster autofocus Phase detection vs Contrast detection
Help
 Catch candid moments easily
Screen resolution Higher resolution screen 460k dots vs 230k dots
Help
 2x higher resolution screen
Shutter lag Significantly less shutter lag 94 ms vs 956 ms
Help
 10.2x less delay when taking photos
Startup delay Less startup delay 1400 ms vs 2300 ms
Help
 Around 40% less delay when turning on
Dynamic range More dynamic range 11 EV vs 10.4 EV
Help
 0.6 f-stops more dynamic range
Size Smaller 106x61x29 mm vs 121x70x36 mm
Help
 Around 40% smaller
Fastest shutter speed Much faster max shutter speed 1/16000s vs 1/4000s
Help
 4x faster max shutter speed
Built-in flash Built-in flash Yes vs No
Help
 A built-in flash is useful for taking indoor shots where there is little light
Weight Lighter 277 g vs 355 g
Help
 More than 20% lighter
Thickness Thinner 1.2" vs 1.4"
Help
 Around 20% thinner
Nikon 1 J1 Learn more about
the Nikon J1

Advantages of the Olympus PEN E-P2
Image stabilization Image stabilization Sensor shift vs None
Help
 Helps eliminate blur caused by small camera movements
Low light performance Lower noise at high ISO 505 ISO vs 372 ISO
Help
 The PEN E-P2 has a slight edge (0.4 f-stops) in low noise, high ISO performance
Battery life Longer battery life 300 shots vs 230 shots
Help
 More than 30% more shots per battery charge
Lens availability More lenses available 26 lenses vs 4 lenses
Help
 6.5x more lenses available
Sensor size Larger sensor Four thirds 18.0x13.5mm vs Nikon CX 13.2x8.8mm
Help
 More than 2x larger sensor
True resolution Higher true resolution 12.2 MP vs 10 MP
Help
 Capture more than 20% more detail in your photos
External flash Supports an external flash Yes vs No
Help
 An external flash often produces better looking flash images
Longest exposure Longer exposures 60s vs 30s
Help
 2x longer exposures
Olympus PEN E-P2 Learn more about
the Olympus PEN E-P2
vs

recommendations

Relative to the best recent mirrorless cameras, and ignoring price

Nikon 1 J1 Nikon 1 J1
59 vs 40
Explain scores
Olympus PEN E-P2 Olympus PEN E-P2
Green arrow Snapsort recommends the Nikon 1 J1.

similarities

Compared to recent mirrorless cameras

Common Strengths Common Weaknesses

Snapsort is not aware of any interesting strengths shared by these two products.
Panorama Neither camera stitches together panoramas Help
You could stitch photos in post
Light sensitivity Poor maximum light sensitivity Help
3,200 ISO
3D Neither camera can take 3D photos Help
No 3d support
HDR Neither has in-camera HDR Help
You could do HDR manually
True resolution Capture low resolution images Help
J1:10 MP
PEN E-P2:12.2 MP
Supports 24p No support for 24p Help
Missing that film look
Screen flips out No flip-out screens Help
Less flexible
Touch screen No touchscreens Help
More buttons
Battery life Few shots per battery charge Help
J1:230 shots
PEN E-P2:300 shots
Dynamic range Poor dynamic range Help
J1:11 EV
PEN E-P2:10.4 EV
Screen resolution Low resolution screens Help
J1:460k dots
PEN E-P2:230k dots
Viewfinder No viewfinders Help
Can only preview photos on the screen
Overall image quality Low image quality Help
56.0
Low light performance Above average noise at high ISO Help
J1:372 ISO
PEN E-P2:505 ISO

dxomark

DXOMark

competitors

Shared Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages
Nikon 1 V1

Nikon 1 V1

Mirrorless interchangeable-lens

$596 body only

$407 with 10-30mm lens
Screen resolution Has a significantly higher resolution screen
Viewfinder Has a viewfinder
Thickness Is thicker
Size Is slightly larger
Compare the 1 V1 vs the 1 J1
Compare the 1 V1 vs the PEN E-P2
Nikon D3100

Nikon D3100

Entry-level DSLR

$447 - $740 with 18-55mm lens
Low light performance Is slightly less noisy at high ISO
Overall image quality Has slightly better image quality
Fastest shutter speed Has a slower max shutter speed
Thickness Is thicker
Compare the D3100 vs the 1 J1
Compare the D3100 vs the PEN E-P2
Olympus PEN E-PM1

Olympus PEN E-PM1

Mirrorless interchangeable-lens

$279 - $299 with 14-42mm lens
Light sensitivity Slightly higher maximum light sensitivity
Panorama Creates panoramas in-camera
Fastest shutter speed Has a slower max shutter speed
Autofocus Users slower contrast detection autofocus
Compare the PEN E-PM1 vs the 1 J1
Compare the PEN E-PM1 vs the PEN E-P2
Sony Alpha NEX-3

Sony Alpha NEX-3

Mirrorless interchangeable-lens

$448 with 16-50mm lens
Low light performance Is slightly less noisy at high ISO
Overall image quality Has slightly better image quality
Fastest shutter speed Has a slower max shutter speed
Autofocus Users slower contrast detection autofocus
Compare the Alpha NEX-3 vs the 1 J1
Compare the Alpha NEX-3 vs the PEN E-P2
Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF3

Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF3

Mirrorless interchangeable-lens

$514 with 14-42mm lens
Touch screen Has a touch screen
3D Captures 3D images
Fastest shutter speed Has a slower max shutter speed
Autofocus Users slower contrast detection autofocus
Compare the Lumix DMC-GF3 vs the 1 J1
Compare the Lumix DMC-GF3 vs the PEN E-P2
Canon EOS M

Canon EOS M

Mirrorless interchangeable-lens

$479 - $599 with 22mm lens
Low light performance Is slightly less noisy at high ISO
Overall image quality Has slightly better image quality
Fastest shutter speed Has a slower max shutter speed
Autofocus Users slower contrast detection autofocus
Compare the EOS M vs the 1 J1
Compare the EOS M vs the PEN E-P2
Sony Alpha NEX-5

Sony Alpha NEX-5

Mirrorless interchangeable-lens

$656 - $743 with 18-55mm lens
Low light performance Is slightly less noisy at high ISO
Overall image quality Has slightly better image quality
Fastest shutter speed Has a slower max shutter speed
Thickness Is thicker
Compare the Alpha NEX-5 vs the 1 J1
Compare the Alpha NEX-5 vs the PEN E-P2

Nikon 1 J1 Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages
Nikon 1 J3

Nikon 1 J3

Mirrorless interchangeable-lens

$547 with 10-30mm lens
Screen resolution Significantly higher resolution screen
Panorama Can create panoramas in-camera
Color depth Worse color depth
Overall image quality Worse image quality
Compare the 1 J3 vs the 1 J1
Nikon 1 J2

Nikon 1 J2

Mirrorless interchangeable-lens

$329 with 10-30mm lens
Screen resolution Significantly higher resolution screen
Panorama Can create panoramas in-camera
Overall image quality Slightly worse image quality
Color depth Worse color depth
Compare the 1 J2 vs the 1 J1
Samsung NX1000

Samsung NX1000

Mirrorless interchangeable-lens

$308 - $549 with 20-50mm lens
Screen resolution Significantly higher resolution screen
True resolution Much higher true resolution
High-speed framerate Doesn't record high-speed movies
Continuous shooting Shoots much slower
Compare the NX1000 vs the 1 J1
Nikon 1 S1

Nikon 1 S1

Mirrorless interchangeable-lens

$447 with 11-2mm lens
Light sensitivity Better maximum light sensitivity
Dynamic range More dynamic range
Color depth Worse color depth
Lowest price Slightly more expensive
Compare the 1 S1 vs the 1 J1
Sony NEX-5N

Sony NEX-5N

Mirrorless interchangeable-lens

$650 with 18-55mm lens
Low light performance Much lower noise at high ISO
Overall image quality Significantly better image quality
High-speed framerate Doesn't record high-speed movies
Continuous shooting Shoots much slower
Compare the NEX-5N vs the 1 J1

Olympus PEN E-P2 Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages
Olympus PEN E-P3

Olympus PEN E-P3

Mirrorless interchangeable-lens

$369 with 14-42mm lens
Movie format Higher resolution movies
Screen resolution Significantly higher resolution screen
Color depth Worse color depth
Overall image quality Worse image quality
Compare the PEN E-P3 vs the PEN E-P2
Olympus PEN E-PL2

Olympus PEN E-PL2

Mirrorless interchangeable-lens
Screen resolution Higher resolution screen
Startup delay Less startup delay
Battery life Slightly shorter battery life
Color depth Worse color depth
Compare the PEN E-PL2 vs the PEN E-P2
Panasonic Lumix DMC-GX1

Panasonic Lumix DMC-GX1

Mirrorless interchangeable-lens

$234 - $235 body only

$388 with 14-42mm lens
Movie format Higher resolution movies
Touch screen Has a touch screen
Image stabilization No image stabilization
Color depth Worse color depth
Compare the Lumix DMC-GX1 vs the PEN E-P2
Olympus PEN E-P1

Olympus PEN E-P1

Mirrorless interchangeable-lens

$285 body only

$399 with 14-42mm lens
Shutter lag More shutter lag
Startup delay Slightly more startup delay
Compare the PEN E-P1 vs the PEN E-P2

appearance

Nikon 1 J1 Olympus PEN E-P2
Nikon 1 J1 Olympus PEN E-P2
Nikon 1 J1 Olympus PEN E-P2

discussion

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