Olympus E-1 vs Sony A390

Let's examine more closely at the Olympus E-1 and Sony A390, former is a Pro DSLR while the other is a Entry-Level DSLR by companies Olympus and Sony. There is a sizable difference between the resolutions of the E-1 (5MP) and A390 (14MP) and the E-1 (Four Thirds) and A390 (APS-C) enjoy totally different sensor measurements.

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The E-1 was unveiled 7 years earlier than the A390 which is quite a significant difference as far as tech is concerned. The two cameras offer different body type with the Olympus E-1 being a Large SLR camera and the Sony A390 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before diving through a more detailed comparison, below is a simple summation of how the E-1 grades versus the A390 with regard to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

The following is a sample of the gallery pictures for Olympus E-1 & Sony Alpha DSLR-A390. The full galleries are provided at Olympus E-1 Gallery & Sony A390 Gallery.

When you are going to carry around your camera regularly, you will want to take into account its weight and size. The Olympus E-1 provides physical measurements of 141mm x 104mm x 81mm (5.6" x 4.1" x 3.2") with a weight of 735 grams (1.62 lbs) whilst the Sony A390 has specifications of 128mm x 97mm x 86mm (5.0" x 3.8" x 3.4") along with a weight of 549 grams (1.21 lbs).

Examine the Olympus E-1 and Sony A390 in our completely new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Remember that, the weight of an ILC will vary dependant on the lens you are using at that moment. Below is the front view proportions comparison of the E-1 compared to the A390.

Taking into consideration size and weight, the portability score of the E-1 and A390 is 59 and 66 respectively.

Oftentimes, its tough to see the difference between sensor sizes simply by going over technical specs. The pic below may give you a better sense of the sensor measurements in the E-1 and A390.

As you have seen, both of the cameras enjoy different megapixel count and different sensor sizes. The E-1 having a tinier sensor will make shooting shallow depth of field more difficult and the Sony A390 will offer you extra detail having an extra 9 Megapixels. Greater resolution can also let you crop pics far more aggressively. The more aged E-1 is going to be behind when it comes to sensor tech.