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Olympus E-1 vs Sony A900

Portability
59
Imaging
38
Features
36
Overall
37
Olympus E-1 front
 
Sony Alpha DSLR-A900 front
Portability
54
Imaging
66
Features
62
Overall
64

Olympus E-1 vs Sony A900 Key Specs

Olympus E-1
(Full Review)
  • 5MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 1.8" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 3200
  • No Video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 735g - 141 x 104 x 81mm
  • Launched November 2003
  • Replacement is Olympus E-3
Sony A900
(Full Review)
  • 25MP - Full frame Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 6400
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1/8000s Max Shutter
  • No Video
  • Sony/Minolta Alpha Mount
  • 895g - 156 x 117 x 82mm
  • Launched October 2008
  • Newer Model is Sony A99
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Olympus E-1 vs Sony A900 Overview

Lets look more closely at the Olympus E-1 versus Sony A900, one being a Pro DSLR and the latter is a Advanced DSLR by companies Olympus and Sony. There exists a crucial gap between the image resolutions of the E-1 (5MP) and A900 (25MP) and the E-1 (Four Thirds) and A900 (Full frame) boast different sensor measurements.

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The E-1 was released 5 years before the A900 and that is quite a serious gap as far as technology is concerned. Both of these cameras have different body design with the Olympus E-1 being a Large SLR camera and the Sony A900 being a Mid-size SLR camera.

Before we go straight to a comprehensive comparison, here is a brief summary of how the E-1 matches up versus the A900 for portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-1 over the Sony A900

 E-1 A900 

Reasons to pick Sony A900 over the Olympus E-1

 A900 E-1 
LaunchedOctober 2008November 2003More recent by 59 months
Screen dimensions3"1.8"Bigger screen (+1.2")
Screen resolution922k134kClearer screen (+788k dot)

Common features in the Olympus E-1 and Sony A900

 E-1 A900 
Manual focus Very exact focusing
Screen typeFixed Fixed Fixed screen
Selfie screen No selfie screen
Touch friendly screen No Touch friendly screen

Olympus E-1 vs Sony A900 Physical Comparison

For those who are aiming to lug around your camera, you'll need to factor its weight and measurements. The Olympus E-1 comes with physical measurements of 141mm x 104mm x 81mm (5.6" x 4.1" x 3.2") accompanied by a weight of 735 grams (1.62 lbs) while the Sony A900 has proportions of 156mm x 117mm x 82mm (6.1" x 4.6" x 3.2") along with a weight of 895 grams (1.97 lbs).

Compare the Olympus E-1 versus Sony A900 in the latest Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Do not forget, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ dependant on the lens you are utilising at that moment. The following is a front view measurements comparison of the E-1 and the A900.

Olympus E-1 vs Sony A900 size comparison

Taking into account dimensions and weight, the portability score of the E-1 and A900 is 59 and 54 respectively.

Olympus E-1 vs Sony A900 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-1 vs Sony A900 Sensor Comparison

Quite often, it is very difficult to imagine the contrast between sensor measurements only by reviewing a spec sheet. The visual below will help offer you a much better sense of the sensor sizing in the E-1 and A900.

As you can see, both of the cameras provide different megapixels and different sensor measurements. The E-1 due to its tinier sensor is going to make achieving shallow depth of field tougher and the Sony A900 will offer you greater detail as a result of its extra 20MP. Higher resolution can also help you crop pictures more aggressively. The older E-1 is going to be behind when it comes to sensor technology.

Olympus E-1 vs Sony A900 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-1 vs Sony A900 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-1 vs Sony A900 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-1 Portrait photography features
Sony A900 Portrait photography features
46
you can focus manually
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
delivers RAW files
no liveview
MP count low (5 megapixels)
71
you can focus manually
megapixel count great (25 megapixels)
large sensor size (Full frame)
saves RAW files
does not have liveview
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-1 Street photography information
Sony A900 Street photography information
57
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
delivers RAW files
weather proof
lighter than competition (735 grams)
no articulating screen
no image stabilization
66
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
large sensor size (Full frame)
saves RAW files
weather proofing
screen does not articulate
Photography Glossary

Sports Comparison

Olympus E-1 Sports photography advice
Sony A900 Sports photography advice
40
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
weather proof
has phase detect autofocus
no liveview
max fps very slow (3.0 frames/s)
no image stabilization
MP count low (5MP)
70
great max shutter speed (1/8,000 seconds)
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
megapixel count great (25MP)
large sensor size (Full frame)
weather proofing
supports phase detect autofocus
does not have liveview
low frames per second (5.0 frames/s)
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-1 Travel photography details
Sony A900 Travel photography details
47
lighter than competition (735g)
weather proof
no Timelapse mode
MP count low (5 megapixels)
screen isn't selfie friendly
54
weather proofing
megapixel count great (25MP)
does not have Time Lapse function
doesn't have selfie friendly screen
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-1 Landscape photography highlights
Sony A900 Landscape photography highlights
46
you can focus manually
swap lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
nice sensor size (Four Thirds)
delivers RAW files
weather proof
screen is small (1.8")
no liveview
no image stabilization
MP count low (5MP)
no Timelapse mode
72
you can focus manually
swap lenses (Sony/Minolta Alpha mount)
screen size is decent (3 inches)
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
megapixel count great (25MP)
large sensor size (Full frame)
saves RAW files
weather proofing
has double storage slots
does not have liveview
does not have Time Lapse function
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-1 Vlogging features
Sony A900 Vlogging features
9
lack of video recording
9
no video shooting
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Olympus E-1 vs Sony A900 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-1 and Sony A900
 Olympus E-1Sony Alpha DSLR-A900
General Information
Make Olympus Sony
Model Olympus E-1 Sony Alpha DSLR-A900
Class Pro DSLR Advanced DSLR
Launched 2003-11-29 2008-10-22
Body design Large SLR Mid-size SLR
Sensor Information
Powered by - Bionz
Sensor type CCD CMOS
Sensor size Four Thirds Full frame
Sensor dimensions 17.3 x 13mm 35.9 x 24mm
Sensor surface area 224.9mm² 861.6mm²
Sensor resolution 5MP 25MP
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 3:2 and 16:9
Maximum resolution 2560 x 1920 6048 x 4032
Maximum native ISO 3200 6400
Lowest native ISO 100 100
RAW pictures
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch focus
AF continuous
AF single
Tracking AF
AF selectice
Center weighted AF
Multi area AF
Live view AF
Face detection AF
Contract detection AF
Phase detection AF
Number of focus points 3 9
Lens
Lens mounting type Micro Four Thirds Sony/Minolta Alpha
Number of lenses 45 143
Crop factor 2.1 1
Screen
Range of screen Fixed Type Fixed Type
Screen sizing 1.8" 3"
Screen resolution 134 thousand dot 922 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch capability
Screen technology - TFT Xtra Fine color LCD
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Optical (pentaprism) Optical (pentaprism)
Viewfinder coverage 100% 100%
Viewfinder magnification 0.48x 0.74x
Features
Slowest shutter speed 60s 30s
Maximum shutter speed 1/4000s 1/8000s
Continuous shooting speed 3.0fps 5.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Set WB
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash range no built-in flash no built-in flash
Flash options Auto, Auto FP, Manual, Red-Eye Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, Rear Curtain, Fill-in, Wireless
Hot shoe
AE bracketing
WB bracketing
Maximum flash sync 1/180s 1/250s
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Maximum video resolution None None
Mic jack
Headphone jack
Connectivity
Wireless None None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environment seal
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 735g (1.62 lb) 895g (1.97 lb)
Physical dimensions 141 x 104 x 81mm (5.6" x 4.1" x 3.2") 156 x 117 x 82mm (6.1" x 4.6" x 3.2")
DXO scores
DXO All around score not tested 79
DXO Color Depth score not tested 23.7
DXO Dynamic range score not tested 12.3
DXO Low light score not tested 1431
Other
Battery life - 880 photographs
Battery form - Battery Pack
Battery model - NP-FM500H
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse shooting
Storage media Compact Flash (Type I or II) Compact Flash (Type I or II), Memory Stick Duo / Pro Duo, UDMA Mode 5, Supports FAT12 / FAT16 / FAT32
Storage slots Single Two
Cost at launch $1,700 $2,736