Olympus E-3 vs Sony A290

The following is a extended comparison of the Olympus E-3 versus Sony A290, former is a Advanced DSLR while the latter is a Entry-Level DSLR by manufacturers Olympus and Sony. There is a considerable difference between the resolutions of the E-3 (10MP) and A290 (14MP) and the E-3 (Four Thirds) and A290 (APS-C) offer totally different sensor dimensions.

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The E-3 was manufactured 3 years earlier than the A290 which is quite a large difference as far as tech is concerned. Each of these cameras have different body design with the Olympus E-3 being a Mid-size SLR camera and the Sony A290 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before delving straight to a in-depth comparison, here is a short introduction of how the E-3 grades vs the A290 with respect to portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

Below is a preview of the gallery photos for Olympus E-3 & Sony Alpha DSLR-A290. The entire galleries are available at Olympus E-3 Gallery & Sony A290 Gallery.

For anyone who is aiming to travel with your camera regularly, you will need to take into account its weight and volume. The Olympus E-3 features exterior dimensions of 142mm x 116mm x 75mm (5.6" x 4.6" x 3.0") with a weight of 890 grams (1.96 lbs) whilst the Sony A290 has sizing of 128mm x 97mm x 86mm (5.0" x 3.8" x 3.4") and a weight of 549 grams (1.21 lbs).

Compare the Olympus E-3 versus Sony A290 in our completely new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Always remember, the weight of an ILC will change dependant on the lens you have attached at that time. Underneath is a front view scale comparison of the E-3 and the A290.

Looking at size and weight, the portability score of the E-3 and A290 is 56 and 66 respectively.

Usually, it is very hard to visualise the difference between sensor dimensions only by checking specs. The pic below should give you a far better sense of the sensor sizes in the E-3 and A290.

As you can plainly see, both of these cameras have different megapixel count and different sensor dimensions. The E-3 featuring a tinier sensor will make achieving shallower depth of field tougher and the Sony A290 will give you extra detail due to its extra 4 Megapixels. Higher resolution can also make it easier to crop shots a bit more aggressively. The more aged E-3 is going to be disadvantaged with regard to sensor innovation.