Clicky

Olympus E-450 vs Sony A290

Portability
77
Imaging
45
Features
36
Overall
41
Olympus E-450 front
 
Sony Alpha DSLR-A290 front
Portability
66
Imaging
54
Features
47
Overall
51

Olympus E-450 vs Sony A290 Key Specs

Olympus E-450
(Full Review)
  • 10MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 2.7" Fixed Display
  • ISO 100 - 1600
  • No Video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 426g - 130 x 91 x 53mm
  • Released March 2009
  • Succeeded the Olympus E-330
Sony A290
(Full Review)
  • 14MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 2.7" Fixed Display
  • ISO 100 - 3200
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • No Video
  • Sony/Minolta Alpha Mount
  • 549g - 128 x 97 x 86mm
  • Introduced June 2010
  • Previous Model is Sony A230
Meta to Introduce 'AI-Generated' Labels for Media starting next month

Olympus E-450 vs Sony A290 Overview

In this write-up, we are comparing the Olympus E-450 versus Sony A290, both Entry-Level DSLR digital cameras by rivals Olympus and Sony. There is a considerable difference between the sensor resolutions of the E-450 (10MP) and A290 (14MP) and the E-450 (Four Thirds) and A290 (APS-C) use totally different sensor size.

President Biden pushes bill mandating TikTok sale or ban

The E-450 was manufactured 14 months earlier than the A290 making the cameras a generation away from each other. Both cameras offer the identical body type (Compact SLR).

Before delving straight into a detailed comparison, below is a brief summation of how the E-450 matches up against the A290 for portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

Apple Innovates by Creating Next-Level Optical Stabilization for iPhone
	
	

Reasons to pick Olympus E-450 over the Sony A290

 E-450 A290 

Reasons to pick Sony A290 over the Olympus E-450

 A290 E-450 
IntroducedJune 2010March 2009Newer by 14 months

Common features in the Olympus E-450 and Sony A290

 E-450 A290 
Manually focus More exact focusing
Display typeFixed Fixed Fixed display
Display sizing2.7"2.7"Equivalent display size
Display resolution230k230kIdentical display resolution
Selfie screen No selfie screen
Touch display No Touch display

Olympus E-450 vs Sony A290 Physical Comparison

For anybody who is aiming to travel with your camera regularly, you will need to factor its weight and volume. The Olympus E-450 comes with external dimensions of 130mm x 91mm x 53mm (5.1" x 3.6" x 2.1") having a weight of 426 grams (0.94 lbs) and 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-450 versus Sony A290 in our brand new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Remember, the weight of an ILC will vary depending on the lens you select at the time. Following is the front view dimensions comparison of the E-450 vs the A290.

Olympus E-450 vs Sony A290 size comparison

Taking into consideration size and weight, the portability score of the E-450 and A290 is 77 and 66 respectively.

Olympus E-450 vs Sony A290 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-450 vs Sony A290 Sensor Comparison

Often, it's tough to envision the contrast between sensor dimensions just by reviewing technical specs. The picture below will help provide you a much better sense of the sensor sizes in the E-450 and A290.

As you have seen, the 2 cameras enjoy different megapixels and different sensor dimensions. The E-450 due to its tinier sensor will make getting shallower DOF harder and the Sony A290 will offer you greater detail due to its extra 4MP. Greater resolution will allow you to crop images far more aggressively. The more aged E-450 is going to be disadvantaged with regard to sensor innovation.

Olympus E-450 vs Sony A290 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-450 vs Sony A290 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-450 vs Sony A290 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
Sora from OpenAI releases its first ever music video

Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-450 Portrait photography advice
Sony A290 Portrait photography advice
57
has manual focus
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
delivers RAW formats
low resolution sensor (10MP)
65
has manual focus
good MP (14 megapixels)
sensor size is good (APS-C)
supports face detect focusing
supports RAW files
no liveview feature
Snapchat Adds Watermarks to AI-Created Images

Street Comparison

Street photography with Olympus E-450
Street photography with Sony A290
64
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
delivers RAW formats
lighter than competitors in class (426 grams)
screen is fixed
does not have image stabilization
66
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is good (APS-C)
supports RAW files
no articulating screen
Photobucket discusses licensing 13 billion images with AI firms

Sports Comparison

Sports photography with Olympus E-450
Sports photography with Sony A290
39
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
has phase detect autofocus
max fps low (4.0 frames per second)
does not have image stabilization
low resolution sensor (10MP)
bad battery life (500 shots)
55
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
good MP (14 megapixels)
sensor size is good (APS-C)
sensor has phase detect AF
no liveview feature
slow continuous shooting (3.0 fps)
bad battery pack (290 CIPA)
Japan-exclusive Leica Leitz Phone 3 features big sensor and new modes

Travel Comparison

Travel photography with Olympus E-450
Travel photography with Sony A290
53
lighter than competitors in class (426 grams)
has built in flash
lack of Timelapse function
bad battery life (500 shots)
low resolution sensor (10 megapixels)
screen is not selfie friendly
53
good MP (14 megapixels)
built-in flash
missing Time Lapse mode
bad battery pack (290 CIPA)
does not contain selfie friendly display
Photography Glossary

Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-450 Landscape photography info
Sony A290 Landscape photography info
47
has manual focus
change lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
delivers RAW formats
screen is small (2.7 inches)
does not have image stabilization
low resolution sensor (10 megapixels)
bad battery life (500 per charge)
lack of Timelapse function
58
has manual focus
interchangeable lenses (Sony/Minolta Alpha mount)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
good MP (14MP)
sensor size is good (APS-C)
supports RAW files
screen is small (2.7 inch)
no liveview feature
bad battery pack (290 CIPA)
missing Time Lapse mode
Pentax 17 Pre-Orders Outperform Expectations by a Landslide

Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-450 Vlogging factors
Sony A290 Vlogging factors
9
can't record video
9
can't record video
Samsung Releases Faster Versions of EVO MicroSD Cards

Olympus E-450 vs Sony A290 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-450 and Sony A290
 Olympus E-450Sony Alpha DSLR-A290
General Information
Company Olympus Sony
Model Olympus E-450 Sony Alpha DSLR-A290
Class Entry-Level DSLR Entry-Level DSLR
Released 2009-03-31 2010-06-09
Body design Compact SLR Compact SLR
Sensor Information
Processor Chip TruePic III Bionz
Sensor type CMOS CCD
Sensor size Four Thirds APS-C
Sensor dimensions 17.3 x 13mm 23.5 x 15.7mm
Sensor area 224.9mm² 369.0mm²
Sensor resolution 10MP 14MP
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 3:2 and 16:9
Max resolution 3648 x 2736 4592 x 3056
Max native ISO 1600 3200
Lowest native ISO 100 100
RAW data
Autofocusing
Manual focus
AF touch
Continuous AF
Single AF
AF tracking
Selective AF
AF center weighted
AF multi area
AF live view
Face detect AF
Contract detect AF
Phase detect AF
Number of focus points 3 9
Lens
Lens mounting type Micro Four Thirds Sony/Minolta Alpha
Total lenses 45 143
Focal length multiplier 2.1 1.5
Screen
Display type Fixed Type Fixed Type
Display diagonal 2.7" 2.7"
Resolution of display 230k dot 230k dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch friendly
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Optical (pentamirror) Optical (pentamirror)
Viewfinder coverage 95 percent 95 percent
Viewfinder magnification 0.46x 0.55x
Features
Min shutter speed 60 secs 30 secs
Max shutter speed 1/4000 secs 1/4000 secs
Continuous shutter speed 4.0 frames/s 3.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Custom WB
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash range 12.00 m (at ISO 100) 10.00 m (at ISO 100)
Flash modes Auto, Auto FP, Manual, Red-Eye Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, High Speed Sync, Rear Curtain, Fill-in, Wireless
Hot shoe
AE bracketing
White balance bracketing
Max flash sync 1/180 secs 1/160 secs
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Max video resolution None None
Mic input
Headphone input
Connectivity
Wireless None None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environmental seal
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 426 grams (0.94 lb) 549 grams (1.21 lb)
Dimensions 130 x 91 x 53mm (5.1" x 3.6" x 2.1") 128 x 97 x 86mm (5.0" x 3.8" x 3.4")
DXO scores
DXO Overall score 56 66
DXO Color Depth score 21.5 22.6
DXO Dynamic range score 10.5 11.5
DXO Low light score 512 615
Other
Battery life 500 photos 290 photos
Battery format Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery model - NP-FH50
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse shooting
Type of storage Compact Flash (Type I or II), xD Picture Card Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo, SD/SDHC
Storage slots Single Single
Retail price $138 $600