Olympus E-510 vs Sony T90

Exploring a Tale of Two Cameras: Olympus E-510 vs. Sony Cyber-shot T90

When the hunt begins for a capable camera, the landscape can be bewildering - especially when picking between wildly different models like the Olympus E-510, a mid-size DSLR from 2007, and the Sony Cyber-shot T90, a compact ultracamera launched in 2009. Though these two cameras didn’t compete head-to-head at retail (they occupy entirely different niches), comparing them side-by-side reveals fascinating insights about design philosophy, technology evolution, and who each camera is truly for.

I’ve spent more than a decade poking, prodding, shooting, and scrutinizing cameras across genres, from studio portrait work to wild safaris. Today, I’m digging into the strengths and quirks of these two models, drawing from hands-on testing and technical experience to help photographers large and small decide where to put their trust - and their cash.

Let’s start with a look at the physical form and feel of these cameras, which often sets the tone for the shooting experience.

A Matter of Size: DSLR Bulk Meets Ultra-compact Convenience
The Olympus E-510 is a classic mid-size DSLR, designed with a traditional optical viewfinder, interchangeable lenses, and a sensor larger than many point-and-shoots. On the other end, the Sony T90 is an ultra-compact with a fixed zoom and a thin, slabby profile that fits snugly in a pocket.

By the numbers, the Olympus measures 136 x 92 x 68 mm and weighs approximately 490 grams - noticeably hefty but well within the range expected for a DSLR intended for serious photographic endeavors. The Sony T90 is a featherweight at just 148 grams and a svelte 94 x 57 x 15 mm, designed for travel or casual everyday shooting where discretion and portability rule.

This size difference influences important ergonomic factors. The E-510’s body offers a substantial grip and tactile buttons for quick access, appealing to users who prefer manual controls and optical framing. The T90, conversely, sacrifices hands-on dials for touch-friendly minimalism, boasting a sleek finish but narrower handling surface. The choice here depends heavily on shooting preferences: Do you want a mini camera that’s always at hand, or a tool ready to deliver professional-looking images through dedicated control?

Top-to-Bottom Interface: Control Layout and User Experience
Diving into operational design, the E-510’s DSLR heritage pays off with a thoughtfully arranged control layout, featuring dedicated mode dials, exposure compensation buttons, and shutter priority/manual mode options. The Sony T90 shifts to a simplified tactile experience, leveraging a touchscreen interface blended with minimal physical buttons.

From my experience, the Olympus’s layout empowers photographers who demand precision and fast access to key functions, especially in changing light or motion scenarios. You can switch between aperture priority, shutter priority, or full manual exposure with ease - crucial for portraits, landscapes, or experimental setups.

The Sony, while including a touchscreen (a standout feature for 2009), limits manual exposure control, catering instead to casual shooters who prefer auto modes or scene selections. The lack of traditional shooting modes might frustrate enthusiasts, but its simplified interface will appeal to those less obsessed with tweaking settings mid-shot.

Sensor Size and Image Quality: The Heart of the Matter
The most fundamental difference underpinning image quality lies beneath the lens: the sensor. Olympus E-510 utilizes a Four Thirds 10-megapixel CMOS sensor sized 17.3 x 13 mm, delivering a decent sensor area of approximately 225 mm². The Sony T90 houses a much smaller 1/2.3-inch 12-megapixel CCD sensor measuring only 6.17 x 4.55 mm, an area roughly one eighth that of the Olympus.

This sizeable sensor gap translates into marked differences in image quality, dynamic range, and low-light performance. The E-510 benefits from larger photosites, yielding better color depth (21.2 bits on DxOMark), excellent dynamic range (10 stops), and a respectable high-ISO performance ceiling rated around ISO 1600 natively, with the low light ISO score comfortably surpassing the T90.

The T90’s sensor, though higher in pixel count, is constrained by small individual pixel size, resulting in increased noise and reduced dynamic range. Its maximum native ISO climbs up to 3200 but carries significant noise penalties, especially under dim conditions.

From hands-on testing, Olympus images pop with richer tonal gradation and cleaner shadows, critical for landscapes or portraits where subtlety matters. Meanwhile, the Sony can produce sharp daytime images with heavy JPEG compression but struggles impressively as light dims or when shadow detail counts.

Screen and Live View: What’s On The Back?
Both cameras feature fixed screens, with the Sony T90 sporting a slightly larger 3-inch, 230K-dot LCD and a touchscreen interface, while the Olympus E-510 boasts a smaller 2.5-inch, 230K-dot fixed display without touch functionality.

Practically, the Olympus screen is serviceable for image review and menu navigation but feels cramped by today’s standards, especially for manual focusing or reviewing depth of field. The Sony’s touchscreen provides intuitive menu control and mimics smartphone operation - which was relatively novel at the time of release - and makes zooming in on images easier.

However, serious shooters won’t rely solely on these LCDs. The optical viewfinder on the Olympus offers the reliability and clarity needed for compositional precision, especially in bright sunlight or action photography. The T90’s lack of any viewfinder pushes users to compose solely on the screen, which can be less stable and more prone to glare in outdoor conditions.

Getting to grips with autofocus systems reveals another important boundary between these two models.

Focusing Capabilities: Speed Versus Simplicity
The Olympus E-510 runs an older phase-detection autofocus system utilizing 3 focus points with multi-area selection, including continuous AF modes for tracking moving subjects. It also includes sensor-based image stabilization, a boon for handheld shooting.

Conversely, the Sony T90 relies on a contrast-detection AF system with 9 focus points, including spot and center-weighted metering. Its optical image stabilization applies at the lens level, aiding in handheld sharpness but with limited influence in fast-action situations.

The Olympus’s PDAF system allows faster, more reliable focus locking and tracking - especially important for wildlife or sports photography - though it does lag behind modern multi-point or hybrid autofocus configurations. Testing confirmed the E-510’s ability to track moderate subject motion accurately and maintain focus through burst sequences up to 3 frames per second.

The Sony’s AF suits static or slow-moving subjects best, with a maximum continuous shooting rate of 2 fps, and the contrast-detection system occasionally hunts in low light, creating a noticeable lag. For casual landscapes or street shooting, this is acceptable, but the T90 is ill-prepared for professional fast action capture.

Scenes and Genres: Where Each Camera Shines

Portrait Photography: Bokeh and Skin Tone Realism
Portraiture demands accurate skin tone reproduction, nuanced color rendering, and creamy background separation. Olympus’s Four Thirds sensor size and interchangeable lenses allow for precise control over depth of field, with the possibility to mount fast prime lenses to exploit shallow depth of field and pleasing bokeh.

While the E-510’s kit lenses are reasonably sharp, pairing it with quality primes elevates portrait results dramatically. The camera’s aperture priority and manual exposure modes give flexibility to shape portraits with artistic light.

The Sony T90, with a smaller sensor and fixed lens max aperture of f/3.5-10, offers limited ability to isolate subjects from backgrounds with smooth blur. Its in-camera processing tends to boost sharpness and saturation, which can lead to artificial skin tones. It’s more a snapshot camera than a portrait powerhouse.

Landscape Photography: Dynamic Range and Weather Considerations
Landscape shooters will appreciate the E-510’s high dynamic range capture (up to 10 stops), essential for preserving shadow and highlight detail in wide exposure scenes. Its 10 MP sensor strikes a balance between resolution and pixel size, allowing detailed prints with minimal noise.

Weather sealing and environmental durability are absent in both models, so care must be taken shooting outdoors, especially in poor conditions.

The Sony’s smaller sensor and limited ISO range impact dynamic range extraction, and its lens, while convenient, lacks the large aperture or ultra-wide options beloved by landscape photographers.

Wildlife and Sports: Autofocus and Speed
Neither camera meets the high standards needed for professional wildlife or high-speed sports photography. However, the Olympus E-510’s phase-detection AF and 3 fps burst rate offer a basic entry point for fast action, supported by a wide range of telephoto lenses thanks to the Four Thirds mount.

The Sony T90’s slower continuous shooting and contrast-detection AF leave it far behind for such pursuits.

Street Photography: Discreteness and Quickness
Here, the Sony T90’s ultra-compact dimensions and silent operation make it a stealthy companion for candid street work. Its touchscreen and straightforward operation aid in rapid deployment.

The Olympus E-510, bulkier and louder, attracts attention but rewards with higher image quality and manual control when stealth is less critical.

Macro and Close-up: Focusing Flexibility and Magnification
The E-510 benefits from interchangeable lens options that include dedicated macro lenses with true 1:1 reproduction ratios, focus stacking, and manual focus control for precision.

The T90’s fixed lens and limited focusing range restrain close-up capabilities, making it a casual macro option at best.

Night and Astro Photography: Noise and Exposure Control
With a sensor capable of ISO 1600 and manual exposure modes down to 60 seconds shutter speed, the Olympus provides a foundation for beginner astro photographers or night shooters experimenting with long exposures.

The Sony’s max shutter speed tops out at 1 second and max native ISO of 3200 is noisy, curtailing its usefulness under starlit skies.

Video Features: Recording Specs and Audio Options
Video is a domain where the Sony T90, despite its compact size, offers 720p HD recording at 30 fps, making it a modest but uncommon feature for its era.

The Olympus E-510, notably, lacks any video recording ability, resting squarely in the still photography camp.

Neither camera supports microphone input or advanced stabilization modes beyond basic sensor or optical IS.

Travel Photography: Portability Versus Versatility
Travel photographers routinely value a balance between compactness and image control. The T90 unfolds as the ultimate pocket camera, eminently portable but limited in creative control and raw image quality.

The E-510 offers greater image quality and lens flexibility, at the expense of size, weight, and the need to carry additional lenses.

Professional Use: Reliability, Workflow, and File Formats
For professional workflows, Olympus’s raw file support, sturdy build, and extensive third-party lens ecosystem make it a viable choice within its generation, especially for budget-conscious pros.

The Sony T90 saves on versatility due to the lack of raw capture and interchangeable optics, limiting professional-grade output.

Build Quality and Weather Resistance
Neither model offers environmental sealing, dustproofing, or shockproofing, so both require careful handling, especially in challenging conditions.

Sturdiness favors the DSLR form factor, which typically fares better against bumps than ultra-thin compacts.

Connectivity, Battery Life, and Storage
Both cameras provide USB 2.0 connectivity. The Olympus supports Compact Flash and xD Picture Card storage, whereas the Sony uses Memory Stick Duo/Pro Duo cards and has internal memory.

Neither camera offers wireless features such as Wi-Fi or Bluetooth, reflecting their production era.

Battery life data is sparse, but DSLRs like the E-510 generally outperform compacts in image counts per charge due to optical viewfinders versus LCD dependence.

Price-to-Performance Ratio and Final Thoughts
The Olympus E-510 retails around $550 new, while the Sony T90 goes for approximately $260 - less than half the price. This gap partially reflects target markets: enthusiasts on a budget versus casual point-and-shoot consumers.

If image quality, manual control, and versatility are your guiding stars, the Olympus justifies its premium with substantial feature advantages and creative options. If quick snapshots, ultra-portability, and simple operation are paramount - and you can accept lower image quality - the Sony makes a convincing case.

Olympus E 510 front Olympus E 510 screen back Sony T90 front Sony T90 screen back

In conclusion, the Olympus E-510 serves as an entry to mid-level DSLR with respectable image quality and manual modes suited for portrait, landscape, macro, and even beginner astro photography, while the Sony T90 caters to ultracompact enthusiasts craving portability and casual shooting with light video capabilities.

Choose wisely based on your priorities - and as always, consider holding these cameras in your hand before deciding. Ergonomics and shooting style often matter as much as specs and image charts.

Happy shooting!