Olympus FE-3010 vs Sony A290

Lets examine more in depth at the Olympus FE-3010 and Sony A290, former being a Ultracompact while the other is a Entry-Level DSLR by brands Olympus and Sony. The sensor resolution of the FE-3010 (12MP) and the A290 (14MP) is fairly comparable but the FE-3010 (1/2.3") and A290 (APS-C) possess totally different sensor size.

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The FE-3010 was unveiled 17 months before the A290 making the cameras a generation apart from each other. Each of these cameras come with different body type with the Olympus FE-3010 being a Ultracompact camera and the Sony A290 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before diving through a complete comparison, below is a short overview of how the FE-3010 grades versus the A290 with respect to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Below is a sample of the gallery pictures for Olympus FE-3010 & Sony Alpha DSLR-A290. The full galleries are available at Olympus FE-3010 Gallery & Sony A290 Gallery.

For anyone who is aiming to lug around your camera frequently, you're going to have to factor in its weight and measurements. The Olympus FE-3010 has got outer dimensions of 93mm x 56mm x 18mm (3.7" x 2.2" x 0.7") with a weight of 108 grams (0.24 lbs) while the Sony A290 has proportions of 128mm x 97mm x 86mm (5.0" x 3.8" x 3.4") and a weight of 549 grams (1.21 lbs).

Check the Olympus FE-3010 and Sony A290 in our completely new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Don't forget, the weight of an ILC will change based on the lens you use at that time. The following is the front view sizing comparison of the FE-3010 compared to the A290.

Taking into account size and weight, the portability rating of the FE-3010 and A290 is 97 and 66 respectively.

In many cases, it is hard to visualise the difference in sensor measurements only by going through specifications. The visual underneath will help give you a stronger sense of the sensor dimensions in the FE-3010 and A290.

Plainly, both cameras have got different megapixels and different sensor measurements. The FE-3010 with its smaller sensor will make getting bokeh more difficult and the Sony A290 will show extra detail having an extra 2MP. Greater resolution will also allow you to crop images much more aggressively. The older FE-3010 will be behind in sensor innovation.