Olympus FE-5010 vs Sony A290

Below, we are comparing the Olympus FE-5010 versus Sony A290, one being a Small Sensor Compact and the other is a Entry-Level DSLR by manufacturers Olympus and Sony. The resolution of the FE-5010 (12MP) and the A290 (14MP) is very comparable but the FE-5010 (1/2.3") and A290 (APS-C) feature different sensor measurements.

Photography Glossary

The FE-5010 was manufactured 17 months before the A290 making the cameras a generation apart from one another. Each of the cameras come with different body type with the Olympus FE-5010 being a Compact camera and the Sony A290 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before delving through a full comparison, below is a simple introduction of how the FE-5010 grades versus the A290 for portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Here is a sample of the gallery pics for Olympus FE-5010 and Sony Alpha DSLR-A290. The entire galleries are available at Olympus FE-5010 Gallery and Sony A290 Gallery.

For anyone who is planning to lug around your camera frequently, you'll have to take into account its weight and size. The Olympus FE-5010 comes with outer dimensions of 96mm x 57mm x 21mm (3.8" x 2.2" x 0.8") with a weight of 130 grams (0.29 lbs) whilst the Sony A290 has specifications of 128mm x 97mm x 86mm (5.0" x 3.8" x 3.4") having a weight of 549 grams (1.21 lbs).

Take a look at the Olympus FE-5010 versus Sony A290 in the latest Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Take into account, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ based on the lens you have attached at that moment. Here is the front view over all size comparison of the FE-5010 against the A290.

Looking at dimensions and weight, the portability score of the FE-5010 and A290 is 96 and 66 respectively.

Typically, it is very difficult to visualize the gap in sensor measurements merely by going through specifications. The visual below might offer you a much better sense of the sensor sizes in the FE-5010 and A290.

To sum up, the two cameras posses different megapixel count and different sensor measurements. The FE-5010 because of its smaller sensor is going to make achieving shallow DOF more difficult and the Sony A290 will show extra detail due to its extra 2 Megapixels. Greater resolution can also allow you to crop photos somewhat more aggressively. The older FE-5010 will be disadvantaged when it comes to sensor tech.