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Olympus E-M1 III vs Sony W290

Portability
67
Imaging
62
Features
96
Overall
75
Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark III front
 
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W290 front
Portability
94
Imaging
34
Features
28
Overall
31

Olympus E-M1 III vs Sony W290 Key Specs

Olympus E-M1 III
(Full Review)
  • 20MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Fully Articulated Display
  • ISO 200 - 25600
  • Sensor based 5-axis Image Stabilization
  • No Anti-Alias Filter
  • 1/8000s Maximum Shutter
  • 4096 x 2160 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 580g - 134 x 91 x 69mm
  • Released February 2020
  • Earlier Model is Olympus E-M1 II
Sony W290
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 80 - 3200
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 28-140mm (F3.3-5.2) lens
  • 167g - 98 x 57 x 23mm
  • Launched February 2009
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Olympus E-M1 III vs Sony W290 Overview

Below, we are matching up the Olympus E-M1 III versus Sony W290, one being a Pro Mirrorless and the other is a Small Sensor Compact by rivals Olympus and Sony. There is a big difference among the image resolutions of the E-M1 III (20MP) and W290 (12MP) and the E-M1 III (Four Thirds) and W290 (1/2.3") use different sensor measurements.

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The E-M1 III was released 11 years later than the W290 and that is a fairly big gap as far as camera tech is concerned. Both the cameras come with different body type with the Olympus E-M1 III being a SLR-style mirrorless camera and the Sony W290 being a Compact camera.

Before we go through a thorough comparison, below is a short highlight of how the E-M1 III matches up vs the W290 when considering portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-M1 III over the Sony W290

 E-M1 III W290 
LaunchedFebruary 2020February 2009Fresher by 134 months
Display typeFully ArticulatedFixed Fully Articulating display
Display resolution1037k230kSharper display (+807k dot)
Selfie screen Easy selfies
Touch friendly display Easily navigate

Reasons to pick Sony W290 over the Olympus E-M1 III

 W290 E-M1 III 

Common features in the Olympus E-M1 III and Sony W290

 E-M1 III W290 
Manually focus Dial exact focusing
Display dimension3"3"Identical display measurements

Olympus E-M1 III vs Sony W290 Physical Comparison

When you are going to carry your camera often, you're going to have to think about its weight and measurements. The Olympus E-M1 III offers physical measurements of 134mm x 91mm x 69mm (5.3" x 3.6" x 2.7") with a weight of 580 grams (1.28 lbs) whilst the Sony W290 has proportions of 98mm x 57mm x 23mm (3.9" x 2.2" x 0.9") having a weight of 167 grams (0.37 lbs).

Contrast the Olympus E-M1 III versus Sony W290 in the new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Always remember, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ dependant on the lens you are utilising at the time. Following is the front view over all size comparison of the E-M1 III against the W290.

Olympus E-M1 III vs Sony W290 size comparison

Taking into account size and weight, the portability rating of the E-M1 III and W290 is 67 and 94 respectively.

Olympus E-M1 III vs Sony W290 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-M1 III vs Sony W290 Sensor Comparison

Often, it can be tough to picture the contrast in sensor sizing simply by looking through a spec sheet. The photograph here will help provide you a far better sense of the sensor sizing in the E-M1 III and W290.

Clearly, each of the cameras posses different resolutions and different sensor sizing. The E-M1 III due to its larger sensor is going to make achieving shallower depth of field easier and the Olympus E-M1 III will render extra detail as a result of its extra 8 Megapixels. Greater resolution will allow you to crop pics somewhat more aggressively. The younger E-M1 III should have an advantage when it comes to sensor tech.

Olympus E-M1 III vs Sony W290 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-M1 III vs Sony W290 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-M1 III vs Sony W290 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
Photography Glossary

Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-M1 III Portrait photography info
Sony W290 Portrait photography info
77
manual focus
good MP (20 megapixels)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
has face detection focusing
delivers RAW files
27
you can focus manually
no manual exposure
cannot use external flash
MP count low (12MP)
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
lack of RAW support
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-M1 III Street photography features
Sony W290 Street photography features
78
screen can move to multiple angles
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
delivers RAW files
provides focus via touch
weather proofing
very good ISO range (25,600)
56
has image stabilization (Optical)
screen is fixed
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
lack of RAW support
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-M1 III Sports photography highlights
Sony W290 Sports photography highlights
81
max shutter speed is good (1/8,000 seconds)
quiet shooting (1/32,000 seconds)
high fps (60.0 frames per second)
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
good MP (20 megapixels)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
has tracking autofocus
weather proofing
comes with phase detect AF
25
has image stabilization (Optical)
max fps low (2.0 fps)
lack of shutter priority mode
MP count low (12 megapixels)
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
lack of phase detect AF
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-M1 III Travel photography features
Sony W290 Travel photography features
79
weather proofing
has bluetooth
provides focus via touch
good MP (20MP)
screen is selfie friendly
57
has built in flash
quite wide (28mm)
no Timelapse recording
MP count low (12 megapixels)
display is not selfie friendly
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.3)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-M1 III Landscape photography info
Sony W290 Landscape photography info
81
manual focus
switch lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
screen is a good size (3")
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
good MP (20MP)
sensor size is good (Four Thirds)
no anti aliasing filter
very good ISO range (25,600)
delivers RAW files
weather proofing
has double storage slots
41
you can focus manually
quite wide (28mm)
nice screen size (3")
has image stabilization (Optical)
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.3)
no manual exposure
MP count low (12MP)
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
lack of RAW support
no Timelapse recording
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-M1 III as a Vlogging camera
Sony W290 as a Vlogging camera
79
screen is selfie friendly
screen is touchscreen
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
has face detection focusing
video res high (4096 x 2160 resolution)
does have external mic port
28
quite wide (28mm)
has image stabilization (Optical)
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.3)
display is not selfie friendly
video quality not great (1280 x 720 pixels)
no microphone jack
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Olympus E-M1 III vs Sony W290 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-M1 III and Sony W290
 Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark IIISony Cyber-shot DSC-W290
General Information
Company Olympus Sony
Model type Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark III Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W290
Class Pro Mirrorless Small Sensor Compact
Released 2020-02-11 2009-02-17
Body design SLR-style mirrorless Compact
Sensor Information
Processor TruePic IX -
Sensor type CMOS CCD
Sensor size Four Thirds 1/2.3"
Sensor measurements 17.4 x 13mm 6.17 x 4.55mm
Sensor area 226.2mm² 28.1mm²
Sensor resolution 20MP 12MP
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Peak resolution 5184 x 3888 4000 x 3000
Highest native ISO 25600 3200
Lowest native ISO 200 80
RAW images
Lowest enhanced ISO 64 -
Autofocusing
Manual focusing
AF touch
AF continuous
Single AF
AF tracking
Selective AF
Center weighted AF
Multi area AF
AF live view
Face detect focusing
Contract detect focusing
Phase detect focusing
Total focus points 121 9
Cross type focus points 121 -
Lens
Lens mount type Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens zoom range - 28-140mm (5.0x)
Highest aperture - f/3.3-5.2
Macro focusing distance - 10cm
Available lenses 107 -
Focal length multiplier 2.1 5.8
Screen
Range of display Fully Articulated Fixed Type
Display sizing 3 inches 3 inches
Display resolution 1,037 thousand dot 230 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch display
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Electronic None
Viewfinder resolution 2,360 thousand dot -
Viewfinder coverage 100% -
Viewfinder magnification 0.74x -
Features
Min shutter speed 60s 2s
Max shutter speed 1/8000s 1/1600s
Max quiet shutter speed 1/32000s -
Continuous shutter speed 60.0 frames per second 2.0 frames per second
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes -
Set WB
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash distance no built-in flash 3.90 m
Flash options Redeye, Fill-in, Flash Off, Red-eye Slow sync.(1st curtain), Slow sync.(1st curtain), Slow sync.(2nd curtain), Manual Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye reduction, Slow Sync
Hot shoe
AEB
WB bracketing
Max flash sync 1/250s -
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Supported video resolutions 4096 x 2160 @ 24p / 237 Mbps, MOV, H.264, Linear PCM3840 x 2160 @ 30p / 102 Mbps, MOV, H.264, Linear PCM3840 x 2160 @ 25p / 102 Mbps, MOV, H.264, Linear PCM3840 x 2160 @ 23.98p / 102 Mbps, MOV, H.264, Linear PCM1920 x 1080 @ 60p, MOV, H.264, Linear PCM1920 x 1080 @ 50p, MOV, H.264, Linear PCM1920 x 1080 @ 30p, MOV, H.264, Linear PCM1920 x 1080 @ 25p, MOV, H.264, Linear PCM1920 x 1080 @ 23.98p, MOV, H.264, Linear PCM 1280 x 720 (30 fps) 640 x 480 (30 fps)
Highest video resolution 4096x2160 1280x720
Video data format MPEG-4, H.264 MPEG-4
Microphone input
Headphone input
Connectivity
Wireless Built-In None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 3.1 Gen 1 (5 GBit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environmental seal
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 580 gr (1.28 lb) 167 gr (0.37 lb)
Dimensions 134 x 91 x 69mm (5.3" x 3.6" x 2.7") 98 x 57 x 23mm (3.9" x 2.2" x 0.9")
DXO scores
DXO Overall rating not tested not tested
DXO Color Depth rating not tested not tested
DXO Dynamic range rating not tested not tested
DXO Low light rating not tested not tested
Other
Battery life 420 images -
Battery format Battery Pack -
Battery ID BLH-1 -
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 secs, custom) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse recording
Storage media Dual SD/SDHC/SDXC slots (UHS-II on first slot) Memory Stick Duo / Pro Duo, Internal
Storage slots Two One
Retail price $1,800 $230