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Olympus E-M1 vs Sony A290

Portability
71
Imaging
53
Features
85
Overall
65
Olympus OM-D E-M1 front
 
Sony Alpha DSLR-A290 front
Portability
66
Imaging
54
Features
47
Overall
51

Olympus E-M1 vs Sony A290 Key Specs

Olympus E-M1
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Display
  • ISO 100 - 25600
  • Sensor based 5-axis Image Stabilization
  • 1/8000s Maximum Shutter
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 497g - 130 x 94 x 63mm
  • Revealed October 2013
  • Refreshed by Olympus E-M1 II
Sony A290
(Full Review)
  • 14MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 2.7" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 3200
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • No Video
  • Sony/Minolta Alpha Mount
  • 549g - 128 x 97 x 86mm
  • Revealed June 2010
  • Old Model is Sony A230
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Olympus E-M1 vs Sony A290 Overview

Here, we will be comparing the Olympus E-M1 vs Sony A290, former is a Pro Mirrorless while the latter is a Entry-Level DSLR by companies Olympus and Sony. The image resolution of the E-M1 (16MP) and the A290 (14MP) is relatively comparable but the E-M1 (Four Thirds) and A290 (APS-C) boast different sensor size.

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The E-M1 was manufactured 3 years after the A290 which is a fairly large difference as far as camera technology is concerned. Each of these cameras feature different body design with the Olympus E-M1 being a SLR-style mirrorless camera and the Sony A290 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before getting into a more detailed comparison, here is a simple highlight of how the E-M1 grades against the A290 when considering portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-M1 over the Sony A290

 E-M1 A290 
RevealedOctober 2013June 2010More modern by 42 months
Screen typeTiltingFixed Tilting screen
Screen size3"2.7"Bigger screen (+0.3")
Screen resolution1037k230kClearer screen (+807k dot)
Touch friendly screen Quickly navigate

Reasons to pick Sony A290 over the Olympus E-M1

 A290 E-M1 

Common features in the Olympus E-M1 and Sony A290

 E-M1 A290 
Manually focus Dial exact focusing
Selfie screen Neither contains selfie screen

Olympus E-M1 vs Sony A290 Physical Comparison

If you are intending to carry around your camera often, you will have to take into account its weight and proportions. The Olympus E-M1 has got outer dimensions of 130mm x 94mm x 63mm (5.1" x 3.7" x 2.5") with a weight of 497 grams (1.10 lbs) and the Sony A290 has measurements of 128mm x 97mm x 86mm (5.0" x 3.8" x 3.4") along with a weight of 549 grams (1.21 lbs).

Analyze the Olympus E-M1 vs Sony A290 in our brand new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Take into account, the weight of an ILC will change dependant on the lens you are utilizing at that moment. Underneath is a front view sizing comparison of the E-M1 compared to the A290.

Olympus E-M1 vs Sony A290 size comparison

Factoring in dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the E-M1 and A290 is 71 and 66 respectively.

Olympus E-M1 vs Sony A290 top view buttons comparison

Olympus E-M1 vs Sony A290 Sensor Comparison

Typically, it is very difficult to imagine the contrast in sensor sizes purely by checking out a spec sheet. The picture here will give you a better sense of the sensor sizes in the E-M1 and A290.

Clearly, both of the cameras feature different megapixels and different sensor sizes. The E-M1 due to its smaller sensor is going to make shooting shallower DOF tougher and the Olympus E-M1 will show extra detail due to its extra 2MP. Higher resolution will let you crop photographs way more aggressively. The more modern E-M1 provides a benefit when it comes to sensor tech.

Olympus E-M1 vs Sony A290 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-M1 vs Sony A290 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-M1 vs Sony A290 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
Photography Glossary

Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus E-M1 Portrait photography advice
Sony A290 Portrait photography advice
71
you can focus manually
above average flash sync (1/320s)
decent sensor resolution (16MP)
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
includes face detection autofocus
supports RAW files
65
you can focus manually
MP count good (14MP)
nice sensor size (APS-C)
offers face detection focus
exports RAW files
does not have liveview
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Street Comparison

Street photography with Olympus E-M1
Street photography with Sony A290
78
screen tilts up and down
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
supports RAW files
supports touch to focus
weather sealing
lighter than others in class (497 grams)
above average high ISO (25,600)
66
image stabilization (Sensor based)
nice sensor size (APS-C)
exports RAW files
screen is fixed
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Sports Comparison

Sports photography with Olympus E-M1
Sports photography with Sony A290
70
high shutter speed (1/8,000 seconds)
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
decent sensor resolution (16MP)
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
includes tracking autofocus
weather sealing
supports phase detect autofocus
bad battery pack (350 CIPA)
55
image stabilization (Sensor based)
MP count good (14 megapixels)
nice sensor size (APS-C)
has phase detect auto focus
does not have liveview
very slow continuous shooting (3.0 frames per second)
terrible battery power (290 CIPA)
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-M1 Travel photography details
Sony A290 Travel photography details
65
lighter than others in class (497g)
weather sealing
supports touch to focus
decent sensor resolution (16 megapixels)
bad battery pack (350 shots)
screen isn't selfie friendly
53
MP count good (14 megapixels)
built-in flash
doesn't have Time Lapse recording
terrible battery power (290 per charge)
display isn't selfie friendly
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Landscape Comparison

Landscape photography with Olympus E-M1
Landscape photography with Sony A290
73
you can focus manually
swap lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
screen size is decent (3 inches)
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
decent sensor resolution (16 megapixels)
decent sensor size (Four Thirds)
above average high ISO (25,600)
supports RAW files
weather sealing
bad battery pack (350 CIPA)
58
you can focus manually
interchangeable lenses (Sony/Minolta Alpha mount)
image stabilization (Sensor based)
MP count good (14 megapixels)
nice sensor size (APS-C)
exports RAW files
tiny screen (2.7")
does not have liveview
terrible battery power (290 CIPA)
doesn't have Time Lapse recording
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-M1 Vlogging highlights
Sony A290 Vlogging highlights
36
has touchscreen
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
includes face detection autofocus
video resolution high (1920 x 1080 pixels)
comes with external mic socket
lighter than others in class (497 grams)
screen isn't selfie friendly
9
no video recording
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Olympus E-M1 vs Sony A290 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-M1 and Sony A290
 Olympus OM-D E-M1Sony Alpha DSLR-A290
General Information
Brand Olympus Sony
Model Olympus OM-D E-M1 Sony Alpha DSLR-A290
Category Pro Mirrorless Entry-Level DSLR
Revealed 2013-10-28 2010-06-09
Body design SLR-style mirrorless Compact SLR
Sensor Information
Powered by TruePIC VII Bionz
Sensor type CMOS CCD
Sensor size Four Thirds APS-C
Sensor dimensions 17.3 x 13mm 23.5 x 15.7mm
Sensor surface area 224.9mm² 369.0mm²
Sensor resolution 16MP 14MP
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 3:2 and 16:9
Maximum resolution 4608 x 3456 4592 x 3056
Maximum native ISO 25600 3200
Lowest native ISO 100 100
RAW files
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch focus
Continuous AF
AF single
Tracking AF
AF selectice
AF center weighted
AF multi area
Live view AF
Face detect focusing
Contract detect focusing
Phase detect focusing
Number of focus points 81 9
Lens
Lens mounting type Micro Four Thirds Sony/Minolta Alpha
Number of lenses 107 143
Crop factor 2.1 1.5
Screen
Range of display Tilting Fixed Type
Display size 3 inches 2.7 inches
Resolution of display 1,037k dot 230k dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch friendly
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Electronic Optical (pentamirror)
Viewfinder resolution 2,360k dot -
Viewfinder coverage 100 percent 95 percent
Viewfinder magnification 0.74x 0.55x
Features
Lowest shutter speed 60s 30s
Highest shutter speed 1/8000s 1/4000s
Continuous shooting speed 10.0 frames/s 3.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Set WB
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash range no built-in flash 10.00 m (at ISO 100)
Flash modes Flash Auto, 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, Slow Sync, High Speed Sync, Rear Curtain, Fill-in, Wireless
Hot shoe
Auto exposure bracketing
White balance bracketing
Highest flash sync 1/320s 1/160s
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Supported video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (30 fps), 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps) -
Maximum video resolution 1920x1080 None
Video format H.264, Motion JPEG -
Mic input
Headphone input
Connectivity
Wireless Built-In None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environment seal
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 497 grams (1.10 pounds) 549 grams (1.21 pounds)
Physical dimensions 130 x 94 x 63mm (5.1" x 3.7" x 2.5") 128 x 97 x 86mm (5.0" x 3.8" x 3.4")
DXO scores
DXO All around score 73 66
DXO Color Depth score 23.0 22.6
DXO Dynamic range score 12.7 11.5
DXO Low light score 757 615
Other
Battery life 350 pictures 290 pictures
Form of battery Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery model BLN-1 NP-FH50
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 secs, custom) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse shooting
Storage media SD/SDHC/SDXC Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo, SD/SDHC
Storage slots Single Single
Pricing at launch $799 $600