Olympus E-M1X vs Sony A290

On this page, we are looking at the Olympus E-M1X and Sony A290, former is a Pro Mirrorless while the other is a Entry-Level DSLR by manufacturers Olympus and Sony. There exists a considerable gap among the image resolutions of the E-M1X (20MP) and A290 (14MP) and the E-M1X (Four Thirds) and A290 (APS-C) offer totally different sensor measurements.

Photography Glossary

The E-M1X was unveiled 8 years after the A290 which is a fairly large difference as far as camera technology is concerned. Each of these cameras have different body design with the Olympus E-M1X being a SLR-style mirrorless camera and the Sony A290 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before getting straight to a thorough comparison, here is a brief synopsis of how the E-M1X matches up versus the A290 when considering portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

Following is a sample of the gallery pics for Olympus OM-D E-M1X & Sony Alpha DSLR-A290. The full galleries are available at Olympus E-M1X Gallery & Sony A290 Gallery.

When you are looking to travel with your camera regularly, you will need to think about its weight and size. The Olympus E-M1X comes with physical dimensions of 144mm x 147mm x 75mm (5.7" x 5.8" x 3.0") with a weight of 997 grams (2.20 lbs) while the Sony A290 has specifications of 128mm x 97mm x 86mm (5.0" x 3.8" x 3.4") with a weight of 549 grams (1.21 lbs).

Contrast the Olympus E-M1X and Sony A290 in our completely new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Always remember, the weight of an ILC will differ based on the lens you select at the time. Here is a front view proportions comparison of the E-M1X against the A290.

Taking into account dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the E-M1X and A290 is 54 and 66 respectively.

Normally, it is tough to see the gap in sensor dimensions simply by viewing specs. The image underneath will help provide you a better sense of the sensor dimensions in the E-M1X and A290.

As you can plainly see, both of those cameras provide different resolutions and different sensor dimensions. The E-M1X using its smaller sensor will make getting shallower depth of field harder and the Olympus E-M1X will provide you with more detail having an extra 6MP. Greater resolution will let you crop images more aggressively. The fresher E-M1X will have an edge when it comes to sensor tech.