Olympus E-M5 II vs Sony A290
80 Imaging
53 Features
84 Overall
65
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66 Imaging
54 Features
47 Overall
51
Olympus E-M5 II vs Sony A290 Key Specs
(Full Review)
- 16MP - Four Thirds Sensor
- 3" Fully Articulated Screen
- ISO 200 - 25600
- Sensor based 5-axis Image Stabilization
- 1/8000s Max Shutter
- 1920 x 1080 video
- Micro Four Thirds Mount
- 469g - 124 x 85 x 45mm
- Revealed February 2015
- Previous Model is Olympus E-M5
- Newer Model is Olympus E-M5 III
(Full Review)
- 14MP - APS-C Sensor
- 2.7" Fixed Display
- ISO 100 - 3200
- Sensor based Image Stabilization
- No Video
- Sony/Minolta Alpha Mount
- 549g - 128 x 97 x 86mm
- Launched June 2010
- Replaced the Sony A230
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Olympus E-M5 II vs Sony A290 Overview
The following is a complete overview of the Olympus E-M5 II vs Sony A290, former is a Advanced Mirrorless while the other is a Entry-Level DSLR by brands Olympus and Sony. The resolution of the E-M5 II (16MP) and the A290 (14MP) is fairly well matched but the E-M5 II (Four Thirds) and A290 (APS-C) possess different sensor sizing.
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The E-M5 II was launched 4 years after the A290 which is quite a sizable difference as far as tech is concerned. Each of the cameras come with different body type with the Olympus E-M5 II being a SLR-style mirrorless camera and the Sony A290 being a Compact SLR camera.
Before going straight into a in-depth comparison, below is a brief synopsis of how the E-M5 II grades vs the A290 with regard to portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.
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Olympus E-M5 II vs Sony A290 Gallery
The following is a sample of the gallery pictures for Olympus OM-D E-M5 II & Sony Alpha DSLR-A290. The complete galleries are provided at Olympus E-M5 II Gallery & Sony A290 Gallery.
Reasons to pick Olympus E-M5 II over the Sony A290
E-M5 II | A290 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Launched | February 2015 | ![]() | June 2010 | Newer by 57 months |
Display type | Fully Articulated | ![]() | Fixed | Fully Articulating display |
Display dimension | 3" | ![]() | 2.7" | Larger display (+0.3") |
Display resolution | 1037k | ![]() | 230k | Crisper display (+807k dot) |
Selfie screen | ![]() | Easy selfies | ||
Touch display | ![]() | Easily navigate |
Reasons to pick Sony A290 over the Olympus E-M5 II
A290 | E-M5 II |
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Common features in the Olympus E-M5 II and Sony A290
E-M5 II | A290 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Manual focus | ![]() | Very exact focusing |
Olympus E-M5 II vs Sony A290 Physical Comparison
If you are aiming to travel with your camera regularly, you'll have to consider its weight and dimensions. The Olympus E-M5 II enjoys outside measurements of 124mm x 85mm x 45mm (4.9" x 3.3" x 1.8") accompanied by a weight of 469 grams (1.03 lbs) and the Sony A290 has dimensions 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 E-M5 II vs Sony A290 in our completely new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.
Keep in mind, the weight of an ILC will change dependant on the lens you have chosen at the time. Here is the front view dimensions comparison of the E-M5 II against the A290.
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Factoring in size and weight, the portability rating of the E-M5 II and A290 is 80 and 66 respectively.
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Olympus E-M5 II vs Sony A290 Sensor Comparison
Often, it can be hard to imagine the gap between sensor dimensions just by reading through technical specs. The pic below should provide you a much better sense of the sensor measurements in the E-M5 II and A290.
As you have seen, both cameras posses different megapixel count and different sensor dimensions. The E-M5 II featuring a tinier sensor is going to make getting shallower depth of field more difficult and the Olympus E-M5 II will give you greater detail utilizing its extra 2 Megapixels. Greater resolution will make it easier to crop photos somewhat more aggressively. The more modern E-M5 II should have an edge in sensor technology.
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Olympus E-M5 II vs Sony A290 Screen and ViewFinder
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Photography Type Scores
Portrait Comparison
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Street Comparison
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Sports Comparison
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Travel Comparison
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Landscape Comparison
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Vlogging Comparison
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Olympus E-M5 II vs Sony A290 Specifications
Olympus OM-D E-M5 II | Sony Alpha DSLR-A290 | |
---|---|---|
General Information | ||
Brand | Olympus | Sony |
Model | Olympus OM-D E-M5 II | Sony Alpha DSLR-A290 |
Category | Advanced Mirrorless | Entry-Level DSLR |
Revealed | 2015-02-06 | 2010-06-09 |
Body design | SLR-style mirrorless | Compact SLR |
Sensor Information | ||
Powered by | TruePic VII | Bionz |
Sensor type | MOS | CCD |
Sensor size | Four Thirds | APS-C |
Sensor measurements | 17.3 x 13mm | 23.5 x 15.7mm |
Sensor area | 224.9mm² | 369.0mm² |
Sensor resolution | 16 megapixel | 14 megapixel |
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 |
Min native ISO | 200 | 100 |
RAW format | ||
Min boosted ISO | 100 | - |
Autofocusing | ||
Manual focus | ||
AF touch | ||
AF continuous | ||
AF single | ||
AF tracking | ||
Selective AF | ||
AF center weighted | ||
Multi area AF | ||
AF live view | ||
Face detection focusing | ||
Contract detection focusing | ||
Phase detection focusing | ||
Number of focus points | 81 | 9 |
Lens | ||
Lens mount | Micro Four Thirds | Sony/Minolta Alpha |
Number of lenses | 107 | 143 |
Focal length multiplier | 2.1 | 1.5 |
Screen | ||
Screen type | Fully Articulated | Fixed Type |
Screen sizing | 3" | 2.7" |
Resolution of screen | 1,037 thousand dot | 230 thousand dot |
Selfie friendly | ||
Liveview | ||
Touch functionality | ||
Viewfinder Information | ||
Viewfinder type | Electronic | Optical (pentamirror) |
Viewfinder resolution | 2,360 thousand dot | - |
Viewfinder coverage | 100% | 95% |
Viewfinder magnification | 0.74x | 0.55x |
Features | ||
Lowest shutter speed | 60s | 30s |
Highest shutter speed | 1/8000s | 1/4000s |
Highest silent shutter speed | 1/16000s | - |
Continuous shooting speed | 10.0 frames per sec | 3.0 frames per sec |
Shutter priority | ||
Aperture priority | ||
Manual exposure | ||
Exposure compensation | Yes | Yes |
Set WB | ||
Image stabilization | ||
Inbuilt flash | ||
Flash range | no built-in flash | 10.00 m (at ISO 100) |
Flash settings | Auto, redeye, fill, off, redeye slow sync, slow sync, 2nd-curtain slow sync, manual | Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, High Speed Sync, Rear Curtain, Fill-in, Wireless |
Hot shoe | ||
AE bracketing | ||
WB bracketing | ||
Highest flash sync | 1/250s | 1/160s |
Exposure | ||
Multisegment | ||
Average | ||
Spot | ||
Partial | ||
AF area | ||
Center weighted | ||
Video features | ||
Video resolutions | 1920 x 1080 (60p, 50p, 30p, 25p, 24p), 1280 x 720 (60p, 50p, 30p, 25p, 24p), 640 x 480 (30p) | - |
Maximum video resolution | 1920x1080 | None |
Video data format | MPEG-4, H.264, Motion JPEG | - |
Microphone jack | ||
Headphone jack | ||
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 | ||
Environmental seal | ||
Water proof | ||
Dust proof | ||
Shock proof | ||
Crush proof | ||
Freeze proof | ||
Weight | 469g (1.03 lbs) | 549g (1.21 lbs) |
Dimensions | 124 x 85 x 45mm (4.9" x 3.3" x 1.8") | 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 | 12.4 | 11.5 |
DXO Low light score | 896 | 615 |
Other | ||
Battery life | 310 images | 290 images |
Battery form | Battery Pack | Battery Pack |
Battery model | BLN-1 | NP-FH50 |
Self timer | Yes (2 or 10 secs, custom) | Yes (2 or 10 sec) |
Time lapse feature | ||
Type of storage | SD/SDHC/SDXC | Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo, SD/SDHC |
Storage slots | 1 | 1 |
Launch price | $699 | $600 |