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Olympus E-M5 II vs Sony A290

Portability
80
Imaging
53
Features
84
Overall
65
Olympus OM-D E-M5 II front
 
Sony Alpha DSLR-A290 front
Portability
66
Imaging
54
Features
47
Overall
51

Olympus E-M5 II vs Sony A290 Key Specs

Olympus E-M5 II
(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
Sony A290
(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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Reasons to pick Olympus E-M5 II over the Sony A290

 E-M5 II A290 
LaunchedFebruary 2015June 2010Newer by 57 months
Display typeFully ArticulatedFixed Fully Articulating display
Display dimension3"2.7"Larger display (+0.3")
Display resolution1037k230kCrisper 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 

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. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

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.

Olympus E-M5 II vs Sony A290 size comparison

Factoring in size and weight, the portability rating of the E-M5 II and A290 is 80 and 66 respectively.

Olympus E-M5 II vs Sony A290 top view buttons comparison

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.

Olympus E-M5 II vs Sony A290 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-M5 II vs Sony A290 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-M5 II vs Sony A290 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Portrait photography with Olympus E-M5 II
Portrait photography with Sony A290
71
you can focus manually
good megapixels (16 megapixels)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
features face detection focus
saves RAW formats
65
manual focus
decent sensor resolution (14MP)
sensor size is good (APS-C)
comes with face detection focusing
exports RAW files
doesn't have liveview
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-M5 II Street photography factors
Sony A290 Street photography factors
82
screen can move to multiple angles
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
saves RAW formats
supports touch to focus
weather sealing
good high ISO (25,600)
66
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is good (APS-C)
exports RAW files
screen does not articulate
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-M5 II Sports photography advice
Sony A290 Sports photography advice
65
max shutter speed is good (1/8,000s)
quiet shutter (1/16,000s)
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
good megapixels (16 megapixels)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
features tracking autofocus
weather sealing
low battery (310 per charge)
lack of phase detect auto focus
55
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent sensor resolution (14MP)
sensor size is good (APS-C)
supports phase detect AF
doesn't have liveview
max frames per second very slow (3.0 fps)
bad battery power (290 per charge)
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-M5 II Travel photography info
Sony A290 Travel photography info
74
weather sealing
supports touch to focus
good megapixels (16MP)
display is selfie friendly
low battery (310 per charge)
53
decent sensor resolution (14 megapixels)
built-in flash
missing Timelapse function
bad battery power (290 shots)
screen isn't selfie friendly
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Landscape Comparison

Landscape photography with Olympus E-M5 II
Landscape photography with Sony A290
74
you can focus manually
interchangeable lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
screen size is good (3 inches)
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
good megapixels (16MP)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
good high ISO (25,600)
saves RAW formats
weather sealing
low battery (310 CIPA)
58
manual focus
change lenses (Sony/Minolta Alpha mount)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent sensor resolution (14 megapixels)
sensor size is good (APS-C)
exports RAW files
screen is small (2.7 inch)
doesn't have liveview
bad battery power (290 CIPA)
missing Timelapse function
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Vlogging Comparison

Vlogging with Olympus E-M5 II
Vlogging with Sony A290
82
display is selfie friendly
touch screen
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
features face detection focus
high quality video (1920 x 1080 pixels)
comes with external microphone jack
9
can't shoot video
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Olympus E-M5 II vs Sony A290 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-M5 II and Sony A290
 Olympus OM-D E-M5 IISony 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