Olympus E-M5 III vs Sony A290

Here is a comprehensive assessment of the Olympus E-M5 III and Sony A290, one being a Advanced Mirrorless and the other is a Entry-Level DSLR by rivals Olympus and Sony. There is a sizeable difference among the sensor resolutions of the E-M5 III (20MP) and A290 (14MP) and the E-M5 III (Four Thirds) and A290 (APS-C) have different sensor size.

Photography Glossary

The E-M5 III was launched 9 years later than the A290 and that is a fairly large gap as far as camera tech is concerned. Both of the cameras feature different body design with the Olympus E-M5 III being a SLR-style mirrorless camera and the Sony A290 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before going straight to a complete comparison, here is a quick highlight of how the E-M5 III matches up against the A290 with regard to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

Below is a sample of the gallery pictures for Olympus OM-D E-M5 III and Sony Alpha DSLR-A290. The complete galleries are provided at Olympus E-M5 III Gallery and Sony A290 Gallery.

In case you're intending to carry your camera, you are going to need to factor its weight and measurements. The Olympus E-M5 III provides outer dimensions of 125mm x 85mm x 50mm (4.9" x 3.3" x 2.0") with a weight of 414 grams (0.91 lbs) whilst the Sony A290 has proportions of 128mm x 97mm x 86mm (5.0" x 3.8" x 3.4") and a weight of 549 grams (1.21 lbs).

Contrast the Olympus E-M5 III and Sony A290 in the latest Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Remember that, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ depending on the lens you have attached at the time. Underneath is a front view physical size comparison of the E-M5 III and the A290.

Taking into account size and weight, the portability score of the E-M5 III and A290 is 80 and 66 respectively.

Often, it is very hard to picture the gap in sensor sizing simply by researching technical specs. The photograph here may offer you a greater sense of the sensor sizes in the E-M5 III and A290.

As you can tell, both of those cameras come with different megapixels and different sensor sizing. The E-M5 III featuring a smaller sensor is going to make shooting shallow DOF harder and the Olympus E-M5 III will render extra detail utilizing its extra 6MP. Greater resolution will allow you to crop photos a good deal more aggressively. The fresher E-M5 III provides an edge in sensor innovation.