Olympus E-PL2 vs Sony W290

The following is a thorough analysis of the Olympus E-PL2 versus Sony W290, former is a Entry-Level Mirrorless while the other is a Small Sensor Compact by manufacturers Olympus and Sony. The sensor resolution of the E-PL2 (12MP) and the W290 (12MP) is fairly close but the E-PL2 (Four Thirds) and W290 (1/2.3") posses totally different sensor sizing.

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The E-PL2 was manufactured 2 years after the W290 which is a fairly serious difference as far as camera technology is concerned. Each of these cameras feature different body design with the Olympus E-PL2 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Sony W290 being a Compact camera.

Before delving right into a in-depth comparison, here is a concise highlight of how the E-PL2 matches up against the W290 in terms of portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

Following is a sample of the gallery pictures for Olympus PEN E-PL2 & Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W290. The entire galleries are available at Olympus E-PL2 Gallery & Sony W290 Gallery.

For those who are going to travel with your camera, you need to think about its weight and dimensions. The Olympus E-PL2 provides outside measurements of 114mm x 72mm x 42mm (4.5" x 2.8" x 1.7") along with a weight of 362 grams (0.80 lbs) whilst the Sony W290 has dimensions of 98mm x 57mm x 23mm (3.9" x 2.2" x 0.9") accompanied by a weight of 167 grams (0.37 lbs).

Check the Olympus E-PL2 versus Sony W290 in our completely new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Remember that, the weight of an ILC will vary depending on the lens you use during that time. Underneath is a front view sizing comparison of the E-PL2 against the W290.

Using dimensions and weight, the portability score of the E-PL2 and W290 is 85 and 94 respectively.

Normally, it's tough to see the contrast in sensor dimensions merely by viewing specs. The image here might give you a much better sense of the sensor sizing in the E-PL2 and W290.

As you can plainly see, the 2 cameras feature the identical megapixels but not the same sensor dimensions. The E-PL2 has the larger sensor which is going to make obtaining shallow depth of field less difficult. The younger E-PL2 is going to have a benefit when it comes to sensor tech.