Olympus E-PL6 vs Sony A290
88 Imaging
53 Features
77 Overall
62


66 Imaging
54 Features
47 Overall
51
Olympus E-PL6 vs Sony A290 Key Specs
(Full Review)
- 16MP - Four Thirds Sensor
- 3" Tilting Screen
- ISO 100 - 25600
- Sensor based Image Stabilization
- 1920 x 1080 video
- Micro Four Thirds Mount
- 325g - 111 x 64 x 38mm
- Introduced August 2014
- Successor is Olympus E-PL7
(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
- Announced June 2010
- Superseded the Sony A230

Olympus E-PL6 vs Sony A290 Overview
Its time to look a little more in depth at the Olympus E-PL6 and Sony A290, one is a Entry-Level Mirrorless and the other is a Entry-Level DSLR by companies Olympus and Sony. The resolution of the E-PL6 (16MP) and the A290 (14MP) is fairly comparable but the E-PL6 (Four Thirds) and A290 (APS-C) enjoy totally different sensor sizing.

The E-PL6 was released 4 years after the A290 which is a fairly significant gap as far as camera tech is concerned. The two cameras offer different body type with the Olympus E-PL6 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Sony A290 being a Compact SLR camera.
Before we go in to a full comparison, below is a quick synopsis of how the E-PL6 scores vs the A290 in regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

Olympus E-PL6 vs Sony A290 Gallery
Following is a sample of the gallery pictures for Olympus PEN E-PL6 and Sony Alpha DSLR-A290. The complete galleries are available at Olympus E-PL6 Gallery and Sony A290 Gallery.
Reasons to pick Olympus E-PL6 over the Sony A290
E-PL6 | A290 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Announced | August 2014 | ![]() | June 2010 | More modern by 51 months |
Display type | Tilting | ![]() | Fixed | Tilting display |
Display sizing | 3" | ![]() | 2.7" | Larger display (+0.3") |
Display resolution | 460k | ![]() | 230k | Crisper display (+230k dot) |
Selfie screen | ![]() | Easy selfies | ||
Touch friendly display | ![]() | Easily navigate |
Reasons to pick Sony A290 over the Olympus E-PL6
A290 | E-PL6 |
---|
Common features in the Olympus E-PL6 and Sony A290
E-PL6 | A290 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Manual focus | ![]() | Very accurate focusing |
Olympus E-PL6 vs Sony A290 Physical Comparison
For anybody who is looking to carry around your camera often, you're going to have to consider its weight and measurements. The Olympus E-PL6 has got external dimensions of 111mm x 64mm x 38mm (4.4" x 2.5" x 1.5") along with a weight of 325 grams (0.72 lbs) whilst the Sony A290 has proportions of 128mm x 97mm x 86mm (5.0" x 3.8" x 3.4") accompanied by a weight of 549 grams (1.21 lbs).
Check the Olympus E-PL6 and Sony A290 in the all new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.
Keep in mind, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change based on the lens you are utilising at that time. Below is the front view dimension comparison of the E-PL6 compared to the A290.

Considering size and weight, the portability rating of the E-PL6 and A290 is 88 and 66 respectively.

Olympus E-PL6 vs Sony A290 Sensor Comparison
Often, it is very tough to envision the difference in sensor sizes merely by going through specs. The picture here will offer you a clearer sense of the sensor sizes in the E-PL6 and A290.
All in all, both of the cameras enjoy different megapixels and different sensor sizes. The E-PL6 featuring a smaller sensor will make achieving shallow DOF trickier and the Olympus E-PL6 will provide extra detail as a result of its extra 2 Megapixels. Greater resolution will enable you to crop pics far more aggressively. The more modern E-PL6 will have an advantage in sensor technology.

Olympus E-PL6 vs Sony A290 Screen and ViewFinder


Photography Type Scores
Portrait Comparison

Street Comparison

Sports Comparison

Travel Comparison

Landscape Comparison

Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-PL6 vs Sony A290 Specifications
Olympus PEN E-PL6 | Sony Alpha DSLR-A290 | |
---|---|---|
General Information | ||
Manufacturer | Olympus | Sony |
Model type | Olympus PEN E-PL6 | Sony Alpha DSLR-A290 |
Type | Entry-Level Mirrorless | Entry-Level DSLR |
Introduced | 2014-08-01 | 2010-06-09 |
Physical type | Rangefinder-style mirrorless | Compact SLR |
Sensor Information | ||
Processor | TruePic VI | Bionz |
Sensor type | CMOS | 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 | 16MP | 14MP |
Anti alias filter | ||
Aspect ratio | 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 | 3:2 and 16:9 |
Max resolution | 4608 x 3456 | 4592 x 3056 |
Max native ISO | 25600 | 3200 |
Min native ISO | 100 | 100 |
RAW photos | ||
Autofocusing | ||
Manual focusing | ||
AF touch | ||
AF continuous | ||
Single AF | ||
Tracking AF | ||
Selective AF | ||
Center weighted AF | ||
Multi area AF | ||
AF live view | ||
Face detection AF | ||
Contract detection AF | ||
Phase detection AF | ||
Total focus points | 35 | 9 |
Lens | ||
Lens support | Micro Four Thirds | Sony/Minolta Alpha |
Available lenses | 107 | 143 |
Crop factor | 2.1 | 1.5 |
Screen | ||
Type of screen | Tilting | Fixed Type |
Screen sizing | 3 inch | 2.7 inch |
Resolution of screen | 460k dots | 230k dots |
Selfie friendly | ||
Liveview | ||
Touch screen | ||
Viewfinder Information | ||
Viewfinder type | Electronic (optional) | Optical (pentamirror) |
Viewfinder coverage | - | 95 percent |
Viewfinder magnification | - | 0.55x |
Features | ||
Minimum shutter speed | 60 seconds | 30 seconds |
Fastest shutter speed | 1/4000 seconds | 1/4000 seconds |
Continuous shutter rate | 8.0 frames/s | 3.0 frames/s |
Shutter priority | ||
Aperture priority | ||
Expose Manually | ||
Exposure compensation | Yes | Yes |
Change WB | ||
Image stabilization | ||
Inbuilt flash | ||
Flash distance | 7.00 m (bundled FL-LM1) | 10.00 m (at ISO 100) |
Flash options | Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in, Slow Sync, Manual (3 levels) | Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, High Speed Sync, Rear Curtain, Fill-in, Wireless |
Hot shoe | ||
Auto exposure bracketing | ||
WB bracketing | ||
Fastest flash synchronize | - | 1/160 seconds |
Exposure | ||
Multisegment metering | ||
Average metering | ||
Spot metering | ||
Partial metering | ||
AF area metering | ||
Center weighted metering | ||
Video features | ||
Supported video resolutions | 1920 x 1080 (30 fps), 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps) | - |
Max video resolution | 1920x1080 | None |
Video file format | MPEG-4, Motion JPEG | - |
Microphone port | ||
Headphone port | ||
Connectivity | ||
Wireless | Eye-Fi Connected | None |
Bluetooth | ||
NFC | ||
HDMI | ||
USB | USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) | USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) |
GPS | None | None |
Physical | ||
Environment sealing | ||
Water proofing | ||
Dust proofing | ||
Shock proofing | ||
Crush proofing | ||
Freeze proofing | ||
Weight | 325 gr (0.72 lb) | 549 gr (1.21 lb) |
Dimensions | 111 x 64 x 38mm (4.4" x 2.5" x 1.5") | 128 x 97 x 86mm (5.0" x 3.8" x 3.4") |
DXO scores | ||
DXO Overall rating | not tested | 66 |
DXO Color Depth rating | not tested | 22.6 |
DXO Dynamic range rating | not tested | 11.5 |
DXO Low light rating | not tested | 615 |
Other | ||
Battery life | 360 images | 290 images |
Style of battery | Battery Pack | Battery Pack |
Battery ID | BLS-5 | NP-FH50 |
Self timer | Yes (2 or 12 sec) | Yes (2 or 10 sec) |
Time lapse recording | ||
Storage type | SD/SDHC/SDXC | Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo, SD/SDHC |
Card slots | One | One |
Launch price | $300 | $600 |