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Olympus E-PL6 vs Sony A290

Portability
88
Imaging
53
Features
77
Overall
62
Olympus PEN E-PL6 front
 
Sony Alpha DSLR-A290 front
Portability
66
Imaging
54
Features
47
Overall
51

Olympus E-PL6 vs Sony A290 Key Specs

Olympus E-PL6
(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
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
  • Announced June 2010
  • Superseded the Sony A230
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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.

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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.

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Reasons to pick Olympus E-PL6 over the Sony A290

 E-PL6 A290 
AnnouncedAugust 2014June 2010More modern by 51 months
Display typeTiltingFixed Tilting display
Display sizing3"2.7"Larger display (+0.3")
Display resolution460k230kCrisper 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. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

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.

Olympus E-PL6 vs Sony A290 size comparison

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

Olympus E-PL6 vs Sony A290 top view buttons comparison

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 sensor size comparison

Olympus E-PL6 vs Sony A290 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus E-PL6 vs Sony A290 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
Photography Glossary

Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Portrait photography with Olympus E-PL6
Portrait photography with Sony A290
71
manual focus
resolution is good (16MP)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
offers face detection autofocus
exports RAW formats
65
has manual focus
megapixel count decent (14 megapixels)
sensor size is good (APS-C)
provides face detect autofocus
delivers RAW formats
no liveview
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Street Comparison

Olympus E-PL6 Street photography highlights
Sony A290 Street photography highlights
85
has a tilting screen
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
exports RAW formats
comes with touch focus
great high ISO (25,600)
66
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is good (APS-C)
delivers RAW formats
no articulating screen
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Sports Comparison

Olympus E-PL6 as a Sports photography camera
Sony A290 as a Sports photography camera
66
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
resolution is good (16 megapixels)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
offers tracking autofocus
no phase detect autofocus
55
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
megapixel count decent (14 megapixels)
sensor size is good (APS-C)
supports phase detect autofocus
no liveview
painfully slow continuous shooting (3.0 frames per second)
low battery life (290 CIPA)
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Travel Comparison

Olympus E-PL6 Travel photography info
Sony A290 Travel photography info
85
comes with touch focus
resolution is good (16MP)
screen is selfie friendly
53
megapixel count decent (14MP)
has built in flash
lack of Timelapse recording
low battery life (290 per charge)
does not offer selfie friendly screen
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus E-PL6 as a Landscape photography camera
Sony A290 as a Landscape photography camera
80
manual focus
interchangeable lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
screen is a good size (3 inch)
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
resolution is good (16MP)
sensor size is decent (Four Thirds)
great high ISO (25,600)
exports RAW formats
58
has manual focus
swap lenses (Sony/Minolta Alpha mount)
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
megapixel count decent (14MP)
sensor size is good (APS-C)
delivers RAW formats
screen is somewhat small (2.7 inches)
no liveview
low battery life (290 shots)
lack of Timelapse recording
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus E-PL6 Vlogging information
Sony A290 Vlogging information
79
screen is selfie friendly
touchscreen enabled
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
offers face detection autofocus
high res video (1920 x 1080 pxls)
missing external microphone support
9
no video recording
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Olympus E-PL6 vs Sony A290 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus E-PL6 and Sony A290
 Olympus PEN E-PL6Sony 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