Olympus SH-50 vs Sony A290

Following is a in depth comparison of the Olympus SH-50 and Sony A290, former is a Small Sensor Superzoom while the other is a Entry-Level DSLR by manufacturers Olympus and Sony. The resolution of the SH-50 (16MP) and the A290 (14MP) is fairly similar but the SH-50 (1/2.3") and A290 (APS-C) feature totally different sensor dimensions.

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The SH-50 was brought out 2 years after the A290 which is quite a sizable difference as far as tech is concerned. Both of the cameras come with different body type with the Olympus SH-50 being a Compact camera and the Sony A290 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before getting in to a in depth comparison, below is a concise synopsis of how the SH-50 scores vs the A290 with regard to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

The following is a sample of the gallery pictures for Olympus SH-50 & Sony Alpha DSLR-A290. The entire galleries are viewable at Olympus SH-50 Gallery & Sony A290 Gallery.

For anyone who is aiming to carry around your camera frequently, you'll have to consider its weight and size. The Olympus SH-50 has outer dimensions of 112mm x 63mm x 42mm (4.4" x 2.5" x 1.7") and a weight of 269 grams (0.59 lbs) while the Sony A290 has specifications 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 SH-50 and Sony A290 in our completely new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Take into consideration, the weight of an ILC will differ based on the lens you have attached at the time. Following is the front view measurements comparison of the SH-50 and the A290.

Taking into account size and weight, the portability rating of the SH-50 and A290 is 88 and 66 respectively.

Usually, it's hard to see the difference between sensor sizes just by reading a spec sheet. The picture here should give you a clearer sense of the sensor sizes in the SH-50 and A290.

As you can see, the two cameras posses different resolutions and different sensor sizes. The SH-50 because of its tinier sensor will make achieving bokeh trickier and the Olympus SH-50 will deliver more detail having its extra 2MP. Greater resolution will let you crop pics somewhat more aggressively. The more modern SH-50 will have an advantage when it comes to sensor tech.