Olympus SZ-15 vs Sony A290

Lets look a bit more in depth at the Olympus SZ-15 versus Sony A290, former is a Small Sensor Superzoom while the latter is a Entry-Level DSLR by companies Olympus and Sony. The image resolution of the SZ-15 (16MP) and the A290 (14MP) is relatively close but the SZ-15 (1/2.3") and A290 (APS-C) possess totally different sensor dimensions.

Photography Glossary

The SZ-15 was manufactured 3 years after the A290 which is a fairly sizable difference as far as camera technology is concerned. Both the cameras come with different body type with the Olympus SZ-15 being a Compact camera and the Sony A290 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before getting in to a in-depth comparison, below is a brief highlight of how the SZ-15 matches up vs the A290 in relation to portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

This is a preview of the gallery photos for Olympus SZ-15 & Sony Alpha DSLR-A290. The entire galleries are viewable at Olympus SZ-15 Gallery & Sony A290 Gallery.

In case you're going to travel with your camera regularly, you have to take into account its weight and measurements. The Olympus SZ-15 has external dimensions of 108mm x 70mm x 40mm (4.3" x 2.8" x 1.6") having a weight of 250 grams (0.55 lbs) and 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).

Contrast the Olympus SZ-15 versus Sony A290 in our completely new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Always remember, the weight of an ILC will change depending on the lens you are employing at that time. The following is the front view measurement comparison of the SZ-15 compared to the A290.

Using dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the SZ-15 and A290 is 88 and 66 respectively.

More often than not, it is hard to see the difference in sensor dimensions only by researching specifications. The picture here will help offer you a better sense of the sensor sizes in the SZ-15 and A290.

Plainly, each of the cameras have got different megapixels and different sensor dimensions. The SZ-15 due to its smaller sensor will make getting shallow DOF harder and the Olympus SZ-15 will provide you with greater detail due to its extra 2MP. Higher resolution can also help you crop pictures much more aggressively. The fresher SZ-15 will have an advantage in sensor tech.