Clicky

Olympus 1 vs Sony A290

Portability
79
Imaging
37
Features
65
Overall
48
Olympus Stylus 1 front
 
Sony Alpha DSLR-A290 front
Portability
66
Imaging
54
Features
47
Overall
51

Olympus 1 vs Sony A290 Key Specs

Olympus 1
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - 1/1.7" Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Display
  • ISO 100 - 12800
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 28-300mm (F2.8) lens
  • 402g - 116 x 87 x 57mm
  • Introduced November 2013
  • Replacement is Olympus 1s
Sony A290
(Full Review)
  • 14MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 2.7" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 3200
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • No Video
  • Sony/Minolta Alpha Mount
  • 549g - 128 x 97 x 86mm
  • Launched June 2010
  • Earlier Model is Sony A230
Sora from OpenAI releases its first ever music video

Olympus 1 vs Sony A290 Overview

Let's take a deeper look at the Olympus 1 vs Sony A290, one being a Small Sensor Superzoom and the latter is a Entry-Level DSLR by companies Olympus and Sony. The image resolution of the 1 (12MP) and the A290 (14MP) is pretty close but the 1 (1/1.7") and A290 (APS-C) provide totally different sensor measurements.

Samsung Releases Faster Versions of EVO MicroSD Cards

The 1 was manufactured 3 years later than the A290 and that is a fairly significant gap as far as camera technology is concerned. Each of these cameras feature different body design with the Olympus 1 being a SLR-like (bridge) camera and the Sony A290 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before delving straight to a comprehensive comparison, here is a short highlight of how the 1 scores against the A290 for portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Pentax 17 Pre-Orders Outperform Expectations by a Landslide
	
	

Reasons to pick Olympus 1 over the Sony A290

 1 A290 
LaunchedNovember 2013June 2010More recent by 43 months
Screen typeTiltingFixed Tilting screen
Screen size3"2.7"Bigger screen (+0.3")
Screen resolution1040k230kClearer screen (+810k dot)
Touch screen Quickly navigate

Reasons to pick Sony A290 over the Olympus 1

 A290 1 

Common features in the Olympus 1 and Sony A290

 1 A290 
Manually focus Dial exact focusing
Selfie screen Absent selfie screen

Olympus 1 vs Sony A290 Physical Comparison

For those who are aiming to lug around your camera frequently, you need to factor its weight and proportions. The Olympus 1 has exterior measurements of 116mm x 87mm x 57mm (4.6" x 3.4" x 2.2") with a weight of 402 grams (0.89 lbs) and the Sony A290 has measurements of 128mm x 97mm x 86mm (5.0" x 3.8" x 3.4") having a weight of 549 grams (1.21 lbs).

Check the Olympus 1 vs Sony A290 in the all new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Remember, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change depending on the lens you are working with at that moment. The following is a front view measurements comparison of the 1 vs the A290.

Olympus 1 vs Sony A290 size comparison

Taking into account dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the 1 and A290 is 79 and 66 respectively.

Olympus 1 vs Sony A290 top view buttons comparison

Olympus 1 vs Sony A290 Sensor Comparison

Sometimes, its tough to visualise the contrast in sensor measurements just by researching specifications. The graphic below will give you a greater sense of the sensor measurements in the 1 and A290.

To sum up, both of the cameras come with different megapixels and different sensor measurements. The 1 due to its smaller sensor will make achieving bokeh tougher and the Sony A290 will result in extra detail due to its extra 2 Megapixels. Higher resolution can also allow you to crop shots a good deal more aggressively. The more recent 1 will have a benefit with regard to sensor innovation.

Olympus 1 vs Sony A290 sensor size comparison

Olympus 1 vs Sony A290 Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus 1 vs Sony A290 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
Photobucket discusses licensing 13 billion images with AI firms

Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus 1 Portrait photography info
Sony A290 Portrait photography info
48
focusing manually
flash sync is higher than normal (1/2,000s)
supports face detect focusing
supports RAW formats
MP count low (12 megapixels)
tiny sensor size (1/1.7")
65
has manual focus
resolution is good (14MP)
sensor size is good (APS-C)
supports face detection autofocus
supports RAW formats
no liveview
Japan-exclusive Leica Leitz Phone 3 features big sensor and new modes

Street Comparison

Olympus 1 as a Street photography camera
Sony A290 as a Street photography camera
70
screen tilts
built in image stabilization (Optical)
supports RAW formats
has focus via touch
tiny sensor size (1/1.7")
66
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is good (APS-C)
supports RAW formats
no articulating screen
Meta to Introduce 'AI-Generated' Labels for Media starting next month

Sports Comparison

Sports photography with Olympus 1
Sports photography with Sony A290
43
built in image stabilization (Optical)
supports tracking focus
great battery pack (410 per charge)
MP count low (12 megapixels)
tiny sensor size (1/1.7")
lacks phase detect AF
55
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
resolution is good (14 megapixels)
sensor size is good (APS-C)
comes with phase detect autofocus
no liveview
slow continuous shooting (3.0 fps)
not so great battery pack (290 per charge)
Photography Glossary

Travel Comparison

Olympus 1 Travel photography factors
Sony A290 Travel photography factors
61
great battery pack (410 shots)
has focus via touch
built-in flash
rather wide (28mm)
great reach (300mm)
missing Time Lapse mode
MP count low (12 megapixels)
does not have selfie friendly screen
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f2.8)
53
resolution is good (14 megapixels)
has built in flash
no Time Lapse recording
not so great battery pack (290 CIPA)
display is not selfie friendly
President Biden pushes bill mandating TikTok sale or ban

Landscape Comparison

Landscape photography with Olympus 1
Landscape photography with Sony A290
49
focusing manually
rather wide (28mm)
screen is a decent size (3 inches)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
supports RAW formats
great battery pack (410 per charge)
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f2.8)
MP count low (12 megapixels)
tiny sensor size (1/1.7")
missing Time Lapse mode
58
has manual focus
interchangeable lenses (Sony/Minolta Alpha mount)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
resolution is good (14 megapixels)
sensor size is good (APS-C)
supports RAW formats
small screen (2.7 inches)
no liveview
not so great battery pack (290 per charge)
no Time Lapse recording
Apple Innovates by Creating Next-Level Optical Stabilization for iPhone

Vlogging Comparison

Vlogging with Olympus 1
Vlogging with Sony A290
32
rather wide (28mm)
touchscreen functionality
built in image stabilization (Optical)
supports face detect focusing
high res video (1920 x 1080 pixels)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f2.8)
does not have selfie friendly screen
missing mic jack
9
no video recording
Snapchat Adds Watermarks to AI-Created Images

Olympus 1 vs Sony A290 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus 1 and Sony A290
 Olympus Stylus 1Sony Alpha DSLR-A290
General Information
Brand Olympus Sony
Model type Olympus Stylus 1 Sony Alpha DSLR-A290
Type Small Sensor Superzoom Entry-Level DSLR
Introduced 2013-11-25 2010-06-09
Physical type SLR-like (bridge) Compact SLR
Sensor Information
Chip TruePic VI Bionz
Sensor type BSI-CMOS CCD
Sensor size 1/1.7" APS-C
Sensor dimensions 7.44 x 5.58mm 23.5 x 15.7mm
Sensor surface area 41.5mm² 369.0mm²
Sensor resolution 12 megapixels 14 megapixels
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 3:2 and 16:9
Max resolution 3968 x 2976 4592 x 3056
Max native ISO 12800 3200
Lowest native ISO 100 100
RAW files
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch focus
Autofocus continuous
Autofocus single
Tracking autofocus
Autofocus selectice
Center weighted autofocus
Multi area autofocus
Live view autofocus
Face detect autofocus
Contract detect autofocus
Phase detect autofocus
Total focus points 25 9
Lens
Lens support fixed lens Sony/Minolta Alpha
Lens zoom range 28-300mm (10.7x) -
Largest aperture f/2.8 -
Macro focusing range 5cm -
Amount of lenses - 143
Crop factor 4.8 1.5
Screen
Display type Tilting Fixed Type
Display size 3" 2.7"
Display resolution 1,040 thousand dots 230 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch friendly
Display technology LCD -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Electronic Optical (pentamirror)
Viewfinder resolution 1,440 thousand dots -
Viewfinder coverage 100% 95%
Viewfinder magnification - 0.55x
Features
Min shutter speed 60 secs 30 secs
Max shutter speed 1/2000 secs 1/4000 secs
Continuous shutter rate 7.0 frames per second 3.0 frames per second
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Change white balance
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash distance - 10.00 m (at ISO 100)
Flash modes Auto, redeye reduction, fill-on, off, redeye reduction slow sync, full, manual Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, High Speed Sync, Rear Curtain, Fill-in, Wireless
Hot shoe
AEB
WB bracketing
Max flash synchronize 1/2000 secs 1/160 secs
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (30p), 1280 x 720 (30p); high speed: 640 x 480 (120p), 320 x 240 (240p) -
Max video resolution 1920x1080 None
Video format MPEG-4, H.264 -
Mic port
Headphone port
Connectivity
Wireless Built-In 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 402 grams (0.89 lb) 549 grams (1.21 lb)
Physical dimensions 116 x 87 x 57mm (4.6" x 3.4" x 2.2") 128 x 97 x 86mm (5.0" x 3.8" x 3.4")
DXO scores
DXO Overall rating 51 66
DXO Color Depth rating 20.7 22.6
DXO Dynamic range rating 11.6 11.5
DXO Low light rating 179 615
Other
Battery life 410 photos 290 photos
Type of battery Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID BLS-5 NP-FH50
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec, custom) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse feature
Type of storage SD/SDHC/SDXC card Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo, SD/SDHC
Card slots One One
Price at release $700 $600