Olympus 6010 vs Sony A290

Lets look more closely at the Olympus 6010 versus Sony A290, former is a Waterproof while the other is a Entry-Level DSLR by brands Olympus and Sony. The resolution of the 6010 (12MP) and the A290 (14MP) is fairly similar but the 6010 (1/2.3") and A290 (APS-C) feature totally different sensor dimensions.

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The 6010 was introduced 10 months earlier than the A290 so they are of a similar age. Both cameras offer different body type with the Olympus 6010 being a Compact camera and the Sony A290 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before diving through a full comparison, below is a short summary of how the 6010 grades versus the A290 with regard to portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

This is a sample of the gallery pictures for Olympus Stylus Tough 6010 & Sony Alpha DSLR-A290. The whole galleries are provided at Olympus 6010 Gallery & Sony A290 Gallery.

For anybody who is going to travel with your camera often, you are going to need to think about its weight and measurements. The Olympus 6010 enjoys outside dimensions of 95mm x 63mm x 22mm (3.7" x 2.5" x 0.9") along with a weight of 179 grams (0.39 lbs) while the Sony A290 has proportions of 128mm x 97mm x 86mm (5.0" x 3.8" x 3.4") and a weight of 549 grams (1.21 lbs).

Look at the Olympus 6010 versus Sony A290 in our completely new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Remember that, the weight of an ILC will vary dependant on the lens you have attached at the time. Here is the front view physical size comparison of the 6010 versus the A290.

Looking at size and weight, the portability rating of the 6010 and A290 is 94 and 66 respectively.

Generally, it's hard to visualise the gap between sensor dimensions simply by going over a spec sheet. The pic below might offer you a clearer sense of the sensor dimensions in the 6010 and A290.

Clearly, both the cameras offer different megapixel count and different sensor dimensions. The 6010 having a tinier sensor will make shooting shallow depth of field harder and the Sony A290 will offer you extra detail using its extra 2 Megapixels. Greater resolution will also enable you to crop pics a little more aggressively. The more aged 6010 is going to be disadvantaged when it comes to sensor tech.