Sony a290 vs Canon EOS M3

This is a full comparison between the cameras Sony a290 and Canon EOS M3. We compare them by looking at the categories you see below.

Sony a290

Canon EOS M3

Manufacturing

Sony a290 is manufacturered by Sony but Canon EOS M3 is from Canon. Both Sony and Canon are well known brands though.

Sony a290 were released 2010 and Canon EOS M3 was released 2015. That is a 5 years difference. In tech, this period can be of interest since technology is always improving, etc.

Camera	Released
Sony a290	2010
Canon EOS M3	2015

Type of camera

Sony a290 is a DSLR camera while Canon EOS M3 is a Mirrorless camera. More information about their differences will come soon.

Sensors / crop factor

These cameras have different sensors. Sony a290 has a "Sony APS-C"-sensor while Canon EOS M3 has a "Canon APS-C"-sensor, and their difference in sensors will also affect the crop factor and experience focal length. See the table below.

Camera	Focal length, 50mm f/1.8 **
Sony a290	75 mm Sony APS-C sensor Crop factor/focal length multiplier by * 1.5
Canon EOS M3	80 mm Canon APS-C sensor Crop factor/focal length multiplier by * 1.6

** Experienced focal length when using a lens such as a common "50mm f/1.8"

Learn more about crop factor and focal length multiplier here:
Camera selection can affect the focal length (Sony)
Camera selection can affect the focal length (Canon)

Resolution

Sony a290 has a 14 MP (Megapixels) resolution while Canon EOS M3 has 24 MP. If we break down this in more detail this is the data behind the numbers:

Camera	Megapixels
Sony a290	14 MP 14033152 pixels 4592 x 3056
Canon EOS M3	24 MP 24000000 pixels 6000 x 4000

Canon EOS M3 has a 71 % larger resolution than Sony a290. This could give you more details in the picture but also a possibility to crop more in the pictures, afterward while editing the pictures, if needed that is.

ISO range

Canon EOS M3 has a larger ISO-range than Sony a290. Canon EOS M3 has an ISO range that stretches from 100 to 12800 while Sony a290 has 100 to 3200.

Camera	ISO Range
Sony a290	100-3200
Canon EOS M3	100-12800

Autofocus and lens compatibility

Both of these cameras have a built-in autofocus motor. Some lenses, that support autofocus, do not have an autofocus motor of their own but this won't cause any problems with these two cameras.

Worth mentioning is that Canon EOS M3 belongs to the Canon EOS M-system and needs an adapter to work with Canons EF, EF-S, MP-E, and TS-E lenses. You can read more about this adapter here:
Canon Lens Mount Adapter EF-EOS M

Here is a complete overview of which lenses work with each camera:
Lens compatibility chart for Sony a290
Lens compatibility chart for Canon EOS M3

Pictures per second

Depending on what you are shooting the FPS, or frames/pictures per second, can definitely be of interest. Sony a290 can shoot up to 2,5 pictures per seconds and Canon EOS M3 can shoot up to 4,2 pictures per seconds.

Camera	FPS (Frames per second)
Sony a290	2,5
Canon EOS M3	4,2

Ability to record movies

It is becoming more and more popular to record movies with digital cameras.

It is only one of these two cameras that support recording movies and movie clips and that is Canon EOS M3. Sadly, the Sony a290 does not support this.

Weight

The weight of the camera can be an extremely important factor, especially if the camera is about to be used, or carried around, for several hours at a time.

Sony a290 weighs 549 gr (equal to 1.21 lb) which is 50% heavier than Canon EOS M3 and its 366 gr (or 0.81 lb).

Camera	Weight
Sony a290	549 gr 1.21 lb
Canon EOS M3	366 gr 0.81 lb