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Canon SX720 HS vs Sony W290

Portability
89
Imaging
46
Features
51
Overall
48
Canon PowerShot SX720 HS front
 
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W290 front
Portability
94
Imaging
34
Features
28
Overall
31

Canon SX720 HS vs Sony W290 Key Specs

Canon SX720 HS
(Full Review)
  • 20.3MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 80 - 3200
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 24-960mm (F3.3-6.9) lens
  • 270g - 110 x 64 x 36mm
  • Announced February 2016
  • Superseded the Canon SX710 HS
  • Replacement is Canon SX730 HS
Sony W290
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 80 - 3200
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 28-140mm (F3.3-5.2) lens
  • 167g - 98 x 57 x 23mm
  • Revealed February 2009
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Canon SX720 HS vs Sony W290 Overview

Below is a in-depth review of the Canon SX720 HS and Sony W290, former being a Small Sensor Superzoom while the other is a Small Sensor Compact by competitors Canon and Sony. There is a considerable difference among the resolutions of the SX720 HS (20.3MP) and W290 (12MP) but they use the same exact sensor dimensions (1/2.3").

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The SX720 HS was unveiled 7 years later than the W290 and that is a fairly large difference as far as camera tech is concerned. The two cameras offer the identical body type (Compact).

Before going in to a in-depth comparison, below is a simple introduction of how the SX720 HS matches up against the W290 for portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

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Reasons to pick Canon SX720 HS over the Sony W290

 SX720 HS W290 
RevealedFebruary 2016February 2009More recent by 86 months
Display resolution922k230kCrisper display (+692k dot)

Reasons to pick Sony W290 over the Canon SX720 HS

 W290 SX720 HS 

Common features in the Canon SX720 HS and Sony W290

 SX720 HS W290 
Manually focus More exact focus
Display typeFixed Fixed Fixed display
Display sizing3"3"Equivalent display sizing
Selfie screen Neither contains selfie screen
Touch friendly display Missing Touch friendly display

Canon SX720 HS vs Sony W290 Physical Comparison

For those who are aiming to lug around your camera, you have to take into account its weight and dimensions. The Canon SX720 HS has got outer measurements of 110mm x 64mm x 36mm (4.3" x 2.5" x 1.4") and a weight of 270 grams (0.60 lbs) whilst the Sony W290 has dimensions of 98mm x 57mm x 23mm (3.9" x 2.2" x 0.9") having a weight of 167 grams (0.37 lbs).

Analyze the Canon SX720 HS and Sony W290 in our brand new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Take into consideration, the weight of an ILC will differ dependant on the lens you have chosen at the time. Below is the front view dimensions comparison of the SX720 HS compared to the W290.

Canon SX720 HS vs Sony W290 size comparison

Considering size and weight, the portability grade of the SX720 HS and W290 is 89 and 94 respectively.

Canon SX720 HS vs Sony W290 top view buttons comparison

Canon SX720 HS vs Sony W290 Sensor Comparison

In many cases, it is difficult to see the difference in sensor measurements simply by seeing specs. The graphic here will help offer you a more clear sense of the sensor sizing in the SX720 HS and W290.

As you can plainly see, both the cameras enjoy the same exact sensor sizing but not the same resolution. You can anticipate the Canon SX720 HS to show more detail having an extra 8.3 Megapixels. Greater resolution will help you crop pics far more aggressively. The more recent SX720 HS is going to have an advantage in sensor tech.

Canon SX720 HS vs Sony W290 sensor size comparison

Canon SX720 HS vs Sony W290 Screen and ViewFinder

Canon SX720 HS vs Sony W290 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Canon SX720 HS Portrait photography features
Sony W290 Portrait photography features
47
focusing manually
good megapixels (20.3MP)
has face detection focusing
cannot use external flash
sensor is very small (1/2.3")
does not have RAW format
27
has manual focus
manual mode not possible
cannot use external flash
sensor resolution not great (12MP)
sensor size is very small (1/2.3")
lack of RAW files
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Street Comparison

Canon SX720 HS as a Street photography camera
Sony W290 as a Street photography camera
62
image stabilization (Optical)
lighter than others (270g)
screen does not articulate
sensor is very small (1/2.3")
does not have RAW format
56
has image stabilization (Optical)
fixed screen
sensor size is very small (1/2.3")
lack of RAW files
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Sports Comparison

Sports photography with Canon SX720 HS
Sports photography with Sony W290
48
amazing zoom range (24-960mm 40.0 x zoom)
image stabilization (Optical)
good megapixels (20.3MP)
has tracking autofocus
max frames per second low (5.9 fps)
sensor is very small (1/2.3")
not so great battery (250 CIPA)
does not have phase detect AF
25
has image stabilization (Optical)
slow frames per second (2.0 frames per second)
lack of shutter priority mode
sensor resolution not great (12 megapixels)
sensor size is very small (1/2.3")
lack of phase detect auto focus
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Travel Comparison

Canon SX720 HS Travel photography info
Sony W290 Travel photography info
67
lighter than others (270g)
good megapixels (20.3 megapixels)
has built in flash
quite wide (24mm)
very long zoom (960mm)
no Timelapse mode
not so great battery (250 per charge)
display isn't selfie friendly
slow max aperture (f3.3)
57
built-in flash
pretty wide (28mm)
missing Timelapse recording
sensor resolution not great (12 megapixels)
doesn't have selfie friendly screen
sluggish max aperture (f3.3)
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Landscape Comparison

Canon SX720 HS as a Landscape photography camera
Sony W290 as a Landscape photography camera
50
focusing manually
quite wide (24mm)
screen size is good (3")
image stabilization (Optical)
good megapixels (20.3 megapixels)
cannot change lens (fixed lens mount)
slow max aperture (f3.3)
sensor is very small (1/2.3")
does not have RAW format
not so great battery (250 CIPA)
no Timelapse mode
41
has manual focus
pretty wide (28mm)
decent sized screen (3")
has image stabilization (Optical)
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
sluggish max aperture (f3.3)
manual mode not possible
sensor resolution not great (12MP)
sensor size is very small (1/2.3")
lack of RAW files
missing Timelapse recording
Photography Glossary

Vlogging Comparison

Canon SX720 HS Vlogging information
Sony W290 Vlogging information
34
quite wide (24mm)
image stabilization (Optical)
has face detection focusing
video res high (1920 x 1080 pxls)
lighter than others (270 grams)
slow max aperture (f3.3)
display isn't selfie friendly
no external microphone support
28
pretty wide (28mm)
has image stabilization (Optical)
sluggish max aperture (f3.3)
doesn't have selfie friendly screen
video res low (1280 x 720 resolution)
missing external microphone jack
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Canon SX720 HS vs Sony W290 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Canon SX720 HS and Sony W290
 Canon PowerShot SX720 HSSony Cyber-shot DSC-W290
General Information
Make Canon Sony
Model type Canon PowerShot SX720 HS Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W290
Class Small Sensor Superzoom Small Sensor Compact
Announced 2016-02-18 2009-02-17
Body design Compact Compact
Sensor Information
Chip DIGIC 6 -
Sensor type BSI-CMOS CCD
Sensor size 1/2.3" 1/2.3"
Sensor measurements 6.17 x 4.55mm 6.17 x 4.55mm
Sensor surface area 28.1mm² 28.1mm²
Sensor resolution 20.3 megapixels 12 megapixels
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Full resolution 5184 x 3888 4000 x 3000
Max native ISO 3200 3200
Min native ISO 80 80
RAW support
Autofocusing
Manual focusing
Touch to focus
AF continuous
AF single
Tracking AF
AF selectice
AF center weighted
Multi area AF
Live view AF
Face detection AF
Contract detection AF
Phase detection AF
Total focus points 9 9
Lens
Lens support fixed lens fixed lens
Lens zoom range 24-960mm (40.0x) 28-140mm (5.0x)
Highest aperture f/3.3-6.9 f/3.3-5.2
Macro focusing range 1cm 10cm
Crop factor 5.8 5.8
Screen
Range of screen Fixed Type Fixed Type
Screen diagonal 3" 3"
Resolution of screen 922k dot 230k dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch functionality
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type None None
Features
Lowest shutter speed 15s 2s
Highest shutter speed 1/3200s 1/1600s
Continuous shooting speed 5.9fps 2.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual exposure
Exposure compensation Yes -
Set WB
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash distance 4.00 m 3.90 m
Flash settings Auto, on, off, slow synchro Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye reduction, Slow Sync
External flash
AE bracketing
WB bracketing
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Supported video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (60p, 30p), 1280 x 720 (30p), 640 x 480 (30 fps) 1280 x 720 (30 fps) 640 x 480 (30 fps)
Max video resolution 1920x1080 1280x720
Video file format MPEG-4, H.264 MPEG-4
Microphone input
Headphone input
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 seal
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 270 grams (0.60 pounds) 167 grams (0.37 pounds)
Dimensions 110 x 64 x 36mm (4.3" x 2.5" x 1.4") 98 x 57 x 23mm (3.9" x 2.2" x 0.9")
DXO scores
DXO All around rating not tested not tested
DXO Color Depth rating not tested not tested
DXO Dynamic range rating not tested not tested
DXO Low light rating not tested not tested
Other
Battery life 250 pictures -
Style of battery Battery Pack -
Battery ID NB-13L -
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 secs, custom) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse feature
Storage media SD/SDHC/SDXC card Memory Stick Duo / Pro Duo, Internal
Storage slots Single Single
Pricing at launch $379 $230