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Nikon S2900 vs Sony A290

Portability
96
Imaging
46
Features
32
Overall
40
Nikon Coolpix S2900 front
 
Sony Alpha DSLR-A290 front
Portability
66
Imaging
54
Features
47
Overall
51

Nikon S2900 vs Sony A290 Key Specs

Nikon S2900
(Full Review)
  • 20MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 2.7" Fixed Display
  • ISO 80 - 3200
  • Digital Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 26-130mm (F3.2-6.5) lens
  • 119g - 95 x 59 x 20mm
  • Revealed January 2015
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
  • Released June 2010
  • Old Model is Sony A230
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Nikon S2900 vs Sony A290 Overview

Its time to take a deeper look at the Nikon S2900 and Sony A290, former is a Ultracompact while the latter is a Entry-Level DSLR by rivals Nikon and Sony. There is a noticeable difference among the resolutions of the S2900 (20MP) and A290 (14MP) and the S2900 (1/2.3") and A290 (APS-C) feature totally different sensor size.

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The S2900 was released 4 years after the A290 which is a fairly sizable difference as far as camera tech is concerned. Both of the cameras offer different body type with the Nikon S2900 being a Ultracompact camera and the Sony A290 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before getting in to a complete comparison, below is a concise summary of how the S2900 grades versus the A290 in terms of portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

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Reasons to pick Nikon S2900 over the Sony A290

 S2900 A290 
ReleasedJanuary 2015June 2010More modern by 56 months

Reasons to pick Sony A290 over the Nikon S2900

 A290 S2900 
Manually focus Dial precise focusing

Common features in the Nikon S2900 and Sony A290

 S2900 A290 
Screen typeFixed Fixed Fixed screen
Screen sizing2.7"2.7"Equivalent screen size
Screen resolution230k230kThe same screen resolution
Selfie screen Neither comes with selfie screen
Touch screen Neither comes with Touch screen

Nikon S2900 vs Sony A290 Physical Comparison

When you are going to carry around your camera, you will want to think about its weight and dimensions. The Nikon S2900 comes with outside measurements of 95mm x 59mm x 20mm (3.7" x 2.3" x 0.8") having a weight of 119 grams (0.26 lbs) while the Sony A290 has dimensions of 128mm x 97mm x 86mm (5.0" x 3.8" x 3.4") along with a weight of 549 grams (1.21 lbs).

See the Nikon S2900 and Sony A290 in our newest Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Take into account, the weight of an ILC will differ dependant on the lens you have chosen at that time. The following is the front view scale comparison of the S2900 compared to the A290.

Nikon S2900 vs Sony A290 size comparison

Taking into account size and weight, the portability rating of the S2900 and A290 is 96 and 66 respectively.

Nikon S2900 vs Sony A290 top view buttons comparison

Nikon S2900 vs Sony A290 Sensor Comparison

In many cases, it's hard to visualise the difference in sensor sizes merely by looking through technical specs. The picture below should provide you a stronger sense of the sensor measurements in the S2900 and A290.

As you can tell, both of the cameras enjoy different megapixel count and different sensor sizes. The S2900 featuring a smaller sensor will make shooting shallow depth of field trickier and the Nikon S2900 will result in extra detail as a result of its extra 6MP. Higher resolution can also enable you to crop shots far more aggressively. The younger S2900 will have an advantage with regard to sensor innovation.

Nikon S2900 vs Sony A290 sensor size comparison

Nikon S2900 vs Sony A290 Screen and ViewFinder

Nikon S2900 vs Sony A290 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Nikon S2900 Portrait photography highlights
Sony A290 Portrait photography highlights
39
decent megapixels (20 megapixels)
comes with face detect autofocus
focusing manually not possible
no manual control
cannot use external flash
sensor is very small (1/2.3")
has no RAW format
65
has manual focus
megapixel count good (14 megapixels)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
includes face detection autofocus
exports RAW files
no liveview
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Street Comparison

Nikon S2900 as a Street photography camera
Sony A290 as a Street photography camera
59
has image stabilization (Digital)
no moving screen
sensor is very small (1/2.3")
has no RAW format
66
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
exports RAW files
no articulating screen
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Sports Comparison

Nikon S2900 Sports photography details
Sony A290 Sports photography details
51
has image stabilization (Digital)
decent megapixels (20MP)
comes with tracking focus
good battery power (250 per charge)
no shutter priority mode
sensor is very small (1/2.3")
has no phase detect autofocus
55
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
megapixel count good (14MP)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
has phase detect autofocus
no liveview
max fps very slow (3.0 frames per second)
low battery power (290 CIPA)
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Travel Comparison

Nikon S2900 as a Travel photography camera
Sony A290 as a Travel photography camera
70
good battery power (250 per charge)
decent megapixels (20 megapixels)
flash built-in
pretty wide (26mm)
no Time Lapse mode
doesn't have a selfie friendly screen
sluggish max aperture (f3.2)
53
megapixel count good (14MP)
flash built-in
does not have Timelapse mode
low battery power (290 CIPA)
doesn't have a selfie friendly display
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Landscape Comparison

Nikon S2900 as a Landscape photography camera
Sony A290 as a Landscape photography camera
44
pretty wide (26mm)
has image stabilization (Digital)
decent megapixels (20MP)
good battery power (250 shots)
focusing manually not possible
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
sluggish max aperture (f3.2)
screen is somewhat small (2.7 inch)
no manual control
sensor is very small (1/2.3")
has no RAW format
no Time Lapse mode
58
has manual focus
switch lenses (Sony/Minolta Alpha mount)
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
megapixel count good (14MP)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
exports RAW files
screen is somewhat small (2.7 inch)
no liveview
low battery power (290 per charge)
does not have Timelapse mode
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Vlogging Comparison

Nikon S2900 Vlogging details
Sony A290 Vlogging details
32
pretty wide (26mm)
has image stabilization (Digital)
comes with face detect autofocus
sluggish max aperture (f3.2)
doesn't have a selfie friendly screen
video quality not great (1280 x 720 pxls)
no mic support
9
no video shooting
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Nikon S2900 vs Sony A290 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Nikon S2900 and Sony A290
 Nikon Coolpix S2900Sony Alpha DSLR-A290
General Information
Make Nikon Sony
Model Nikon Coolpix S2900 Sony Alpha DSLR-A290
Type Ultracompact Entry-Level DSLR
Revealed 2015-01-14 2010-06-09
Physical type Ultracompact Compact SLR
Sensor Information
Chip Expeed C2 Bionz
Sensor type CCD CCD
Sensor size 1/2.3" APS-C
Sensor measurements 6.17 x 4.55mm 23.5 x 15.7mm
Sensor area 28.1mm² 369.0mm²
Sensor resolution 20MP 14MP
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 3:2 and 16:9 3:2 and 16:9
Highest resolution 5152 x 3864 4592 x 3056
Highest native ISO 3200 3200
Lowest native ISO 80 100
RAW format
Autofocusing
Manual focus
Touch to focus
Continuous autofocus
Autofocus single
Autofocus tracking
Selective autofocus
Autofocus center weighted
Autofocus multi area
Autofocus live view
Face detect focus
Contract detect focus
Phase detect focus
Number of focus points - 9
Lens
Lens mount fixed lens Sony/Minolta Alpha
Lens focal range 26-130mm (5.0x) -
Largest aperture f/3.2-6.5 -
Macro focus range 10cm -
Amount of lenses - 143
Crop factor 5.8 1.5
Screen
Type of display Fixed Type Fixed Type
Display diagonal 2.7" 2.7"
Resolution of display 230 thousand dots 230 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch functionality
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type None Optical (pentamirror)
Viewfinder coverage - 95%
Viewfinder magnification - 0.55x
Features
Lowest shutter speed 4s 30s
Highest shutter speed 1/2000s 1/4000s
Continuous shooting rate - 3.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation - Yes
Set white balance
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash range 4.00 m 10.00 m (at ISO 100)
Flash options - Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, High Speed Sync, Rear Curtain, Fill-in, Wireless
External flash
AEB
White balance bracketing
Highest flash synchronize - 1/160s
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Supported video resolutions 1280 x 720 (30p) -
Highest video resolution 1280x720 None
Video format Motion JPEG -
Microphone support
Headphone support
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 proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 119 gr (0.26 lb) 549 gr (1.21 lb)
Dimensions 95 x 59 x 20mm (3.7" x 2.3" x 0.8") 128 x 97 x 86mm (5.0" x 3.8" x 3.4")
DXO scores
DXO All around score not tested 66
DXO Color Depth score not tested 22.6
DXO Dynamic range score not tested 11.5
DXO Low light score not tested 615
Other
Battery life 250 images 290 images
Battery style Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery model EN-EL19 NP-FH50
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse feature
Storage type SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo, SD/SDHC
Card slots One One
Price at launch $117 $600