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Nikon D5300 vs Sony A290

Portability
68
Imaging
65
Features
81
Overall
71
Nikon D5300 front
 
Sony Alpha DSLR-A290 front
Portability
66
Imaging
54
Features
47
Overall
51

Nikon D5300 vs Sony A290 Key Specs

Nikon D5300
(Full Review)
  • 24MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3.2" Fully Articulated Display
  • ISO 100 - 12800 (Bump to 25600)
  • No Anti-Alias Filter
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Nikon F Mount
  • 480g - 125 x 98 x 76mm
  • Introduced February 2014
  • Old Model is Nikon D5200
  • Successor is Nikon D5500
Sony A290
(Full Review)
  • 14MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 2.7" Fixed Display
  • ISO 100 - 3200
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • No Video
  • Sony/Minolta Alpha Mount
  • 549g - 128 x 97 x 86mm
  • Launched June 2010
  • Superseded the Sony A230
Photography Glossary

Nikon D5300 vs Sony A290 Overview

Lets look closer at the Nikon D5300 and Sony A290, both Entry-Level DSLR digital cameras by rivals Nikon and Sony. There exists a noticeable gap between the image resolutions of the D5300 (24MP) and A290 (14MP) but both cameras boast the same sensor sizes (APS-C).

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The D5300 was introduced 3 years later than the A290 and that is quite a sizable difference as far as technology is concerned. Both of the cameras have the same body design (Compact SLR).

Before getting straight to a thorough comparison, here is a simple summation of how the D5300 scores vs the A290 when it comes to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

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Reasons to pick Nikon D5300 over the Sony A290

 D5300 A290 
LaunchedFebruary 2014June 2010Fresher by 45 months
Display typeFully ArticulatedFixed Fully Articulating display
Display dimensions3.2"2.7"Larger display (+0.5")
Display resolution1037k230kSharper display (+807k dot)
Selfie screen Take selfies

Reasons to pick Sony A290 over the Nikon D5300

 A290 D5300 

Common features in the Nikon D5300 and Sony A290

 D5300 A290 
Manually focus More exact focus
Touch friendly display Lacking Touch friendly display

Nikon D5300 vs Sony A290 Physical Comparison

For those who are looking to carry your camera, you should consider its weight and measurements. The Nikon D5300 features physical measurements of 125mm x 98mm x 76mm (4.9" x 3.9" x 3.0") accompanied by a weight of 480 grams (1.06 lbs) and 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).

Check out the Nikon D5300 and Sony A290 in our completely new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Take into consideration, the weight of an ILC will vary depending on the lens you are employing at the time. The following is a front view sizing comparison of the D5300 against the A290.

Nikon D5300 vs Sony A290 size comparison

Looking at dimensions and weight, the portability score of the D5300 and A290 is 68 and 66 respectively.

Nikon D5300 vs Sony A290 top view buttons comparison

Nikon D5300 vs Sony A290 Sensor Comparison

Normally, its tough to imagine the difference between sensor sizing just by going over a spec sheet. The photograph below may offer you a stronger sense of the sensor measurements in the D5300 and A290.

Clearly, both of the cameras provide the same sensor dimensions but different megapixels. You can expect to see the Nikon D5300 to offer more detail using its extra 10MP. Greater resolution will also make it easier to crop pics more aggressively. The fresher D5300 provides an advantage with regard to sensor tech.

Nikon D5300 vs Sony A290 sensor size comparison

Nikon D5300 vs Sony A290 Screen and ViewFinder

Nikon D5300 vs Sony A290 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Nikon D5300 Portrait photography factors
Sony A290 Portrait photography factors
79
manual focus
MP count decent (24MP)
decent sensor size (APS-C)
features face detect autofocus
delivers RAW formats
65
manual focus
good MP (14MP)
sensor size is good (APS-C)
comes with face detect focusing
delivers RAW files
no liveview
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Street Comparison

Nikon D5300 Street photography factors
Sony A290 Street photography factors
69
screen articulates
decent sensor size (APS-C)
delivers RAW formats
lack of image stabilization
66
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is good (APS-C)
delivers RAW files
no moving screen
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Sports Comparison

Sports photography with Nikon D5300
Sports photography with Sony A290
65
MP count decent (24 megapixels)
decent sensor size (APS-C)
features tracking focus
sensor has phase detect autofocus
continuous shooting slow (5.0 frames per second)
lack of image stabilization
55
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
good MP (14 megapixels)
sensor size is good (APS-C)
sensor has phase detect AF
no liveview
slow continuous shooting (3.0 frames per second)
bad battery life (290 per charge)
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Travel Comparison

Nikon D5300 as a Travel photography camera
Sony A290 as a Travel photography camera
80
MP count decent (24MP)
has built in flash
selfie friendly screen
53
good MP (14MP)
built-in flash
lack of Timelapse recording
bad battery life (290 CIPA)
display isn't selfie friendly
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Landscape Comparison

Landscape photography with Nikon D5300
Landscape photography with Sony A290
76
manual focus
change lenses (Nikon F mount)
nice screen size (3.2 inches)
MP count decent (24 megapixels)
decent sensor size (APS-C)
no anti-alias filter
delivers RAW formats
lack of image stabilization
58
manual focus
interchangeable lenses (Sony/Minolta Alpha mount)
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
good MP (14 megapixels)
sensor size is good (APS-C)
delivers RAW files
screen is small (2.7")
no liveview
bad battery life (290 shots)
lack of Timelapse recording
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Vlogging Comparison

Nikon D5300 Vlogging features
Sony A290 Vlogging features
72
selfie friendly screen
features face detect autofocus
video resolution high (1920 x 1080 pxls)
includes microphone support
lack of image stabilization
9
no video
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Nikon D5300 vs Sony A290 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Nikon D5300 and Sony A290
 Nikon D5300Sony Alpha DSLR-A290
General Information
Manufacturer Nikon Sony
Model Nikon D5300 Sony Alpha DSLR-A290
Class Entry-Level DSLR Entry-Level DSLR
Introduced 2014-02-12 2010-06-09
Body design Compact SLR Compact SLR
Sensor Information
Processor Expeed 4 Bionz
Sensor type CMOS CCD
Sensor size APS-C APS-C
Sensor measurements 23.5 x 15.6mm 23.5 x 15.7mm
Sensor area 366.6mm² 369.0mm²
Sensor resolution 24 megapixel 14 megapixel
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 3:2 3:2 and 16:9
Peak resolution 6000 x 4000 4592 x 3056
Highest native ISO 12800 3200
Highest enhanced ISO 25600 -
Minimum native ISO 100 100
RAW format
Autofocusing
Manual focus
Touch focus
Autofocus continuous
Autofocus single
Autofocus tracking
Autofocus selectice
Center weighted autofocus
Multi area autofocus
Live view autofocus
Face detect focus
Contract detect focus
Phase detect focus
Number of focus points 39 9
Cross focus points 9 -
Lens
Lens mounting type Nikon F Sony/Minolta Alpha
Available lenses 309 143
Crop factor 1.5 1.5
Screen
Display type Fully Articulated Fixed Type
Display size 3.2 inches 2.7 inches
Resolution of display 1,037 thousand dot 230 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch display
Display tech TFT LCD monitor -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Optical (pentamirror) Optical (pentamirror)
Viewfinder coverage 95% 95%
Viewfinder magnification 0.55x 0.55x
Features
Minimum shutter speed 30 seconds 30 seconds
Fastest shutter speed 1/4000 seconds 1/4000 seconds
Continuous shutter speed 5.0fps 3.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Set white balance
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash range 12.00 m (at ISO 100) 10.00 m (at ISO 100)
Flash settings Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Slow sync, Rear curtain Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, High Speed Sync, Rear Curtain, Fill-in, Wireless
External flash
AEB
White balance bracketing
Fastest flash sync 1/200 seconds 1/160 seconds
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Supported video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (60, 50, 30, 25, 24 fps), 1280 x 720 (60, 50 fps), 640 x 424 (30, 25 fps) -
Highest video resolution 1920x1080 None
Video format MPEG-4, H.264 -
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 BuiltIn None
Physical
Environment seal
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 480 gr (1.06 lb) 549 gr (1.21 lb)
Physical dimensions 125 x 98 x 76mm (4.9" x 3.9" x 3.0") 128 x 97 x 86mm (5.0" x 3.8" x 3.4")
DXO scores
DXO Overall score 83 66
DXO Color Depth score 24.0 22.6
DXO Dynamic range score 13.9 11.5
DXO Low light score 1338 615
Other
Battery life 600 images 290 images
Form of battery Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery model EN-EL14,EN-EL14a NP-FH50
Self timer Yes (2, 5, 10 or 20 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse recording
Storage media SD/SDHC/SDXC Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo, SD/SDHC
Storage slots 1 1
Retail price $429 $600