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Nikon D5600 vs Sony A290

Portability
70
Imaging
68
Features
85
Overall
74
Nikon D5600 front
 
Sony Alpha DSLR-A290 front
Portability
66
Imaging
54
Features
47
Overall
51

Nikon D5600 vs Sony A290 Key Specs

Nikon D5600
(Full Review)
  • 24MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3.2" Fully Articulated Display
  • ISO 100 - 25600
  • No Anti-Alias Filter
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Nikon F Mount
  • 465g - 124 x 97 x 70mm
  • Introduced November 2016
  • Superseded the Nikon D5500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
  • Earlier Model is Sony A230
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Nikon D5600 vs Sony A290 Overview

Below is a complete assessment of the Nikon D5600 and Sony A290, both Entry-Level DSLR cameras by manufacturers Nikon and Sony. There exists a large gap among the image resolutions of the D5600 (24MP) and A290 (14MP) but both cameras posses the same sensor sizing (APS-C).

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The D5600 was announced 6 years later than the A290 and that is a fairly serious difference as far as camera technology is concerned. Each of the cameras have the same body design (Compact SLR).

Before delving into a more detailed comparison, here is a concise highlight of how the D5600 matches up versus the A290 in terms of portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

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Reasons to pick Nikon D5600 over the Sony A290

 D5600 A290 
LaunchedNovember 2016June 2010More recent by 79 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
Touch display Easily navigate

Reasons to pick Sony A290 over the Nikon D5600

 A290 D5600 

Common features in the Nikon D5600 and Sony A290

 D5600 A290 
Manual focus More exact focus

Nikon D5600 vs Sony A290 Physical Comparison

For anyone who is looking to lug around your camera, you're going to have to consider its weight and measurements. The Nikon D5600 comes with outside measurements of 124mm x 97mm x 70mm (4.9" x 3.8" x 2.8") accompanied by a weight of 465 grams (1.03 lbs) whilst the Sony A290 has proportions of 128mm x 97mm x 86mm (5.0" x 3.8" x 3.4") accompanied by a weight of 549 grams (1.21 lbs).

See the Nikon D5600 and Sony A290 in our newest Camera plus 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 attached at that time. Here is a front view overall size comparison of the D5600 against the A290.

Nikon D5600 vs Sony A290 size comparison

Taking into account dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the D5600 and A290 is 70 and 66 respectively.

Nikon D5600 vs Sony A290 top view buttons comparison

Nikon D5600 vs Sony A290 Sensor Comparison

Normally, it is very difficult to visualize the gap in sensor measurements just by researching technical specs. The visual here should give you a more clear sense of the sensor sizing in the D5600 and A290.

As you can tell, both of these cameras have the same sensor dimensions but different resolution. You can expect to see the Nikon D5600 to render greater detail with its extra 10 Megapixels. Greater resolution will let you crop images a bit more aggressively. The more modern D5600 should have a benefit when it comes to sensor innovation.

Nikon D5600 vs Sony A290 sensor size comparison

Nikon D5600 vs Sony A290 Screen and ViewFinder

Nikon D5600 vs Sony A290 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Nikon D5600 as a Portrait photography camera
Sony A290 as a Portrait photography camera
80
has manual focus
good MP (24 megapixels)
sensor size is good (APS-C)
offers face detect focus
supports RAW formats
65
has manual focus
resolution is good (14 megapixels)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
has face detect autofocus
saves RAW files
no liveview feature
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Street Comparison

Nikon D5600 Street photography details
Sony A290 Street photography details
74
screen can move to multiple angles
sensor size is good (APS-C)
supports RAW formats
offers focus by touch
good ISO range (25,600)
lack of image stabilization
66
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
saves RAW files
fixed screen
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Sports Comparison

Nikon D5600 as a Sports photography camera
Sony A290 as a Sports photography camera
69
good MP (24MP)
sensor size is good (APS-C)
offers tracking focus
great battery pack (820 shots)
sensor has phase detect auto focus
max frames per second low (5.0 fps)
lack of image stabilization
55
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
resolution is good (14 megapixels)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
sensor has phase detect autofocus
no liveview feature
continuous shooting slow (3.0 fps)
low battery (290 CIPA)
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Travel Comparison

Nikon D5600 as a Travel photography camera
Sony A290 as a Travel photography camera
81
great battery pack (820 per charge)
has bluetooth
offers focus by touch
good MP (24MP)
built-in flash
selfie friendly screen
53
resolution is good (14MP)
flash built-in
missing Timelapse mode
low battery (290 per charge)
doesn't offer selfie friendly display
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Landscape Comparison

Landscape photography with Nikon D5600
Landscape photography with Sony A290
79
has manual focus
interchangeable lenses (Nikon F mount)
pretty good screen size (3.2")
good MP (24 megapixels)
sensor size is good (APS-C)
does not have anti aliasing filter
good ISO range (25,600)
supports RAW formats
great battery pack (820 CIPA)
lack of image stabilization
58
has manual focus
interchangeable lenses (Sony/Minolta Alpha mount)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
resolution is good (14 megapixels)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
saves RAW files
screen is somewhat small (2.7")
no liveview feature
low battery (290 per charge)
missing Timelapse mode
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Vlogging Comparison

Nikon D5600 Vlogging details
Sony A290 Vlogging details
74
selfie friendly screen
touchscreen enabled
offers face detect focus
great video quality (1920 x 1080 pxls)
includes microphone jack
lack of image stabilization
9
no video shooting
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Nikon D5600 vs Sony A290 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Nikon D5600 and Sony A290
 Nikon D5600Sony Alpha DSLR-A290
General Information
Company Nikon Sony
Model Nikon D5600 Sony Alpha DSLR-A290
Category Entry-Level DSLR Entry-Level DSLR
Introduced 2016-11-10 2010-06-09
Physical type Compact SLR Compact SLR
Sensor Information
Processor Chip 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
Highest resolution 6000 x 4000 4592 x 3056
Highest native ISO 25600 3200
Minimum native ISO 100 100
RAW support
Autofocusing
Manual focus
Autofocus touch
Autofocus continuous
Autofocus single
Autofocus tracking
Autofocus selectice
Center weighted autofocus
Multi area autofocus
Live view autofocus
Face detect autofocus
Contract detect autofocus
Phase detect autofocus
Number of focus points 39 9
Cross focus points 9 -
Lens
Lens mounting type Nikon F Sony/Minolta Alpha
Total lenses 309 143
Focal length multiplier 1.5 1.5
Screen
Type of display Fully Articulated Fixed Type
Display diagonal 3.2" 2.7"
Resolution of display 1,037 thousand dots 230 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch operation
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Optical (pentamirror) Optical (pentamirror)
Viewfinder coverage 95% 95%
Viewfinder magnification 0.55x 0.55x
Features
Slowest shutter speed 30s 30s
Maximum shutter speed 1/4000s 1/4000s
Continuous shooting rate 5.0 frames/s 3.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
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 options 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
AE bracketing
White balance bracketing
Maximum flash synchronize 1/200s 1/160s
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, 30, 25 fps), 640 x 424 (30, 25 fps) -
Highest video resolution 1920x1080 None
Video data format MPEG-4, H.264 -
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 Optional None
Physical
Environmental sealing
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 465g (1.03 pounds) 549g (1.21 pounds)
Physical dimensions 124 x 97 x 70mm (4.9" x 3.8" x 2.8") 128 x 97 x 86mm (5.0" x 3.8" x 3.4")
DXO scores
DXO All around score 84 66
DXO Color Depth score 24.1 22.6
DXO Dynamic range score 14.0 11.5
DXO Low light score 1306 615
Other
Battery life 820 pictures 290 pictures
Style of battery Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery model EN-EL14 NP-FH50
Self timer Yes (2, 5, 10 or 20 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse shooting
Storage type SD/SDHC/SDXC Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo, SD/SDHC
Card slots One One
Retail pricing $597 $600