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Panasonic GX9 vs Sony W290

Portability
82
Imaging
61
Features
80
Overall
68
Panasonic Lumix DC-GX9 front
 
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W290 front
Portability
94
Imaging
35
Features
28
Overall
32

Panasonic GX9 vs Sony W290 Key Specs

Panasonic GX9
(Full Review)
  • 20MP - Four Thirds Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Screen
  • ISO 200 - 25600
  • Sensor based 5-axis Image Stabilization
  • No Anti-Alias Filter
  • 3840 x 2160 video
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 407g - 124 x 72 x 47mm
  • Introduced February 2018
Sony W290
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 80 - 3200
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 28-140mm (F3.3-5.2) lens
  • 167g - 98 x 57 x 23mm
  • Introduced February 2009
Photography Glossary

Panasonic GX9 vs Sony W290 Overview

Its time to examine more closely at the Panasonic GX9 vs Sony W290, one is a Advanced Mirrorless and the latter is a Small Sensor Compact by companies Panasonic and Sony. There exists a big gap between the sensor resolutions of the GX9 (20MP) and W290 (12MP) and the GX9 (Four Thirds) and W290 (1/2.3") use totally different sensor sizing.

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The GX9 was manufactured 9 years after the W290 which is quite a big gap as far as technology is concerned. Both cameras come with different body type with the Panasonic GX9 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Sony W290 being a Compact camera.

Before diving through a in depth comparison, below is a simple view of how the GX9 matches up against the W290 in regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

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Reasons to pick Panasonic GX9 over the Sony W290

 GX9 W290 
IntroducedFebruary 2018February 2009More modern by 110 months
Screen typeTiltingFixed Tilting screen
Screen resolution1240k230kSharper screen (+1010k dot)
Touch friendly screen Quickly navigate

Reasons to pick Sony W290 over the Panasonic GX9

 W290 GX9 

Common features in the Panasonic GX9 and Sony W290

 GX9 W290 
Manually focus Very exact focusing
Screen dimension3"3"Identical screen measurement
Selfie screen Missing selfie screen

Panasonic GX9 vs Sony W290 Physical Comparison

For those who are looking to carry around your camera often, you will want to factor in its weight and proportions. The Panasonic GX9 offers external measurements of 124mm x 72mm x 47mm (4.9" x 2.8" x 1.9") having a weight of 407 grams (0.90 lbs) while the Sony W290 has measurements of 98mm x 57mm x 23mm (3.9" x 2.2" x 0.9") with a weight of 167 grams (0.37 lbs).

Check the Panasonic GX9 vs Sony W290 in the new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Keep in mind, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change based on the lens you have at that time. Following is the front view dimensions comparison of the GX9 versus the W290.

Panasonic GX9 vs Sony W290 size comparison

Considering dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the GX9 and W290 is 82 and 94 respectively.

Panasonic GX9 vs Sony W290 top view buttons comparison

Panasonic GX9 vs Sony W290 Sensor Comparison

Typically, it is difficult to see the difference between sensor sizes purely by reading through a spec sheet. The image here may provide you a better sense of the sensor measurements in the GX9 and W290.

As you can see, the two cameras posses different resolutions and different sensor sizes. The GX9 due to its bigger sensor will make shooting bokeh easier and the Panasonic GX9 will give greater detail due to its extra 8MP. Higher resolution will also make it easier to crop pictures somewhat more aggressively. The fresher GX9 will have an advantage with regard to sensor innovation.

Panasonic GX9 vs Sony W290 sensor size comparison

Panasonic GX9 vs Sony W290 Screen and ViewFinder

Panasonic GX9 vs Sony W290 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Panasonic GX9 Portrait photography highlights
Sony W290 Portrait photography highlights
76
focusing manually
MP count decent (20MP)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
includes face detect focusing
exports RAW files
27
manual focus
manual mode not available
can't use external flash
MP count low (12 megapixels)
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
no RAW support
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Street Comparison

Panasonic GX9 Street photography details
Sony W290 Street photography details
84
screen tilts
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
exports RAW files
provides focus via touch
very good high ISO (25,600)
56
built in image stabilization (Optical)
no moving screen
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
no RAW support
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Sports Comparison

Panasonic GX9 Sports photography features
Sony W290 Sports photography features
73
silent shooting (1/16,000 seconds)
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
MP count decent (20MP)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
includes tracking focus
comes with phase detect AF
not so great battery power (260 per charge)
25
built in image stabilization (Optical)
very slow continuous shooting (2.0 frames per second)
no shutter priority
MP count low (12 megapixels)
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
no phase detect AF
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Travel Comparison

Panasonic GX9 Travel photography info
Sony W290 Travel photography info
71
connects via bluetooth
provides focus via touch
MP count decent (20MP)
has built in flash
not so great battery power (260 CIPA)
screen isn't selfie friendly
57
built-in flash
rather wide (28mm)
no Timelapse mode
MP count low (12 megapixels)
does not posses selfie friendly screen
slow max aperture (f3.3)
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Landscape Comparison

Panasonic GX9 Landscape photography highlights
Sony W290 Landscape photography highlights
77
focusing manually
swap lenses (Micro Four Thirds mount)
screen is a decent size (3 inches)
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
MP count decent (20 megapixels)
good sensor size (Four Thirds)
no anti aliasing filter
very good high ISO (25,600)
exports RAW files
not so great battery power (260 CIPA)
41
manual focus
rather wide (28mm)
screen size is good (3 inch)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
slow max aperture (f3.3)
manual mode not available
MP count low (12 megapixels)
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
no RAW support
no Timelapse mode
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Vlogging Comparison

Panasonic GX9 as a Vlogging camera
Sony W290 as a Vlogging camera
35
touchscreen functionality
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
includes face detect focusing
video res high (3840 x 2160 pixels)
screen isn't selfie friendly
lack of microphone port
28
rather wide (28mm)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
slow max aperture (f3.3)
does not posses selfie friendly screen
low video resolution (1280 x 720 resolution)
no external microphone support
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Panasonic GX9 vs Sony W290 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Panasonic GX9 and Sony W290
 Panasonic Lumix DC-GX9Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W290
General Information
Company Panasonic Sony
Model type Panasonic Lumix DC-GX9 Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W290
Class Advanced Mirrorless Small Sensor Compact
Introduced 2018-02-13 2009-02-17
Physical type Rangefinder-style mirrorless Compact
Sensor Information
Chip Venus Engine -
Sensor type CMOS CCD
Sensor size Four Thirds 1/2.3"
Sensor measurements 17.3 x 13mm 6.17 x 4.55mm
Sensor surface area 224.9mm² 28.1mm²
Sensor resolution 20 megapixel 12 megapixel
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Peak resolution 5184 x 3888 4000 x 3000
Highest native ISO 25600 3200
Min native ISO 200 80
RAW pictures
Min enhanced ISO 100 -
Autofocusing
Manual focusing
Touch to focus
Continuous autofocus
Autofocus single
Tracking autofocus
Selective autofocus
Center weighted autofocus
Autofocus multi area
Autofocus live view
Face detection autofocus
Contract detection autofocus
Phase detection autofocus
Total focus points 49 9
Lens
Lens support Micro Four Thirds fixed lens
Lens zoom range - 28-140mm (5.0x)
Largest aperture - f/3.3-5.2
Macro focusing range - 10cm
Amount of lenses 107 -
Crop factor 2.1 5.8
Screen
Screen type Tilting Fixed Type
Screen size 3 inch 3 inch
Screen resolution 1,240k dots 230k dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch capability
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Electronic None
Viewfinder resolution 2,760k dots -
Viewfinder coverage 100 percent -
Viewfinder magnification 0.7x -
Features
Min shutter speed 60s 2s
Max shutter speed 1/4000s 1/1600s
Max silent shutter speed 1/16000s -
Continuous shutter rate 9.0 frames/s 2.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual mode
Exposure compensation Yes -
Set white balance
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash distance 6.00 m (at ISO 200) 3.90 m
Flash options Auto, auto w/redeye reduction, forced on, forced on w/redeye reduction, slow sync, slow sync w/redeye reduction, forced off Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye reduction, Slow Sync
External flash
Auto exposure bracketing
White balance bracketing
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Supported video resolutions - 1280 x 720 (30 fps) 640 x 480 (30 fps)
Highest video resolution 3840x2160 1280x720
Video data format MPEG-4, AVCHD, H.264 MPEG-4
Microphone support
Headphone support
Connectivity
Wireless Built-In None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB Yes USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environment sealing
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 407 gr (0.90 pounds) 167 gr (0.37 pounds)
Dimensions 124 x 72 x 47mm (4.9" x 2.8" x 1.9") 98 x 57 x 23mm (3.9" x 2.2" x 0.9")
DXO scores
DXO Overall 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 260 pictures -
Form of battery Battery Pack -
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 secs, 3 photos over 10 secs) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse feature
Storage type SD/SDHC/SDXC card (UHS-I supported) Memory Stick Duo / Pro Duo, Internal
Card slots 1 1
Pricing at release $1,000 $230