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Panasonic 3D1 vs Sony A290

Portability
93
Imaging
36
Features
36
Overall
36
Panasonic Lumix DMC-3D1 front
 
Sony Alpha DSLR-A290 front
Portability
66
Imaging
54
Features
47
Overall
51

Panasonic 3D1 vs Sony A290 Key Specs

Panasonic 3D1
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3.5" Fixed Display
  • ISO 100 - 6400
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 25-100mm (F3.9-5.7) lens
  • 193g - 108 x 58 x 24mm
  • Revealed November 2011
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
  • Launched June 2010
  • Superseded the Sony A230
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Panasonic 3D1 vs Sony A290 Overview

Lets look a bit more in depth at the Panasonic 3D1 versus Sony A290, one being a Small Sensor Compact and the latter is a Entry-Level DSLR by companies Panasonic and Sony. The sensor resolution of the 3D1 (12MP) and the A290 (14MP) is relatively comparable but the 3D1 (1/2.3") and A290 (APS-C) provide different sensor size.

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The 3D1 was brought out 18 months later than the A290 which makes them a generation apart from each other. Each of these cameras feature different body design with the Panasonic 3D1 being a Compact camera and the Sony A290 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before going straight to a thorough comparison, here is a brief introduction of how the 3D1 matches up against the A290 in regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Photography Glossary
	
	

Reasons to pick Panasonic 3D1 over the Sony A290

 3D1 A290 
LaunchedNovember 2011June 2010More recent by 18 months
Screen size3.5"2.7"Bigger screen (+0.8")
Screen resolution460k230kSharper screen (+230k dot)
Touch friendly screen Quickly navigate

Reasons to pick Sony A290 over the Panasonic 3D1

 A290 3D1 
Manual focus Very exact focusing

Common features in the Panasonic 3D1 and Sony A290

 3D1 A290 
Screen typeFixed Fixed Fixed screen
Selfie screen Neither has selfie screen

Panasonic 3D1 vs Sony A290 Physical Comparison

For anyone who is looking to lug around your camera often, you are going to need to factor in its weight and measurements. The Panasonic 3D1 has physical measurements of 108mm x 58mm x 24mm (4.3" x 2.3" x 0.9") accompanied by a weight of 193 grams (0.43 lbs) and the Sony A290 has proportions of 128mm x 97mm x 86mm (5.0" x 3.8" x 3.4") along with a weight of 549 grams (1.21 lbs).

Compare the Panasonic 3D1 versus Sony A290 in the new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Remember that, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary depending on the lens you are using during that time. Following is a front view scale comparison of the 3D1 versus the A290.

Panasonic 3D1 vs Sony A290 size comparison

Taking into consideration size and weight, the portability score of the 3D1 and A290 is 93 and 66 respectively.

Panasonic 3D1 vs Sony A290 top view buttons comparison

Panasonic 3D1 vs Sony A290 Sensor Comparison

Oftentimes, it is very hard to visualize the difference in sensor measurements simply by seeing a spec sheet. The photograph below will help give you a clearer sense of the sensor sizing in the 3D1 and A290.

Clearly, the 2 cameras come with different megapixels and different sensor measurements. The 3D1 due to its smaller sensor is going to make shooting shallower depth of field trickier and the Sony A290 will provide greater detail having its extra 2 Megapixels. Higher resolution will also enable you to crop photographs a good deal more aggressively. The more recent 3D1 should have an advantage when it comes to sensor tech.

Panasonic 3D1 vs Sony A290 sensor size comparison

Panasonic 3D1 vs Sony A290 Screen and ViewFinder

Panasonic 3D1 vs Sony A290 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Panasonic 3D1 as a Portrait photography camera
Sony A290 as a Portrait photography camera
27
features face detect focus
no manual focus
manual exposure not possible
can't use external flash
low resolution (12MP)
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
lack of RAW format
65
focusing manually
MP count good (14MP)
good sensor size (APS-C)
has face detection focus
saves RAW formats
no liveview
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Street Comparison

Panasonic 3D1 Street photography information
Sony A290 Street photography information
61
image stabilization (Optical)
features focus by touch
screen is fixed
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
lack of RAW format
66
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
good sensor size (APS-C)
saves RAW formats
no moving screen
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Sports Comparison

Panasonic 3D1 Sports photography information
Sony A290 Sports photography information
30
image stabilization (Optical)
features tracking focus
low maximum shutter speed (1/1,300 seconds)
no shutter priority
low resolution (12MP)
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
not so great battery life (200 per charge)
lack of phase detect auto focus
55
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
MP count good (14 megapixels)
good sensor size (APS-C)
comes with phase detect auto focus
no liveview
slow fps (3.0 frames/s)
not so great battery (290 shots)
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Travel Comparison

Panasonic 3D1 Travel photography advice
Sony A290 Travel photography advice
59
features focus by touch
built-in flash
relatively wide (25mm)
missing Time Lapse recording
not so great battery life (200 shots)
low resolution (12MP)
does not feature selfie friendly display
sluggish max aperture (f3.9)
53
MP count good (14MP)
has built in flash
does not have Timelapse recording
not so great battery (290 per charge)
doesn't contain selfie friendly display
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Landscape Comparison

Panasonic 3D1 as a Landscape photography camera
Sony A290 as a Landscape photography camera
36
relatively wide (25mm)
lovely big screen (3.5 inches)
image stabilization (Optical)
no manual focus
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
sluggish max aperture (f3.9)
manual exposure not possible
low resolution (12MP)
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
lack of RAW format
not so great battery life (200 shots)
missing Time Lapse recording
58
focusing manually
interchangeable lenses (Sony/Minolta Alpha mount)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
MP count good (14MP)
good sensor size (APS-C)
saves RAW formats
small screen (2.7 inch)
no liveview
not so great battery (290 shots)
does not have Timelapse recording
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Vlogging Comparison

Panasonic 3D1 Vlogging info
Sony A290 Vlogging info
34
relatively wide (25mm)
touch screen
image stabilization (Optical)
features face detect focus
high quality video (1920 x 1080 pixels)
sluggish max aperture (f3.9)
does not feature selfie friendly display
missing mic jack
9
can't shoot video
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Panasonic 3D1 vs Sony A290 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Panasonic 3D1 and Sony A290
 Panasonic Lumix DMC-3D1Sony Alpha DSLR-A290
General Information
Make Panasonic Sony
Model type Panasonic Lumix DMC-3D1 Sony Alpha DSLR-A290
Category Small Sensor Compact Entry-Level DSLR
Revealed 2011-11-07 2010-06-09
Body design Compact Compact SLR
Sensor Information
Powered by - Bionz
Sensor type CMOS CCD
Sensor size 1/2.3" APS-C
Sensor measurements 6.17 x 4.55mm 23.5 x 15.7mm
Sensor surface area 28.1mm² 369.0mm²
Sensor resolution 12MP 14MP
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 3:2 and 16:9
Maximum resolution 4000 x 3000 4592 x 3056
Maximum native ISO 6400 3200
Min native ISO 100 100
RAW files
Autofocusing
Manual focusing
Touch focus
Autofocus continuous
Single autofocus
Tracking autofocus
Autofocus selectice
Autofocus center weighted
Multi area autofocus
Live view autofocus
Face detect focus
Contract detect focus
Phase detect focus
Total focus points 23 9
Lens
Lens support fixed lens Sony/Minolta Alpha
Lens zoom range 25-100mm (4.0x) -
Maximum aperture f/3.9-5.7 -
Macro focusing distance 5cm -
Number of lenses - 143
Crop factor 5.8 1.5
Screen
Range of display Fixed Type Fixed Type
Display diagonal 3.5" 2.7"
Display resolution 460k dot 230k dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch screen
Display tech TFT Full Touch Screen with AR coating -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder None Optical (pentamirror)
Viewfinder coverage - 95 percent
Viewfinder magnification - 0.55x
Features
Slowest shutter speed 60s 30s
Maximum shutter speed 1/1300s 1/4000s
Continuous shooting speed - 3.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation - Yes
Change white balance
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash distance 3.50 m 10.00 m (at ISO 100)
Flash settings Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye reduction, Slow Sync Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, High Speed Sync, Rear Curtain, Fill-in, Wireless
External flash
Auto exposure bracketing
WB bracketing
Maximum flash sync - 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, 30 fps), 1280 x 720 (60, 30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps) -
Maximum video resolution 1920x1080 None
Video format MPEG-4, AVCHD, Motion JPEG -
Microphone input
Headphone input
Connectivity
Wireless None 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 193g (0.43 pounds) 549g (1.21 pounds)
Physical dimensions 108 x 58 x 24mm (4.3" x 2.3" x 0.9") 128 x 97 x 86mm (5.0" x 3.8" x 3.4")
DXO scores
DXO All around rating not tested 66
DXO Color Depth rating not tested 22.6
DXO Dynamic range rating not tested 11.5
DXO Low light rating not tested 615
Other
Battery life 200 photographs 290 photographs
Battery format Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID - NP-FH50
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse shooting
Storage media SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo, SD/SDHC
Storage slots One One
Pricing at launch $670 $600