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Panasonic F5 vs Sony A290

Portability
96
Imaging
38
Features
23
Overall
32
Panasonic Lumix DMC-F5 front
 
Sony Alpha DSLR-A290 front
Portability
66
Imaging
54
Features
47
Overall
51

Panasonic F5 vs Sony A290 Key Specs

Panasonic F5
(Full Review)
  • 14MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 2.7" Fixed Display
  • ISO 100 - 6400
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 28-140mm (F3.2-6.5) lens
  • 121g - 97 x 58 x 22mm
  • Revealed January 2013
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
  • Revealed June 2010
  • Previous Model is Sony A230
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Panasonic F5 vs Sony A290 Overview

The following is a in depth overview of the Panasonic F5 vs Sony A290, former is a Small Sensor Compact while the other is a Entry-Level DSLR by companies Panasonic and Sony. The sensor resolution of the F5 (14MP) and the A290 (14MP) is very close but the F5 (1/2.3") and A290 (APS-C) come with totally different sensor dimensions.

Photography Glossary

The F5 was manufactured 2 years after the A290 which is a fairly large difference as far as camera tech is concerned. Both of the cameras offer different body type with the Panasonic F5 being a Compact camera and the Sony A290 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before going straight into a full comparison, below is a short view of how the F5 matches up against the A290 in terms of portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

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Reasons to pick Panasonic F5 over the Sony A290

 F5 A290 
RevealedJanuary 2013June 2010Newer by 32 months

Reasons to pick Sony A290 over the Panasonic F5

 A290 F5 
Manual focus More precise focusing

Common features in the Panasonic F5 and Sony A290

 F5 A290 
Display typeFixed Fixed Fixed display
Display sizing2.7"2.7"Equivalent display sizing
Display resolution230k230kSame display resolution
Selfie screen Neither contains selfie screen
Touch display Neither contains Touch display

Panasonic F5 vs Sony A290 Physical Comparison

When you are going to travel with your camera regularly, you have to take into account its weight and proportions. The Panasonic F5 has got outer dimensions of 97mm x 58mm x 22mm (3.8" x 2.3" x 0.9") accompanied by a weight of 121 grams (0.27 lbs) whilst the Sony A290 has measurements of 128mm x 97mm x 86mm (5.0" x 3.8" x 3.4") with a weight of 549 grams (1.21 lbs).

Contrast the Panasonic F5 vs Sony A290 in our newest Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Bear in mind, the weight of an ILC will change dependant on the lens you have at that time. Here is the front view proportions comparison of the F5 compared to the A290.

Panasonic F5 vs Sony A290 size comparison

Considering size and weight, the portability score of the F5 and A290 is 96 and 66 respectively.

Panasonic F5 vs Sony A290 top view buttons comparison

Panasonic F5 vs Sony A290 Sensor Comparison

Often, it is hard to visualise the contrast in sensor dimensions just by viewing technical specs. The image here should offer you a better sense of the sensor sizes in the F5 and A290.

As you can tell, both of those cameras offer the same exact resolution but not the same sensor dimensions. The F5 contains the smaller sensor which should make achieving shallow depth of field more challenging. The newer F5 will have an advantage in sensor innovation.

Panasonic F5 vs Sony A290 sensor size comparison

Panasonic F5 vs Sony A290 Screen and ViewFinder

Panasonic F5 vs Sony A290 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Panasonic F5 Portrait photography details
Sony A290 Portrait photography details
29
megapixel count decent (14 megapixels)
lack of manual focus
manual mode not possible
cannot use external flash
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
lacks RAW support
65
focusing manually
MP count good (14 megapixels)
good sensor size (APS-C)
includes face detect autofocus
exports RAW formats
doesn't have liveview
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Street Comparison

Panasonic F5 Street photography information
Sony A290 Street photography information
56
lighter than others (121g)
no moving screen
does not have image stabilization
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
lacks RAW support
66
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
good sensor size (APS-C)
exports RAW formats
screen is fixed
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Sports Comparison

Panasonic F5 as a Sports photography camera
Sony A290 as a Sports photography camera
33
megapixel count decent (14 megapixels)
provides tracking autofocus
low fps (1.0 frames per second)
no shutter priority
does not have image stabilization
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
lacks phase detect AF
55
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
MP count good (14 megapixels)
good sensor size (APS-C)
supports phase detect autofocus
doesn't have liveview
max frames per second low (3.0 fps)
bad battery power (290 per charge)
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Travel Comparison

Panasonic F5 Travel photography advice
Sony A290 Travel photography advice
68
lighter than others (121g)
megapixel count decent (14MP)
has built in flash
rather wide (28mm)
no Timelapse recording
doesn't have selfie friendly screen
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.2)
53
MP count good (14MP)
has built in flash
doesn't have Timelapse recording
bad battery power (290 per charge)
doesn't feature selfie friendly display
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Landscape Comparison

Panasonic F5 as a Landscape photography camera
Sony A290 as a Landscape photography camera
33
rather wide (28mm)
megapixel count decent (14 megapixels)
lack of manual focus
can't switch lenses (fixed lens mount)
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.2)
small screen (2.7")
manual mode not possible
does not have image stabilization
very small sensor size (1/2.3")
lacks RAW support
no Timelapse recording
58
focusing manually
interchangeable lenses (Sony/Minolta Alpha mount)
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
MP count good (14MP)
good sensor size (APS-C)
exports RAW formats
screen is small (2.7")
doesn't have liveview
bad battery power (290 shots)
doesn't have Timelapse recording
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Vlogging Comparison

Panasonic F5 Vlogging factors
Sony A290 Vlogging factors
28
rather wide (28mm)
lighter than others (121 grams)
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.2)
doesn't have selfie friendly screen
does not have image stabilization
low quality video (1280 x 720 pixels)
no external microphone jack
9
no video recording
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Panasonic F5 vs Sony A290 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Panasonic F5 and Sony A290
 Panasonic Lumix DMC-F5Sony Alpha DSLR-A290
General Information
Manufacturer Panasonic Sony
Model type Panasonic Lumix DMC-F5 Sony Alpha DSLR-A290
Type Small Sensor Compact Entry-Level DSLR
Revealed 2013-01-07 2010-06-09
Body design Compact Compact SLR
Sensor Information
Processor - Bionz
Sensor type CCD CCD
Sensor size 1/2.3" APS-C
Sensor measurements 6.08 x 4.56mm 23.5 x 15.7mm
Sensor area 27.7mm² 369.0mm²
Sensor resolution 14 megapixel 14 megapixel
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio - 3:2 and 16:9
Full resolution 4320 x 3240 4592 x 3056
Max native ISO 6400 3200
Min native ISO 100 100
RAW support
Autofocusing
Focus manually
AF touch
AF continuous
Single AF
AF tracking
Selective AF
AF center weighted
Multi area AF
AF live view
Face detect focusing
Contract detect focusing
Phase detect focusing
Total focus points - 9
Cross type focus points - -
Lens
Lens support fixed lens Sony/Minolta Alpha
Lens zoom range 28-140mm (5.0x) -
Highest aperture f/3.2-6.5 -
Macro focusing range 5cm -
Available lenses - 143
Focal length multiplier 5.9 1.5
Screen
Range of display Fixed Type Fixed Type
Display sizing 2.7 inches 2.7 inches
Resolution of display 230 thousand dot 230 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch function
Display tech TFT LCD -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type None Optical (pentamirror)
Viewfinder coverage - 95%
Viewfinder magnification - 0.55x
Features
Lowest shutter speed 8 seconds 30 seconds
Highest shutter speed 1/2000 seconds 1/4000 seconds
Continuous shooting speed 1.0 frames per sec 3.0 frames per sec
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation - Yes
Set WB
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash distance 5.70 m 10.00 m (at ISO 100)
Flash options Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Slow Syncro Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, High Speed Sync, Rear Curtain, Fill-in, Wireless
Hot shoe
AEB
WB bracketing
Highest flash sync - 1/160 seconds
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Video resolutions 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps) -
Max video resolution 1280x720 None
Video data format 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
Environmental seal
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 121 gr (0.27 lbs) 549 gr (1.21 lbs)
Dimensions 97 x 58 x 22mm (3.8" 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 250 shots 290 shots
Battery format Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID - NP-FH50
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse feature
Type of storage SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo, SD/SDHC
Storage slots 1 1
Pricing at launch $100 $600