Panasonic SZ5 vs Sony A290

Below is a complete review of the Panasonic SZ5 and Sony A290, one being a Small Sensor Compact and the latter is a Entry-Level DSLR by manufacturers Panasonic and Sony. The image resolution of the SZ5 (14MP) and the A290 (14MP) is pretty comparable but the SZ5 (1/2.3") and A290 (APS-C) boast different sensor dimensions.

Photography Glossary

The SZ5 was manufactured 2 years later than the A290 and that is a fairly serious gap as far as camera tech is concerned. Each of the cameras feature different body design with the Panasonic SZ5 being a Compact camera and the Sony A290 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before delving right into a thorough comparison, here is a concise highlight of how the SZ5 grades versus the A290 with regard to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Here is a preview of the gallery images for Panasonic Lumix DMC-SZ5 and Sony Alpha DSLR-A290. The entire galleries are viewable at Panasonic SZ5 Gallery and Sony A290 Gallery.

For anyone who is going to lug around your camera, you will need to factor in its weight and volume. The Panasonic SZ5 has external measurements of 104mm x 58mm x 21mm (4.1" x 2.3" x 0.8") and a weight of 136 grams (0.30 lbs) whilst the Sony A290 has sizing of 128mm x 97mm x 86mm (5.0" x 3.8" x 3.4") with a weight of 549 grams (1.21 lbs).

See the Panasonic SZ5 and Sony A290 in the all new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Don't forget, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary based on the lens you are utilising at the time. Following is a front view over all size comparison of the SZ5 against the A290.

Using size and weight, the portability grade of the SZ5 and A290 is 95 and 66 respectively.

Generally, it is tough to imagine the difference in sensor measurements only by checking out technical specs. The graphic underneath will help give you a better sense of the sensor sizing in the SZ5 and A290.

As you can tell, both cameras feature the identical resolution albeit different sensor measurements. The SZ5 provides the smaller sensor which is going to make achieving shallow DOF trickier. The more recent SZ5 should have an advantage in sensor innovation.