Pentax W90 vs Sony A290
94 Imaging
35 Features
21 Overall
29
66 Imaging
53 Features
47 Overall
50
Pentax W90 vs Sony A290 Key Specs
(Full Review)
- 12MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
- 2.7" Fixed Screen
- ISO 80 - 6400
- 1280 x 720 video
- 28-140mm (F3.5-5.5) lens
- 164g - 108 x 59 x 25mm
- Launched February 2010
(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
- Introduced June 2010
- Superseded the Sony A230
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Its time to look closer at the Pentax W90 versus Sony A290, former being a Waterproof while the latter is a Entry-Level DSLR by rivals Pentax and Sony. The sensor resolution of the W90 (12MP) and the A290 (14MP) is pretty well matched but the W90 (1/2.3") and A290 (APS-C) provide different sensor sizes.
Photography GlossaryThe W90 was announced 3 months earlier than the A290 and they are both of a similar age. Both of the cameras have different body design with the Pentax W90 being a Compact camera and the Sony A290 being a Compact SLR camera.
Before diving straight to a full comparison, here is a quick summation of how the W90 scores versus the A290 when considering portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.
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Following is a preview of the gallery images for Pentax Optio W90 & Sony Alpha DSLR-A290. The whole galleries are available at Pentax W90 Gallery & Sony A290 Gallery.
Reasons to pick Pentax W90 over the Sony A290
| W90 | A290 |
|---|
Reasons to pick Sony A290 over the Pentax W90
| A290 | W90 |
|---|
Common features in the Pentax W90 and Sony A290
| W90 | A290 | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Introduced | February 2010 |  | June 2010 | Similar age |
| Manual focus |  | Dial accurate focus | ||
| Screen type | Fixed |  | Fixed | Fixed screen |
| Screen dimensions | 2.7" |  | 2.7" | Equal screen dimensions |
| Screen resolution | 230k |  | 230k | Identical screen resolution |
| Selfie screen |  | No selfie screen | ||
| Touch friendly screen |  | No Touch friendly screen |
Pentax W90 vs Sony A290 Physical Comparison
If you're looking to lug around your camera regularly, you will have to factor in its weight and size. The Pentax W90 provides outside measurements of 108mm x 59mm x 25mm (4.3" x 2.3" x 1.0") with a weight of 164 grams (0.36 lbs) whilst the Sony A290 has specifications of 128mm x 97mm x 86mm (5.0" x 3.8" x 3.4") having a weight of 549 grams (1.21 lbs).
Check the Pentax W90 versus Sony A290 in our completely new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.
Take into consideration, the weight of an ILC will change dependant on the lens you use at the time. Following is a front view proportions comparison of the W90 and the A290.
Taking into consideration dimensions and weight, the portability score of the W90 and A290 is 94 and 66 respectively.
Pentax W90 vs Sony A290 Sensor Comparison
More often than not, it is very hard to picture the difference between sensor measurements simply by checking a spec sheet. The graphic here will help provide you a stronger sense of the sensor sizing in the W90 and A290.
As you can see, both of the cameras have different megapixel count and different sensor measurements. The W90 with its tinier sensor is going to make getting shallow DOF trickier and the Sony A290 will give greater detail with its extra 2MP. Higher resolution can also allow you to crop photographs a bit more aggressively.
Pentax W90 vs Sony A290 Screen and ViewFinder
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Pentax W90 vs Sony A290 Specifications
| Pentax Optio W90 | Sony Alpha DSLR-A290 | |
|---|---|---|
| General Information | ||
| Make | Pentax | Sony |
| Model type | Pentax Optio W90 | Sony Alpha DSLR-A290 |
| Class | Waterproof | Entry-Level DSLR |
| Launched | 2010-02-24 | 2010-06-09 |
| Physical type | Compact | Compact SLR |
| Sensor Information | ||
| Processor | Prime | Bionz |
| Sensor type | CCD | CCD |
| Sensor size | 1/2.3" | APS-C |
| Sensor dimensions | 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 | 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 | 3:2 and 16:9 |
| Max resolution | 4000 x 3000 | 4592 x 3056 |
| Max native ISO | 6400 | 3200 |
| Min native ISO | 80 | 100 |
| RAW format | ||
| Autofocusing | ||
| Focus manually | ||
| Autofocus touch | ||
| Autofocus continuous | ||
| Autofocus single | ||
| Autofocus tracking | ||
| Autofocus selectice | ||
| Center weighted autofocus | ||
| Multi area autofocus | ||
| Live view autofocus | ||
| Face detection focus | ||
| Contract detection focus | ||
| Phase detection focus | ||
| Total focus points | 9 | 9 |
| Lens | ||
| Lens mount type | fixed lens | Sony/Minolta Alpha |
| Lens zoom range | 28-140mm (5.0x) | - |
| Highest aperture | f/3.5-5.5 | - |
| Macro focusing range | 1cm | - |
| Available lenses | - | 143 |
| Focal length multiplier | 5.8 | 1.5 |
| Screen | ||
| Type of screen | Fixed Type | Fixed Type |
| Screen size | 2.7 inch | 2.7 inch |
| Screen resolution | 230 thousand dots | 230 thousand dots |
| Selfie friendly | ||
| Liveview | ||
| Touch screen | ||
| Viewfinder Information | ||
| Viewfinder | None | Optical (pentamirror) |
| Viewfinder coverage | - | 95% |
| Viewfinder magnification | - | 0.55x |
| Features | ||
| Minimum shutter speed | 4 secs | 30 secs |
| Fastest shutter speed | 1/1500 secs | 1/4000 secs |
| Continuous shutter rate | 1.0fps | 3.0fps |
| Shutter priority | ||
| Aperture priority | ||
| Manually set exposure | ||
| Exposure compensation | - | Yes |
| Custom white balance | ||
| Image stabilization | ||
| Inbuilt flash | ||
| Flash distance | 3.90 m | 10.00 m (at ISO 100) |
| Flash settings | Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Soft | Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, High Speed Sync, Rear Curtain, Fill-in, Wireless |
| Hot shoe | ||
| AE bracketing | ||
| White balance bracketing | ||
| Fastest flash synchronize | - | 1/160 secs |
| Exposure | ||
| Multisegment | ||
| Average | ||
| Spot | ||
| Partial | ||
| AF area | ||
| Center weighted | ||
| Video features | ||
| Video resolutions | 1280 x 720 (30, 15 fps), 640 x 480 (30, 15 fps), 320 x 240 (30, 15 fps) | - |
| Max video resolution | 1280x720 | None |
| Video file format | Motion JPEG | - |
| Mic support | ||
| Headphone support | ||
| Connectivity | ||
| Wireless | Eye-Fi Connected | None |
| Bluetooth | ||
| NFC | ||
| HDMI | ||
| USB | USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) | USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) |
| GPS | None | None |
| Physical | ||
| Environmental sealing | ||
| Water proofing | ||
| Dust proofing | ||
| Shock proofing | ||
| Crush proofing | ||
| Freeze proofing | ||
| Weight | 164g (0.36 pounds) | 549g (1.21 pounds) |
| Physical dimensions | 108 x 59 x 25mm (4.3" x 2.3" x 1.0") | 128 x 97 x 86mm (5.0" x 3.8" x 3.4") |
| DXO scores | ||
| DXO Overall 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 | - | 290 images |
| Style of battery | - | Battery Pack |
| Battery ID | D-LI68 | NP-FH50 |
| Self timer | Yes (2 or 10 sec) | Yes (2 or 10 sec) |
| Time lapse shooting | ||
| Type of storage | SD/SDHC card, Internal | Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo, SD/SDHC |
| Card slots | One | One |
| Cost at release | $120 | $600 |