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Ricoh CX4 vs Sony A290

Portability
92
Imaging
34
Features
34
Overall
34
Ricoh CX4 front
 
Sony Alpha DSLR-A290 front
Portability
66
Imaging
54
Features
47
Overall
51

Ricoh CX4 vs Sony A290 Key Specs

Ricoh CX4
(Full Review)
  • 10MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 100 - 3200
  • Sensor-shift Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 28-300mm (F3.5-5.6) lens
  • 205g - 102 x 59 x 29mm
  • Launched August 2010
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
  • Introduced June 2010
  • Old Model is Sony A230
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Ricoh CX4 vs Sony A290 Overview

Its time to take a more detailed look at the Ricoh CX4 and Sony A290, former is a Small Sensor Superzoom while the latter is a Entry-Level DSLR by manufacturers Ricoh and Sony. There is a sizable difference among the sensor resolutions of the CX4 (10MP) and A290 (14MP) and the CX4 (1/2.3") and A290 (APS-C) posses different sensor sizes.

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The CX4 was unveiled 3 months after the A290 and they are of a similar age. Each of these cameras feature different body design with the Ricoh CX4 being a Compact camera and the Sony A290 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before going straight to a full comparison, here is a quick overview of how the CX4 scores against the A290 for portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

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Reasons to pick Ricoh CX4 over the Sony A290

 CX4 A290 
Screen size3"2.7"Bigger screen (+0.3")
Screen resolution920k230kClearer screen (+690k dot)

Reasons to pick Sony A290 over the Ricoh CX4

 A290 CX4 

Common features in the Ricoh CX4 and Sony A290

 CX4 A290 
IntroducedAugust 2010June 2010Same age
Focus manually Dial accurate focus
Screen typeFixed Fixed Fixed screen
Selfie screen Neither features selfie screen
Touch friendly screen Neither features Touch friendly screen

Ricoh CX4 vs Sony A290 Physical Comparison

For those who are going to carry around your camera regularly, you need to factor its weight and proportions. The Ricoh CX4 enjoys external dimensions of 102mm x 59mm x 29mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 1.1") accompanied by a weight of 205 grams (0.45 lbs) and the Sony A290 has measurements of 128mm x 97mm x 86mm (5.0" x 3.8" x 3.4") and a weight of 549 grams (1.21 lbs).

Take a look at the Ricoh CX4 and Sony A290 in our completely new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Take into account, the weight of an ILC will change dependant on the lens you are utilising at that moment. Following is a front view sizing comparison of the CX4 versus the A290.

Ricoh CX4 vs Sony A290 size comparison

Taking into consideration size and weight, the portability rating of the CX4 and A290 is 92 and 66 respectively.

Ricoh CX4 vs Sony A290 top view buttons comparison

Ricoh CX4 vs Sony A290 Sensor Comparison

Oftentimes, it's difficult to imagine the contrast in sensor sizes just by viewing specs. The picture underneath should give you a stronger sense of the sensor sizes in the CX4 and A290.

As you can plainly see, both of the cameras come with different megapixel count and different sensor sizes. The CX4 with its smaller sensor is going to make getting shallow depth of field trickier and the Sony A290 will result in greater detail having an extra 4 Megapixels. Higher resolution can also enable you to crop shots a good deal more aggressively.

Ricoh CX4 vs Sony A290 sensor size comparison

Ricoh CX4 vs Sony A290 Screen and ViewFinder

Ricoh CX4 vs Sony A290 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Portrait photography with Ricoh CX4
Portrait photography with Sony A290
27
focusing manually
no manual control
external flash not possible
low MP (10 megapixels)
small sensor (1/2.3")
lacks RAW files
65
has manual focus
megapixel count good (14 megapixels)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
includes face detection focusing
supports RAW files
no liveview feature
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Street Comparison

Ricoh CX4 as a Street photography camera
Sony A290 as a Street photography camera
61
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
lighter than others in class (205 grams)
fixed screen
small sensor (1/2.3")
lacks RAW files
66
image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
supports RAW files
no moving screen
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Sports Comparison

Sports photography with Ricoh CX4
Sports photography with Sony A290
25
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
low frames per second (5.0 frames per second)
no shutter priority mode
low MP (10MP)
small sensor (1/2.3")
lacks phase detect autofocus
55
image stabilization (Sensor based)
megapixel count good (14 megapixels)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
comes with phase detect AF
no liveview feature
max fps low (3.0 frames/s)
low battery pack (290 CIPA)
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Travel Comparison

Travel photography with Ricoh CX4
Travel photography with Sony A290
66
lighter than others in class (205g)
has built in flash
pretty wide (28mm)
very long zoom (300mm)
low MP (10 megapixels)
screen isn't selfie friendly
somewhat slow max aperture (f3.5)
53
megapixel count good (14MP)
has built in flash
does not have Time Lapse recording
low battery pack (290 shots)
display isn't selfie friendly
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Landscape Comparison

Ricoh CX4 Landscape photography factors
Sony A290 Landscape photography factors
42
focusing manually
pretty wide (28mm)
decent sized screen (3")
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
somewhat slow max aperture (f3.5)
no manual control
low MP (10 megapixels)
small sensor (1/2.3")
lacks RAW files
58
has manual focus
switch lenses (Sony/Minolta Alpha mount)
image stabilization (Sensor based)
megapixel count good (14MP)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
supports RAW files
screen is somewhat small (2.7")
no liveview feature
low battery pack (290 shots)
does not have Time Lapse recording
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Vlogging Comparison

Ricoh CX4 Vlogging highlights
Sony A290 Vlogging highlights
30
pretty wide (28mm)
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
lighter than others in class (205 grams)
somewhat slow max aperture (f3.5)
screen isn't selfie friendly
video resolution low (1280 x 720 resolution)
lack of external mic socket
9
no video
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Ricoh CX4 vs Sony A290 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Ricoh CX4 and Sony A290
 Ricoh CX4Sony Alpha DSLR-A290
General Information
Company Ricoh Sony
Model Ricoh CX4 Sony Alpha DSLR-A290
Class Small Sensor Superzoom Entry-Level DSLR
Launched 2010-08-19 2010-06-09
Physical type Compact Compact SLR
Sensor Information
Chip Smooth Imaging Engine IV Bionz
Sensor type BSI-CMOS CCD
Sensor size 1/2.3" APS-C
Sensor dimensions 6.17 x 4.55mm 23.5 x 15.7mm
Sensor area 28.1mm² 369.0mm²
Sensor resolution 10MP 14MP
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3 and 3:2 3:2 and 16:9
Max resolution 3648 x 2736 4592 x 3056
Max native ISO 3200 3200
Lowest native ISO 100 100
RAW images
Autofocusing
Manual focus
Touch to focus
Continuous AF
AF single
AF tracking
Selective AF
AF center weighted
AF multi area
AF live view
Face detect focusing
Contract detect focusing
Phase detect focusing
Number of focus points - 9
Cross focus points - -
Lens
Lens mount fixed lens Sony/Minolta Alpha
Lens focal range 28-300mm (10.7x) -
Max aperture f/3.5-5.6 -
Macro focus distance 1cm -
Amount of lenses - 143
Focal length multiplier 5.8 1.5
Screen
Display type Fixed Type Fixed Type
Display sizing 3 inch 2.7 inch
Resolution of display 920k dots 230k dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch operation
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type None Optical (pentamirror)
Viewfinder coverage - 95 percent
Viewfinder magnification - 0.55x
Features
Min shutter speed 8s 30s
Max shutter speed 1/2000s 1/4000s
Continuous shutter rate 5.0 frames per second 3.0 frames per second
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual mode
Exposure compensation - Yes
Custom WB
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash range 4.00 m 10.00 m (at ISO 100)
Flash options Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, High Speed Sync, Rear Curtain, Fill-in, Wireless
External flash
AE bracketing
White balance bracketing
Max flash synchronize - 1/160s
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Video resolutions 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 240 (30 fps) -
Max video resolution 1280x720 None
Video data format Motion JPEG -
Mic support
Headphone support
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 sealing
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 205 grams (0.45 lbs) 549 grams (1.21 lbs)
Physical dimensions 102 x 59 x 29mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 1.1") 128 x 97 x 86mm (5.0" x 3.8" x 3.4")
DXO scores
DXO Overall score not tested 66
DXO Color Depth score not tested 22.6
DXO Dynamic range score not tested 11.5
DXO Low light score not tested 615
Other
Battery life - 290 shots
Battery style - Battery Pack
Battery model DB-100 NP-FH50
Self timer Yes (2, 10 or Custom) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse shooting
Type of storage SD/SDHC/SDXC card, Internal Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo, SD/SDHC
Card slots One One
Retail pricing $211 $600