Clicky

Samsung NX300M vs Sony A290

Portability
86
Imaging
62
Features
73
Overall
66
Samsung NX300M front
 
Sony Alpha DSLR-A290 front
Portability
66
Imaging
54
Features
47
Overall
51

Samsung NX300M vs Sony A290 Key Specs

Samsung NX300M
(Full Review)
  • 20MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3.3" Tilting Screen
  • ISO 100 - 25600
  • 1/6000s Maximum Shutter
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Samsung NX Mount
  • 331g - 122 x 64 x 41mm
  • Announced January 2013
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
  • Released June 2010
  • Old Model is Sony A230
Japan-exclusive Leica Leitz Phone 3 features big sensor and new modes

Samsung NX300M vs Sony A290 Overview

Its time to look closer at the Samsung NX300M versus Sony A290, one is a Entry-Level Mirrorless and the latter is a Entry-Level DSLR by manufacturers Samsung and Sony. There exists a sizeable gap among the image resolutions of the NX300M (20MP) and A290 (14MP) but both cameras offer the identical sensor measurements (APS-C).

Sora from OpenAI releases its first ever music video

The NX300M was brought out 2 years after the A290 which is a fairly large gap as far as camera technology is concerned. Both of these cameras feature different body design with the Samsung NX300M being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Sony A290 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before going into a full comparison, here is a quick summation of how the NX300M scores vs the A290 in terms of portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

President Biden pushes bill mandating TikTok sale or ban
	
	

Reasons to pick Samsung NX300M over the Sony A290

 NX300M A290 
ReleasedJanuary 2013June 2010More modern by 32 months
Screen typeTiltingFixed Tilting screen
Screen size3.3"2.7"Bigger screen (+0.6")
Screen resolution768k230kSharper screen (+538k dot)
Touch friendly screen Quickly navigate

Reasons to pick Sony A290 over the Samsung NX300M

 A290 NX300M 

Common features in the Samsung NX300M and Sony A290

 NX300M A290 
Manual focus Dial precise focusing
Selfie screen Absent selfie screen

Samsung NX300M vs Sony A290 Physical Comparison

For anybody who is aiming to carry around your camera often, you will want to think about its weight and measurements. The Samsung NX300M comes with outside dimensions of 122mm x 64mm x 41mm (4.8" x 2.5" x 1.6") with a weight of 331 grams (0.73 lbs) while 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).

Take a look at the Samsung NX300M versus Sony A290 in the new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Remember, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ depending on the lens you are utilizing at that time. The following is a front view measurement comparison of the NX300M vs the A290.

Samsung NX300M vs Sony A290 size comparison

Using dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the NX300M and A290 is 86 and 66 respectively.

Samsung NX300M vs Sony A290 top view buttons comparison

Samsung NX300M vs Sony A290 Sensor Comparison

Quite often, its hard to envision the gap in sensor sizes purely by researching a spec sheet. The pic below might offer you a stronger sense of the sensor dimensions in the NX300M and A290.

Clearly, both of the cameras come with the identical sensor size albeit not the same megapixels. You should count on the Samsung NX300M to provide you with extra detail having its extra 6MP. Higher resolution can also help you crop photographs a good deal more aggressively. The more recent NX300M will have a benefit with regard to sensor innovation.

Samsung NX300M vs Sony A290 sensor size comparison

Samsung NX300M vs Sony A290 Screen and ViewFinder

Samsung NX300M vs Sony A290 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
Apple Innovates by Creating Next-Level Optical Stabilization for iPhone

Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Samsung NX300M as a Portrait photography camera
Sony A290 as a Portrait photography camera
77
you can focus manually
decent megapixels (20MP)
sensor size is good (APS-C)
provides face detection autofocus
exports RAW formats
65
focusing manually
decent MP (14MP)
nice sensor size (APS-C)
provides face detection focusing
supports RAW formats
no liveview feature
Body cameras now worn by bakery staff to deter stealing

Street Comparison

Street photography with Samsung NX300M
Street photography with Sony A290
80
screen tilts
sensor size is good (APS-C)
exports RAW formats
includes focus via touch
great high ISO (25,600)
no image stabilization
66
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
nice sensor size (APS-C)
supports RAW formats
fixed screen
Photobucket discusses licensing 13 billion images with AI firms

Sports Comparison

Sports photography with Samsung NX300M
Sports photography with Sony A290
72
maximum shutter speed is high (1/6,000s)
decent megapixels (20MP)
sensor size is good (APS-C)
provides tracking autofocus
has phase detect autofocus
no image stabilization
55
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent MP (14MP)
nice sensor size (APS-C)
has phase detect AF
no liveview feature
very slow continuous shooting (3.0 fps)
bad battery pack (290 per charge)
Meta to Introduce 'AI-Generated' Labels for Media starting next month

Travel Comparison

Samsung NX300M as a Travel photography camera
Sony A290 as a Travel photography camera
66
includes focus via touch
decent megapixels (20 megapixels)
lack of Time Lapse mode
doesn't offer selfie friendly screen
53
decent MP (14MP)
has built in flash
lack of Time Lapse function
bad battery pack (290 CIPA)
does not contain selfie friendly screen
Snapchat Adds Watermarks to AI-Created Images

Landscape Comparison

Landscape photography with Samsung NX300M
Landscape photography with Sony A290
72
you can focus manually
swap lenses (Samsung NX mount)
screen size is good (3.3")
decent megapixels (20 megapixels)
sensor size is good (APS-C)
great high ISO (25,600)
exports RAW formats
no image stabilization
lack of Time Lapse mode
58
focusing manually
change lenses (Sony/Minolta Alpha mount)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent MP (14 megapixels)
nice sensor size (APS-C)
supports RAW formats
screen is small (2.7 inch)
no liveview feature
bad battery pack (290 shots)
lack of Time Lapse function
Photography Glossary

Vlogging Comparison

Samsung NX300M Vlogging information
Sony A290 Vlogging information
33
has touchscreen
provides face detection autofocus
high res video (1920 x 1080 resolution)
doesn't offer selfie friendly screen
no image stabilization
lack of external mic support
9
lack of video recording
Samsung Releases Faster Versions of EVO MicroSD Cards

Samsung NX300M vs Sony A290 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Samsung NX300M and Sony A290
 Samsung NX300MSony Alpha DSLR-A290
General Information
Company Samsung Sony
Model type Samsung NX300M Sony Alpha DSLR-A290
Category Entry-Level Mirrorless Entry-Level DSLR
Announced 2013-01-03 2010-06-09
Body design Rangefinder-style mirrorless Compact SLR
Sensor Information
Powered by DRIMe IV Bionz
Sensor type CMOS CCD
Sensor size APS-C APS-C
Sensor dimensions 23.5 x 15.7mm 23.5 x 15.7mm
Sensor area 369.0mm² 369.0mm²
Sensor resolution 20 megapixels 14 megapixels
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 3:2 and 16:9 3:2 and 16:9
Peak resolution 5472 x 3648 4592 x 3056
Highest native ISO 25600 3200
Minimum native ISO 100 100
RAW support
Autofocusing
Manual focusing
AF touch
Continuous AF
AF single
AF tracking
Selective AF
Center weighted AF
AF multi area
AF live view
Face detection focusing
Contract detection focusing
Phase detection focusing
Total focus points 247 9
Lens
Lens mount type Samsung NX Sony/Minolta Alpha
Number of lenses 32 143
Focal length multiplier 1.5 1.5
Screen
Range of screen Tilting Fixed Type
Screen size 3.3 inches 2.7 inches
Screen resolution 768 thousand dot 230 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch friendly
Screen technology Active Matrix OLED screen -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type None Optical (pentamirror)
Viewfinder coverage - 95%
Viewfinder magnification - 0.55x
Features
Min shutter speed 30 secs 30 secs
Max shutter speed 1/6000 secs 1/4000 secs
Continuous shutter speed 9.0fps 3.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Change WB
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash distance no built-in flash 10.00 m (at ISO 100)
Flash options Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Fill-in, 1st/2nd Curtain, Smart Flash, Manual Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, High Speed Sync, Rear Curtain, Fill-in, Wireless
Hot shoe
AEB
White balance bracketing
Max flash sync - 1/160 secs
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Supported video resolutions 1920 x 1080, 1280 x 720, 640 x 480, 320 x 240 -
Highest video resolution 1920x1080 None
Video format MPEG-4, H.264 -
Mic jack
Headphone jack
Connectivity
Wireless Built-In None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS Optional None
Physical
Environmental seal
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 331 grams (0.73 lbs) 549 grams (1.21 lbs)
Physical dimensions 122 x 64 x 41mm (4.8" x 2.5" x 1.6") 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 330 shots 290 shots
Form of battery Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID BP1130 NP-FH50
Self timer Yes (2 sec to 30 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse recording
Storage media SD/SDHC/SDXC Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo, SD/SDHC
Storage slots 1 1
Launch price $699 $600