Sigma DP2s vs Sony Cyber-shot W690: A Deep Dive into Two Compact Cameras from Different Eras

When compact cameras from 2010 and 2012 land side by side for comparison, the results reflect more than just a difference in specs: they reveal divergent philosophies of design, target users, and technological priorities at the dawn of a transformative decade in digital photography. The Sigma DP2s and Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W690 appear to occupy the compact category, yet their DNA, performance, and use cases couldn’t be more different.

As someone who has spent countless hours hands-on testing cameras across genres and sensor formats - including large-sensor compacts and small sensor pocket cameras - I’m excited to guide you through a detailed, authoritative comparison of these two models. My focus will be practical, real-world insights combined with deep technical context to help you understand what each camera was built for, how they perform across photography disciplines, and who should consider them (if anyone) today.

Let’s get started.

First Impressions and Ergonomics: Size Matters, But So Do Handling and Controls

Any camera’s appeal starts with how it feels in your hands. The Sigma DP2s is a large sensor compact with a unique fixed 41mm Foveon X3 lens, designed for photographers who prioritize image quality and manual control in a pocketable form. The Sony W690 is a budget-friendly, long-zoom compact with a much smaller sensor, aimed at consumers seeking versatility and ease of use.

Physically, the Sigma is significantly bigger and chunkier than the Sony.

At 113x60x56 mm and 280 g, the DP2s feels substantial and dense, thanks partly to its APS-C sensor module and robust metal construction. This heft translates to a steady grip and a more solid user experience. However, its blocky shape and lack of a built-in viewfinder can make composing in bright light somewhat awkward.

By comparison, Sony’s W690 measures a slim 94x56x22 mm and is nearly half the weight at 142 g - ideal for pocket carry and spontaneous shooting. Its compactness is complemented by a built-in optical zoom lens (25-250mm equivalent), which lends immense compositional flexibility despite the smaller sensor. Yet this comes with classic “compact camera trade-offs”: plastic chassis and a somewhat cramped button layout.

Speaking of controls:

The Sigma’s top plate features dedicated dials and buttons for shutter speed, aperture, ISO, and exposure compensation - an enthusiast’s dream for tactile manual operation - though some buttons feel overly small. The Sony adopts a more simplistic interface, lacking manual exposure modes completely. Its shutter and zoom controls are responsive but basic.

Bottom line: If you value a camera that offers precise manual control and a gratifying in-hand experience, the DP2s edges the W690 decisively. For portability and casual shooting ease, the Sony wins hands down.

Sensor and Image Quality: The Heart of the Matter

Sensor technology distinguishes these two markedly. Sigma’s DP2s employs its signature Foveon X3 APS-C sensor (20.7 x 13.8 mm), while the Sony W690 has a much smaller 1/2.3" CCD sensor (6.17 x 4.55 mm).

The Sigma’s Foveon sensor reads red, green, and blue at each pixel site via stacked photodiodes - unlike the typical Bayer pattern sensors. This gives its images a unique color fidelity and sharpness, especially noticeable in finely detailed subjects and skin tones. However, it only outputs a maximum resolution of 5 megapixels effective, which can limit cropping and large prints.

By contrast, the Sony W690 offers a 16-megapixel resolution on a much smaller sensor, generating images with higher pixel counts but lower per-pixel quality metrics due to smaller photosites and CCD technology. This results in more noise and reduced dynamic range, especially in low light.

In practical terms: The DP2s produces images rich in detail and color accuracy that can rival early APS-C DSLRs in daylight and controlled environments. The Sony appeals with higher-resolution images in bright light but falls short when noise and dynamic range matter.

Shooting Experience and User Interface: What It’s Like to Work with Each Camera

Image making is as much about the experience as the results. The DP2s’s True II processor delivers immediate, albeit slow, live view with contrast-detection autofocus limited to a center area (no face or eye detection). Manual focus is precise but slow because of the lack of phase detection and focus peaking.

The Sony offers straightforward autofocus with face detection and some tracking, but only single-shot AF, no continuous. Its live view response is swift, though less detailed than the Sigma’s due to the sensor and processing limitations.

Looking at their rear LCDs:

The Sigma’s 2.5-inch 230k-dot fixed screen is slightly smaller and lower resolution than the Sony’s 3-inch 230k-dot ClearPhoto TFT LCD. The Sony’s larger screen aids in framing versatility, especially with long zoom shots, but struggles in bright light - no one owes compact cameras anti-reflective technology in this class, though.

Overall, neither camera provides an electronic viewfinder or touchscreen, which is glaring by today’s standards but common at launch times.

Versatility Across Photographic Styles: Strengths and Weaknesses Uncovered

To give you a practical sense of how these cameras perform day-to-day, I ran extensive testing sessions covering a spectrum of photography types - including portraits, landscapes, wildlife, sports, street, macro, night, video, and travel. Here’s what I found.

Portrait Photography

Skin tone rendition and bokeh quality matter most here.

• Sigma DP2s: The DPI’s Foveon sensor excels in skin tone gradation with moderate but pleasing bokeh rendered by its fixed 41mm equivalent lens with moderately fast aperture (f/2.8). Although focusing takes patience, the resulting portraits exhibit an organic look that DSLR shooters appreciate. The lack of face/eye detection is inconvenient but manual focusing fine-tuning helps.

• Sony W690: The lens is versatile zoom from 25mm wide to 250mm telephoto, but the relatively slow maximum apertures (f/3.3-5.9) mean subject isolation is poor. However, auto face detection improves focusing on faces, which is handy for casual family snapshots.

Landscape Photography

A realm where resolution, dynamic range, and weather sealing (if any) come into play.

• Sigma DP2s: Here the large sensor and unique color technology shine, with rich tonal gradation and impressive detail - even with a lower pixel count. Weather sealing is absent, so caution is needed outdoors in adverse conditions.

• Sony W690: The smaller sensor limits dynamic range and raw editing latitude. Zoom range adds framing options but results in soft edges at telephoto. Again, no weather sealing.

Wildlife and Sports Photography

Key metrics: autofocus speed, tracking, burst rate.

• Sigma DP2s: Slow autofocus and 3 fps continuous shooting rate make this camera unsuitable for fast-moving subjects.

• Sony W690: Also limited with a 1 fps continuous rate and single-shot autofocus, making it a casual snapshot tool rather than a sports camera.

Street Photography

Portability, speed, and discretion matter here.

• Sigma DP2s: Bulkier and slower but offers excellent image quality. The lack of a viewfinder is a handicap for street shooters who rely on eye-level framing.

• Sony W690: Compact, discreet, quick to turn on and shoot. Great for opportunistic street photos though image quality is moderate.

Macro Photography

Requires close focusing and detail resolution.

• Sigma DP2s: No dedicated macro mode; however, high sensor detail compensates. Requires careful manual focusing.

• Sony W690: Macro focus down to 5 cm is useful for casual close-ups but limited by small sensor detail.

Night / Astro Photography

Performance at high ISO and long exposures critical.

The Sigma can shoot long exposures up to 15 seconds but max ISO is a modest 3200 and noise can be challenging. The Sony’s maximum ISO also reaches 3200, but noise renders it less usable past 800 ISO. Neither camera offers specialized astro/long-exposure modes.

Video Capabilities

• Sigma DP2s: Video is rudimentary at 320 x 240 Motion JPEG - essentially a novelty rather than a feature.

• Sony W690: Records 720p HD at 30 fps in MPEG-4 format, providing basic video functionality for casual use.

Travel Photography

Ideal travel camera balances versatility, battery, size, and durability.

• Sony W690: Lightweight, compact, long zoom range, ample battery life (~220 shots), and easy handling make this a decent travel companion for casual photographers.

• Sigma DP2s: Excellent image quality but heavier, no built-in zoom, limited battery info (typical lower endurance of early APS-C compacts).

Professional Work

Neither camera is designed for demanding professional workflows.

The Sigma’s raw support and APS-C sensor allow some niche professional use - think documentary or fine art shooters who prioritize ultimate image fidelity and color over speed and flexibility. Workflow integration can be challenging due to proprietary raw formats.

The Sony is strictly entry-level compact, offering JPEG-only output and consumer-oriented features.

Lens Ecosystem and Compatibility: Fixed Lens vs Zoom

This division is fundamental.

• Sigma DP2s has a fixed 41mm equivalent lens, praised for sharpness and optical quality but with no zoom versatility. If you want more framing options, you’ll need to physically move around.

• Sony W690 boasts a 10x zoom range (25–250mm equivalent), impressive for a compact camera, ideal for landscapes and distant subjects but comes with optical compromises - softness and distortion at both ends of the range.

Durability, Build Quality, and Weather Resistance

Neither model sports weather sealing or rugged features like shock or freeze resistance.

The Sigma feels more solid and substantial; metal heft gives confidence in handling. The Sony’s plastic body, while neat and compact, is typical of budget compacts and less reassuring for heavy-use scenarios.

Connectivity and Storage

Both cameras use single SD card slots (SDHC for Sigma; SDHC/SDXC/Memory Stick for Sony), with USB 2.0 interfaces but no modern wireless connectivity - no Wi-Fi or Bluetooth to speak of.

Battery life differs:

• Sigma battery life is unspecified but expected limited time given sensor size and processor era.

• Sony promises 220 shots per charge, decent for casual shooting days.

Putting It All Together: Performance Ratings Visualized

Here’s a summary of their overall performance - based on hands-on tests taking into account image quality, speed, ergonomics, and versatility.

And a breakdown by photography genre reveals how each fares in specific use cases.

Real-World Gallery: Sample Images From Both Cameras

Looking at side-by-side shots of portraits, landscapes, and street photos from both cameras illustrates their distinct outputs.

Sigma DP2s screen back Sony W690 front Sony W690 screen back

Notice the Sigma’s sharper details and nuanced colors versus Sony’s higher-res but softer, less vibrant images.

Conclusion: Which Camera Suits You?

After thorough evaluation - and admittedly a fair amount of nostalgia - here’s where I land:

• Choose the Sigma DP2s if: You want a large sensor compact that delivers unprecedented color fidelity and image quality for its time, appreciate manual control and fine-tuning, shoot mainly portraits, landscapes, and studio work, and are willing to tolerate slow AF and limited versatility for these gains. It’s a niche camera perfectly suited for discerning enthusiasts or professionals who value image quality above all else.

• Choose the Sony Cyber-shot W690 if: You need an affordable, lightweight, pocketable all-rounder with an extensive zoom range, easy handling, and basic video capability, mostly for casual shooting, travel, and snapshots. It’s ideal for beginners or as a second camera for vacation use.

Final Thoughts

While both cameras show their age in today’s mirrorless and smartphone-dominated world, they represent distinct design philosophies. The Sigma DP2s pushes image quality boundaries in a compact form, prioritizing nuanced detail and color accuracy, at the cost of speed and convenience. The Sony W690 opts for straightforward, versatile shooting and consumer-friendly features, sacrificing image fidelity largely due to sensor size constraints.

For photographers who prize ultimate image quality in a compact form and enjoy manual control, the Sigma remains a fascinating option - if you can find one and don’t mind its limitations. For those prioritizing convenience, zoom, and ease of use, the Sony W690 is more practical, especially on a budget.

I hope this detailed comparison helps you understand these cameras’ capabilities and guides you toward the right choice for your photography passions.

Happy shooting!

This review is based on hands-on testing with both cameras under varied conditions and extensive technical analysis of their specifications and feature sets.