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Sony A7R III vs Sony A290

Portability
63
Imaging
78
Features
93
Overall
84
Sony Alpha A7R III front
 
Sony Alpha DSLR-A290 front
Portability
66
Imaging
54
Features
47
Overall
51

Sony A7R III vs Sony A290 Key Specs

Sony A7R III
(Full Review)
  • 42MP - Full frame Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Screen
  • ISO 100 - 32000 (Push to 102400)
  • Sensor based 5-axis Image Stabilization
  • No Anti-Alias Filter
  • 1/8000s Maximum Shutter
  • 3840 x 2160 video
  • Sony E Mount
  • 657g - 127 x 96 x 74mm
  • Announced October 2017
  • Superseded the Sony A7R II
  • Replacement is Sony A7R IV
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
  • Announced June 2010
  • Superseded the Sony A230
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Sony A7R III vs Sony A290 Overview

Here is a comprehensive analysis of the Sony A7R III versus Sony A290, one being a Pro Mirrorless and the latter is a Entry-Level DSLR and both are designed by Sony. There exists a big gap between the resolutions of the A7R III (42MP) and A290 (14MP) and the A7R III (Full frame) and A290 (APS-C) possess different sensor sizing.

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The A7R III was manufactured 7 years later than the A290 and that is quite a big gap as far as technology is concerned. Both of these cameras come with different body type with the Sony A7R III being a SLR-style mirrorless camera and the Sony A290 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before getting straight into a more detailed comparison, below is a quick summary of how the A7R III scores vs the A290 when considering portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

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Reasons to pick Sony A7R III over the Sony A290

 A7R III A290 
AnnouncedOctober 2017June 2010Fresher by 90 months
Screen typeTiltingFixed Tilting screen
Screen dimension3"2.7"Bigger screen (+0.3")
Screen resolution1440k230kClearer screen (+1210k dot)
Touch friendly screen Quickly navigate

Reasons to pick Sony A290 over the Sony A7R III

 A290 A7R III 

Common features in the Sony A7R III and Sony A290

 A7R III A290 
Manually focus Very exact focusing
Selfie screen Neither has selfie screen

Sony A7R III vs Sony A290 Physical Comparison

For those who are looking to carry your camera often, you should take into account its weight and volume. The Sony A7R III has outer measurements of 127mm x 96mm x 74mm (5.0" x 3.8" x 2.9") having a weight of 657 grams (1.45 lbs) whilst the Sony A290 has sizing of 128mm x 97mm x 86mm (5.0" x 3.8" x 3.4") accompanied by a weight of 549 grams (1.21 lbs).

Take a look at the Sony A7R III versus Sony A290 in the latest Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Keep in mind, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary depending on the lens you have attached at the time. Following is the front view sizing comparison of the A7R III compared to the A290.

Sony A7R III vs Sony A290 size comparison

Taking into consideration dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the A7R III and A290 is 63 and 66 respectively.

Sony A7R III vs Sony A290 top view buttons comparison

Sony A7R III vs Sony A290 Sensor Comparison

Normally, it is very difficult to picture the gap between sensor sizing purely by reading through a spec sheet. The visual below should give you a greater sense of the sensor measurements in the A7R III and A290.

Clearly, each of these cameras have got different resolutions and different sensor sizing. The A7R III due to its bigger sensor is going to make getting shallow depth of field simpler and the Sony A7R III will resolve extra detail due to its extra 28 Megapixels. Higher resolution will also allow you to crop shots much more aggressively. The younger A7R III provides an advantage in sensor innovation.

Sony A7R III vs Sony A290 sensor size comparison

Sony A7R III vs Sony A290 Screen and ViewFinder

Sony A7R III vs Sony A290 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Sony A7R III Portrait photography features
Sony A290 Portrait photography features
86
focusing manually
great megapixels (42 megapixels)
big sensor size (Full frame)
has face detection focusing
exports RAW formats
65
you can focus manually
decent sensor resolution (14MP)
decent sensor size (APS-C)
supports face detection focus
supports RAW files
no liveview
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Street Comparison

Street photography with Sony A7R III
Street photography with Sony A290
79
screen tilts
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
big sensor size (Full frame)
exports RAW formats
comes with focus via touch
weather proof
above average high ISO (32,000)
66
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent sensor size (APS-C)
supports RAW files
screen is fixed
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Sports Comparison

Sony A7R III Sports photography information
Sony A290 Sports photography information
89
great max shutter speed (1/8,000s)
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
great megapixels (42 megapixels)
big sensor size (Full frame)
has tracking autofocus
weather proof
better than average battery power (650 shots)
comes with phase detect AF
55
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent sensor resolution (14 megapixels)
decent sensor size (APS-C)
comes with phase detect auto focus
no liveview
max fps very slow (3.0 frames/s)
terrible battery pack (290 CIPA)
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Travel Comparison

Sony A7R III as a Travel photography camera
Sony A290 as a Travel photography camera
74
better than average battery power (650 shots)
weather proof
connects via bluetooth
comes with focus via touch
great megapixels (42MP)
screen is not selfie friendly
53
decent sensor resolution (14 megapixels)
has built in flash
lack of Time Lapse recording
terrible battery pack (290 per charge)
does not feature selfie friendly screen
Photography Glossary

Landscape Comparison

Sony A7R III Landscape photography info
Sony A290 Landscape photography info
87
focusing manually
change lenses (Sony E mount)
screen size is decent (3 inch)
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
great megapixels (42 megapixels)
big sensor size (Full frame)
doesnt have anti-alias filter
above average high ISO (32,000)
exports RAW formats
weather proof
better than average battery power (650 CIPA)
two card slots
58
you can focus manually
swap lenses (Sony/Minolta Alpha mount)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent sensor resolution (14 megapixels)
decent sensor size (APS-C)
supports RAW files
tiny screen (2.7 inch)
no liveview
terrible battery pack (290 shots)
lack of Time Lapse recording
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Vlogging Comparison

Vlogging with Sony A7R III
Vlogging with Sony A290
37
touchscreen capability
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
has face detection focusing
video res high (3840 x 2160 resolution)
does have external mic socket
screen is not selfie friendly
9
no video recording
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Sony A7R III vs Sony A290 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Sony A7R III and Sony A290
 Sony Alpha A7R IIISony Alpha DSLR-A290
General Information
Manufacturer Sony Sony
Model Sony Alpha A7R III Sony Alpha DSLR-A290
Class Pro Mirrorless Entry-Level DSLR
Announced 2017-10-25 2010-06-09
Body design SLR-style mirrorless Compact SLR
Sensor Information
Chip Bionz X Bionz
Sensor type BSI-CMOS CCD
Sensor size Full frame APS-C
Sensor dimensions 35.9 x 24mm 23.5 x 15.7mm
Sensor surface area 861.6mm² 369.0mm²
Sensor resolution 42MP 14MP
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 3:2 and 16:9 3:2 and 16:9
Max resolution 7952 x 5304 4592 x 3056
Max native ISO 32000 3200
Max enhanced ISO 102400 -
Minimum native ISO 100 100
RAW files
Minimum enhanced ISO 50 -
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch to focus
AF continuous
AF single
Tracking AF
AF selectice
Center weighted AF
Multi area AF
Live view AF
Face detection focusing
Contract detection focusing
Phase detection focusing
Number of focus points 425 9
Lens
Lens mounting type Sony E Sony/Minolta Alpha
Amount of lenses 121 143
Crop factor 1 1.5
Screen
Range of screen Tilting Fixed Type
Screen sizing 3 inch 2.7 inch
Resolution of screen 1,440 thousand dot 230 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch display
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Electronic Optical (pentamirror)
Viewfinder resolution 3,686 thousand dot -
Viewfinder coverage 100% 95%
Viewfinder magnification 0.78x 0.55x
Features
Min shutter speed 30 seconds 30 seconds
Max shutter speed 1/8000 seconds 1/4000 seconds
Continuous shutter speed 10.0fps 3.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Custom WB
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash range no built-in flash 10.00 m (at ISO 100)
Flash settings Off, Auto, Fill-flash, Slow Sync, Rear Sync, Red-eye reduction, Wireless, Hi-speed sync Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, High Speed Sync, Rear Curtain, Fill-in, Wireless
External flash
AEB
WB bracketing
Max flash sync - 1/160 seconds
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Supported video resolutions 3840 x 2160 (30p, 25p, 24p), 1920 x 1080 (60p, 60i, 24p), 1440 x 1080 (30p), 640 x 480 (30p) -
Max video resolution 3840x2160 None
Video data format MPEG-4, AVCHD, XAVC S -
Mic jack
Headphone jack
Connectivity
Wireless Built-In None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 3.1 Gen 1(5 GBit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environment seal
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 657 grams (1.45 pounds) 549 grams (1.21 pounds)
Dimensions 127 x 96 x 74mm (5.0" x 3.8" x 2.9") 128 x 97 x 86mm (5.0" x 3.8" x 3.4")
DXO scores
DXO Overall score 100 66
DXO Color Depth score 26.0 22.6
DXO Dynamic range score 14.7 11.5
DXO Low light score 3523 615
Other
Battery life 650 photographs 290 photographs
Battery form Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery model NP-FZ100 NP-FH50
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec; continuous (3 or 5 exposures)) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse recording
Storage media Two SD/SDHC/SDXC slots (UHS-II support on one) Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo, SD/SDHC
Storage slots 2 One
Cost at release $2,800 $600