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Sony A290 vs Sony A300

Portability
66
Imaging
54
Features
47
Overall
51
Sony Alpha DSLR-A290 front
 
Sony Alpha DSLR-A300 front
Portability
64
Imaging
50
Features
45
Overall
48

Sony A290 vs Sony A300 Key Specs

Sony A290
(Full Review)
  • 14MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 2.7" Fixed Display
  • ISO 100 - 3200
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • No Video
  • Sony/Minolta Alpha Mount
  • 549g - 128 x 97 x 86mm
  • Introduced June 2010
  • Earlier Model is Sony A230
Sony A300
(Full Review)
  • 10MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 2.7" Tilting Display
  • ISO 100 - 3200
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • No Video
  • Sony/Minolta Alpha Mount
  • 632g - 131 x 99 x 75mm
  • Launched January 2008
  • Refreshed by Sony A330
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Sony A290 vs Sony A300 Overview

Let's look more closely at the Sony A290 versus Sony A300, both Entry-Level DSLR digital cameras and both of them are offered by Sony. There exists a significant gap between the image resolutions of the A290 (14MP) and A300 (10MP) but both cameras posses the same sensor dimensions (APS-C).

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The A290 was introduced 2 years after the A300 which is quite a sizable gap as far as technology is concerned. Both of these cameras have the same body design (Compact SLR).

Before delving right into a more detailed comparison, here is a simple view of how the A290 matches up vs the A300 in terms of portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

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Reasons to pick Sony A290 over the Sony A300

 A290 A300 
LaunchedJune 2010January 2008Newer by 29 months

Reasons to pick Sony A300 over the Sony A290

 A300 A290 
Display typeTiltingFixed Tilting display

Common features in the Sony A290 and Sony A300

 A290 A300 
Manually focus Very exact focus
Display dimensions2.7"2.7"Equal display sizing
Display resolution230k230kSame display resolution
Selfie screen Neither offers selfie screen
Touch display Neither offers Touch display

Sony A290 vs Sony A300 Physical Comparison

If you are aiming to travel with your camera frequently, you have to take into account its weight and dimensions. The Sony A290 offers external dimensions of 128mm x 97mm x 86mm (5.0" x 3.8" x 3.4") along with a weight of 549 grams (1.21 lbs) whilst the Sony A300 has dimensions of 131mm x 99mm x 75mm (5.2" x 3.9" x 3.0") having a weight of 632 grams (1.39 lbs).

Compare the Sony A290 versus Sony A300 in the latest Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Bear in mind, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ dependant on the lens you have chosen during that time. Here is a front view dimension comparison of the A290 vs the A300.

Sony A290 vs Sony A300 size comparison

Using dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the A290 and A300 is 66 and 64 respectively.

Sony A290 vs Sony A300 top view buttons comparison

Sony A290 vs Sony A300 Sensor Comparison

Normally, its difficult to visualize the contrast between sensor dimensions just by looking at technical specs. The image underneath will help provide you a better sense of the sensor sizes in the A290 and A300.

As you can tell, the two cameras provide the same sensor dimensions but different resolution. You should expect to see the Sony A290 to give you greater detail using its extra 4 Megapixels. Greater resolution will also help you crop images more aggressively. The fresher A290 provides an advantage with regard to sensor technology.

Sony A290 vs Sony A300 sensor size comparison

Sony A290 vs Sony A300 Screen and ViewFinder

Sony A290 vs Sony A300 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Sony A290 Portrait photography highlights
Sony A300 Portrait photography highlights
65
you can focus manually
sensor resolution is decent (14MP)
nice sensor size (APS-C)
offers face detection autofocus
saves RAW formats
does not have liveview
60
manual focus
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
exports RAW formats
megapixel count low (10 megapixels)
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Street Comparison

Sony A290 as a Street photography camera
Sony A300 as a Street photography camera
66
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
nice sensor size (APS-C)
saves RAW formats
no articulating screen
74
tilting screen
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
exports RAW formats
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Sports Comparison

Sony A290 Sports photography details
Sony A300 Sports photography details
55
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor resolution is decent (14MP)
nice sensor size (APS-C)
supports phase detect autofocus
does not have liveview
very slow continuous shooting (3.0 frames/s)
terrible battery (290 CIPA)
55
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
comes with phase detect auto focus
slow continuous shooting (3.0 frames/s)
megapixel count low (10MP)
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Travel Comparison

Sony A290 Travel photography details
Sony A300 Travel photography details
53
sensor resolution is decent (14 megapixels)
has built in flash
no Time Lapse recording
terrible battery (290 shots)
screen is not selfie friendly
45
built-in flash
does not have Timelapse recording
megapixel count low (10MP)
doesn't feature selfie friendly display
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Landscape Comparison

Sony A290 Landscape photography details
Sony A300 Landscape photography details
58
you can focus manually
change lenses (Sony/Minolta Alpha mount)
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor resolution is decent (14MP)
nice sensor size (APS-C)
saves RAW formats
tiny screen (2.7")
does not have liveview
terrible battery (290 CIPA)
no Time Lapse recording
57
manual focus
interchangeable lenses (Sony/Minolta Alpha mount)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
exports RAW formats
screen is small (2.7 inch)
megapixel count low (10MP)
does not have Timelapse recording
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Vlogging Comparison

Sony A290 Vlogging advice
Sony A300 Vlogging advice
9
can't shoot video
9
no video recording
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Sony A290 vs Sony A300 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Sony A290 and Sony A300
 Sony Alpha DSLR-A290Sony Alpha DSLR-A300
General Information
Brand Name Sony Sony
Model type Sony Alpha DSLR-A290 Sony Alpha DSLR-A300
Type Entry-Level DSLR Entry-Level DSLR
Introduced 2010-06-09 2008-01-30
Body design Compact SLR Compact SLR
Sensor Information
Powered by Bionz -
Sensor type CCD CCD
Sensor size APS-C APS-C
Sensor measurements 23.5 x 15.7mm 23.6 x 15.8mm
Sensor area 369.0mm² 372.9mm²
Sensor resolution 14MP 10MP
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 3:2 and 16:9 -
Highest resolution 4592 x 3056 3872 x 2592
Highest native ISO 3200 3200
Lowest native ISO 100 100
RAW support
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch to focus
Continuous AF
AF single
Tracking AF
Selective AF
Center weighted AF
AF multi area
AF live view
Face detect AF
Contract detect AF
Phase detect AF
Total focus points 9 9
Lens
Lens mount type Sony/Minolta Alpha Sony/Minolta Alpha
Number of lenses 143 143
Crop factor 1.5 1.5
Screen
Display type Fixed Type Tilting
Display sizing 2.7 inches 2.7 inches
Display resolution 230k dot 230k dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch screen
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Optical (pentamirror) Optical (pentamirror)
Viewfinder coverage 95 percent 95 percent
Viewfinder magnification 0.55x 0.49x
Features
Lowest shutter speed 30 seconds 30 seconds
Highest shutter speed 1/4000 seconds 1/4000 seconds
Continuous shooting speed 3.0fps 3.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Change WB
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash distance 10.00 m (at ISO 100) 12.00 m (at ISO 100)
Flash settings Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, High Speed Sync, Rear Curtain, Fill-in, Wireless Auto, Red-Eye, Slow, Red-Eye Slow, Rear curtain, wireless
External flash
Auto exposure bracketing
White balance bracketing
Highest flash sync 1/160 seconds -
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Highest video resolution None None
Microphone input
Headphone input
Connectivity
Wireless None None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environment seal
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 549g (1.21 lbs) 632g (1.39 lbs)
Physical dimensions 128 x 97 x 86mm (5.0" x 3.8" x 3.4") 131 x 99 x 75mm (5.2" x 3.9" x 3.0")
DXO scores
DXO All around rating 66 64
DXO Color Depth rating 22.6 22.5
DXO Dynamic range rating 11.5 11.4
DXO Low light rating 615 538
Other
Battery life 290 photos -
Battery format Battery Pack -
Battery ID NP-FH50 -
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse feature
Type of storage Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo, SD/SDHC Compact Flash
Storage slots One One
Retail pricing $600 $0