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Sony A290 vs Sony A580

Portability
66
Imaging
54
Features
47
Overall
51
Sony Alpha DSLR-A290 front
 
Sony Alpha DSLR-A580 front
Portability
64
Imaging
57
Features
82
Overall
67

Sony A290 vs Sony A580 Key Specs

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
  • Succeeded the Sony A230
Sony A580
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Screen
  • ISO 100 - 12800 (Bump to 25600)
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Sony/Minolta Alpha Mount
  • 599g - 137 x 104 x 84mm
  • Revealed May 2011
  • Superseded the Sony A100
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Sony A290 vs Sony A580 Overview

Following is a thorough comparison of the Sony A290 vs Sony A580, both Entry-Level DSLR cameras and they are both built by Sony. The image resolution of the A290 (14MP) and the A580 (16MP) is pretty comparable and they possess the exact same sensor sizing (APS-C).

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The A290 was unveiled 11 months prior to the A580 and they are of a similar generation. Both of the cameras come with the identical body type (Compact SLR).

Before delving through a detailed comparison, below is a quick summation of how the A290 scores versus the A580 when it comes to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

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Reasons to pick Sony A290 over the Sony A580

 A290 A580 

Reasons to pick Sony A580 over the Sony A290

 A580 A290 
RevealedMay 2011June 2010More modern by 11 months
Screen typeTiltingFixed Tilting screen
Screen dimension3"2.7"Bigger screen (+0.3")
Screen resolution922k230kSharper screen (+692k dot)

Common features in the Sony A290 and Sony A580

 A290 A580 
Manually focus Dial exact focus
Selfie screen Neither contains selfie screen
Touch friendly screen Neither contains Touch friendly screen

Sony A290 vs Sony A580 Physical Comparison

If you are going to carry around your camera frequently, you should think about its weight and proportions. The Sony A290 has got exterior dimensions of 128mm x 97mm x 86mm (5.0" x 3.8" x 3.4") with a weight of 549 grams (1.21 lbs) and the Sony A580 has measurements of 137mm x 104mm x 84mm (5.4" x 4.1" x 3.3") and a weight of 599 grams (1.32 lbs).

Examine the Sony A290 vs Sony A580 in the new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Remember, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ based on the lens you choose at that moment. Underneath is the front view measurement comparison of the A290 vs the A580.

Sony A290 vs Sony A580 size comparison

Factoring in dimensions and weight, the portability score of the A290 and A580 is 66 and 64 respectively.

Sony A290 vs Sony A580 top view buttons comparison

Sony A290 vs Sony A580 Sensor Comparison

Quite often, it is very tough to envision the gap in sensor sizes purely by going through a spec sheet. The pic underneath will help provide you a more clear sense of the sensor dimensions in the A290 and A580.

As you can see, both cameras have got the exact same sensor measurements albeit not the same resolution. You should expect the Sony A580 to show greater detail having an extra 2MP. Higher resolution can also help you crop pictures much more aggressively. The more aged A290 will be behind when it comes to sensor technology.

Sony A290 vs Sony A580 sensor size comparison

Sony A290 vs Sony A580 Screen and ViewFinder

Sony A290 vs Sony A580 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Sony A290 Portrait photography information
Sony A580 Portrait photography information
65
manual focus
resolution is good (14MP)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
provides face detect focus
delivers RAW formats
doesn't have liveview
74
has manual focus
sensor resolution is decent (16 megapixels)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
includes face detect autofocus
supports RAW formats
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Street Comparison

Sony A290 Street photography advice
Sony A580 Street photography advice
66
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
delivers RAW formats
fixed screen
75
screen tilts up and down
image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
supports RAW formats
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Sports Comparison

Sports photography with Sony A290
Sports photography with Sony A580
55
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
resolution is good (14MP)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
supports phase detect auto focus
doesn't have liveview
very slow continuous shooting (3.0 fps)
terrible battery life (290 per charge)
78
image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor resolution is decent (16MP)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
includes tracking focus
good battery pack (1,050 per charge)
supports phase detect autofocus
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Travel Comparison

Sony A290 Travel photography factors
Sony A580 Travel photography factors
53
resolution is good (14MP)
built-in flash
no Timelapse recording
terrible battery life (290 per charge)
display is not selfie friendly
61
good battery pack (1,050 per charge)
sensor resolution is decent (16 megapixels)
built-in flash
lack of Timelapse function
does not offer selfie friendly screen
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Landscape Comparison

Sony A290 as a Landscape photography camera
Sony A580 as a Landscape photography camera
58
manual focus
interchangeable lenses (Sony/Minolta Alpha mount)
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
resolution is good (14 megapixels)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
delivers RAW formats
tiny screen (2.7")
doesn't have liveview
terrible battery life (290 shots)
no Timelapse recording
74
has manual focus
change lenses (Sony/Minolta Alpha mount)
nice screen size (3 inch)
image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor resolution is decent (16MP)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
supports RAW formats
good battery pack (1,050 shots)
two card slots
lack of Timelapse function
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Vlogging Comparison

Sony A290 Vlogging features
Sony A580 Vlogging features
9
lack of video recording
34
image stabilization (Sensor based)
includes face detect autofocus
high video quality (1920 x 1080 pxls)
comes with microphone socket
does not offer selfie friendly screen
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Sony A290 vs Sony A580 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Sony A290 and Sony A580
 Sony Alpha DSLR-A290Sony Alpha DSLR-A580
General Information
Make Sony Sony
Model type Sony Alpha DSLR-A290 Sony Alpha DSLR-A580
Type Entry-Level DSLR Entry-Level DSLR
Announced 2010-06-09 2011-05-26
Physical type Compact SLR Compact SLR
Sensor Information
Processor Bionz Bionz
Sensor type CCD CMOS
Sensor size APS-C APS-C
Sensor measurements 23.5 x 15.7mm 23.5 x 15.6mm
Sensor area 369.0mm² 366.6mm²
Sensor resolution 14 megapixel 16 megapixel
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 3:2 and 16:9 3:2 and 16:9
Peak resolution 4592 x 3056 4912 x 3264
Highest native ISO 3200 12800
Highest enhanced ISO - 25600
Min native ISO 100 100
RAW format
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch focus
Continuous autofocus
Autofocus single
Tracking autofocus
Selective autofocus
Center weighted autofocus
Autofocus multi area
Autofocus live view
Face detection autofocus
Contract detection autofocus
Phase detection autofocus
Total focus points 9 15
Cross type focus points - 3
Lens
Lens mount type Sony/Minolta Alpha Sony/Minolta Alpha
Available lenses 143 143
Crop factor 1.5 1.5
Screen
Screen type Fixed Type Tilting
Screen sizing 2.7 inch 3 inch
Screen resolution 230 thousand dots 922 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch screen
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Optical (pentamirror) Optical (pentamirror)
Viewfinder coverage 95% 95%
Viewfinder magnification 0.55x 0.53x
Features
Min shutter speed 30 seconds 30 seconds
Max shutter speed 1/4000 seconds 1/4000 seconds
Continuous shutter rate 3.0fps 7.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Custom white balance
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash distance 10.00 m (at ISO 100) 12.00 m
Flash options Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, High Speed Sync, Rear Curtain, Fill-in, Wireless 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 1/160 seconds 1/160 seconds
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Video resolutions - 1920 x 1080 (60, 29.97 fps), 1440 x 1080 (30fps), 640 x 424 (29.97 fps)
Highest video resolution None 1920x1080
Video file format - MPEG-4, AVCHD, H.264
Microphone port
Headphone port
Connectivity
Wireless None Eye-Fi Connected
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environment sealing
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 549g (1.21 lbs) 599g (1.32 lbs)
Dimensions 128 x 97 x 86mm (5.0" x 3.8" x 3.4") 137 x 104 x 84mm (5.4" x 4.1" x 3.3")
DXO scores
DXO Overall rating 66 80
DXO Color Depth rating 22.6 23.8
DXO Dynamic range rating 11.5 13.3
DXO Low light rating 615 1121
Other
Battery life 290 images 1050 images
Type of battery Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID NP-FH50 NP-FM500H
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 SD/SDHC/SDXC/Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo
Card slots 1 Two
Launch pricing $600 $848