Sony A290 vs Sony NEX-5N

Lets look a little more closely at the Sony A290 and Sony NEX-5N, one being a Entry-Level DSLR and the other is a Entry-Level Mirrorless and both of them are manufactured by Sony. The image resolution of the A290 (14MP) and the NEX-5N (16MP) is fairly similar and both cameras offer the same sensor size (APS-C).

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The A290 was brought out 16 months earlier than the NEX-5N making them a generation apart from one another. Each of the cameras have different body design with the Sony A290 being a Compact SLR camera and the Sony NEX-5N being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera.

Before we go right into a in depth comparison, here is a quick summary of how the A290 matches up against the NEX-5N with respect to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

The following is a sample of the gallery pictures for Sony Alpha DSLR-A290 and Sony Alpha NEX-5N. The entire galleries are available at Sony A290 Gallery and Sony NEX-5N Gallery.

If you are aiming to lug around your camera, you'll need to think about its weight and measurements. The Sony A290 comes with physical dimensions of 128mm x 97mm x 86mm (5.0" x 3.8" x 3.4") having a weight of 549 grams (1.21 lbs) whilst the Sony NEX-5N has proportions of 111mm x 59mm x 38mm (4.4" x 2.3" x 1.5") accompanied by a weight of 269 grams (0.59 lbs).

See the Sony A290 and Sony NEX-5N in the latest Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Always remember, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ depending on the lens you select at that time. Here is a front view sizing comparison of the A290 versus the NEX-5N.

Taking into account dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the A290 and NEX-5N is 66 and 89 respectively.

Quite often, it is very hard to visualize the difference between sensor measurements simply by reading a spec sheet. The graphic here will help give you a greater sense of the sensor dimensions in the A290 and NEX-5N.

As you can see, both of the cameras provide the same sensor dimensions but different MP. You should anticipate the Sony NEX-5N to offer you more detail having its extra 2MP. Greater resolution will also help you crop photos more aggressively. The older A290 is going to be disadvantaged with regard to sensor technology.