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Sony A290 vs Sony A6100

Portability
66
Imaging
54
Features
47
Overall
51
Sony Alpha DSLR-A290 front
 
Sony Alpha a6100 front
Portability
81
Imaging
70
Features
88
Overall
77

Sony A290 vs Sony A6100 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
  • Launched June 2010
  • Old Model is Sony A230
Sony A6100
(Full Review)
  • 24MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Screen
  • ISO 100 - 32000 (Boost to 51200)
  • 3840 x 2160 video
  • Sony E Mount
  • 396g - 120 x 67 x 59mm
  • Introduced August 2019
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Sony A290 vs Sony A6100 Overview

Let's look a bit more in depth at the Sony A290 and Sony A6100, former being a Entry-Level DSLR while the latter is a Advanced Mirrorless and both are produced by Sony. There is a considerable difference among the sensor resolutions of the A290 (14MP) and A6100 (24MP) but they use the same exact sensor sizes (APS-C).

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The A290 was unveiled 10 years before the A6100 and that is a fairly large difference as far as camera tech is concerned. Both cameras offer different body type with the Sony A290 being a Compact SLR camera and the Sony A6100 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera.

Before we go through a in-depth comparison, below is a quick view of how the A290 grades versus the A6100 when considering portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

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Reasons to pick Sony A290 over the Sony A6100

 A290 A6100 

Reasons to pick Sony A6100 over the Sony A290

 A6100 A290 
IntroducedAugust 2019June 2010Fresher by 112 months
Screen typeTiltingFixed Tilting screen
Screen sizing3"2.7"Bigger screen (+0.3")
Screen resolution922k230kClearer screen (+692k dot)
Selfie screen Easy selfies
Touch screen Quickly navigate

Common features in the Sony A290 and Sony A6100

 A290 A6100 
Manual focus Very precise focus

Sony A290 vs Sony A6100 Physical Comparison

For anyone who is looking to carry your camera frequently, you will need to factor in its weight and volume. The Sony A290 has got outer measurements of 128mm x 97mm x 86mm (5.0" x 3.8" x 3.4") and a weight of 549 grams (1.21 lbs) and the Sony A6100 has sizing of 120mm x 67mm x 59mm (4.7" x 2.6" x 2.3") accompanied by a weight of 396 grams (0.87 lbs).

Compare the Sony A290 and Sony A6100 in our newest Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Don't forget, the weight of an ILC will change based on the lens you select at the time. The following is the front view physical size comparison of the A290 compared to the A6100.

Sony A290 vs Sony A6100 size comparison

Considering size and weight, the portability grade of the A290 and A6100 is 66 and 81 respectively.

Sony A290 vs Sony A6100 top view buttons comparison

Sony A290 vs Sony A6100 Sensor Comparison

Often, it's tough to imagine the gap in sensor sizing purely by looking through technical specs. The graphic below will give you a more clear sense of the sensor sizing in the A290 and A6100.

As you can tell, both of those cameras enjoy the same exact sensor sizing albeit different resolution. You can expect the Sony A6100 to provide you with greater detail having an extra 10MP. Higher resolution will also enable you to crop shots far more aggressively. The older A290 will be behind in sensor technology.

Sony A290 vs Sony A6100 sensor size comparison

Sony A290 vs Sony A6100 Screen and ViewFinder

Sony A290 vs Sony A6100 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Portrait photography with Sony A290
Portrait photography with Sony A6100
65
focusing manually
good resolution (14MP)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
includes face detect focusing
exports RAW formats
no liveview
82
has manual focus
megapixel count good (24MP)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
has face detection focus
supports RAW files
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Street Comparison

Sony A290 Street photography highlights
Sony A6100 Street photography highlights
66
image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
exports RAW formats
no articulating screen
79
has a tilting screen
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
supports RAW files
provides touch focus
very good ISO range (32,000)
no image stabilization
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Sports Comparison

Sports photography with Sony A290
Sports photography with Sony A6100
55
image stabilization (Sensor based)
good resolution (14MP)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
comes with phase detect AF
no liveview
max fps very slow (3.0 frames/s)
bad battery power (290 CIPA)
75
megapixel count good (24 megapixels)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
has tracking autofocus
comes with phase detect auto focus
no image stabilization
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Travel Comparison

Sony A290 Travel photography factors
Sony A6100 Travel photography factors
53
good resolution (14MP)
flash built-in
lack of Time Lapse recording
bad battery power (290 CIPA)
display is not selfie friendly
86
connects via bluetooth
provides touch focus
megapixel count good (24MP)
has built in flash
selfie friendly screen
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Landscape Comparison

Sony A290 Landscape photography info
Sony A6100 Landscape photography info
58
focusing manually
switch lenses (Sony/Minolta Alpha mount)
image stabilization (Sensor based)
good resolution (14MP)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
exports RAW formats
screen is small (2.7 inches)
no liveview
bad battery power (290 CIPA)
lack of Time Lapse recording
79
has manual focus
interchangeable lenses (Sony E mount)
screen is a good size (3")
megapixel count good (24MP)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
very good ISO range (32,000)
supports RAW files
no image stabilization
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Vlogging Comparison

Sony A290 Vlogging highlights
Sony A6100 Vlogging highlights
9
lack of video recording
79
selfie friendly screen
touchscreen enabled
has face detection focus
high quality video (3840 x 2160 pixels)
does have external microphone port
no image stabilization
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Sony A290 vs Sony A6100 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Sony A290 and Sony A6100
 Sony Alpha DSLR-A290Sony Alpha a6100
General Information
Manufacturer Sony Sony
Model Sony Alpha DSLR-A290 Sony Alpha a6100
Type Entry-Level DSLR Advanced Mirrorless
Launched 2010-06-09 2019-08-28
Body design Compact SLR Rangefinder-style mirrorless
Sensor Information
Chip Bionz Bionz X
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 24 megapixel
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 3:2 and 16:9 1:1, 3:2 and 16:9
Peak resolution 4592 x 3056 6000 x 4000
Highest native ISO 3200 32000
Highest enhanced ISO - 51200
Minimum native ISO 100 100
RAW data
Autofocusing
Manual focus
Autofocus touch
Autofocus continuous
Autofocus single
Autofocus tracking
Selective autofocus
Autofocus center weighted
Multi area autofocus
Autofocus live view
Face detect focus
Contract detect focus
Phase detect focus
Number of focus points 9 425
Lens
Lens mounting type Sony/Minolta Alpha Sony E
Amount of lenses 143 121
Focal length multiplier 1.5 1.5
Screen
Display type Fixed Type Tilting
Display size 2.7 inch 3 inch
Resolution of display 230 thousand dot 922 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch functionality
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Optical (pentamirror) Electronic
Viewfinder resolution - 1,440 thousand dot
Viewfinder coverage 95% 100%
Viewfinder magnification 0.55x 0.71x
Features
Min shutter speed 30 secs 30 secs
Max shutter speed 1/4000 secs 1/4000 secs
Continuous shutter speed 3.0fps 11.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual exposure
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Change white balance
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash range 10.00 m (at ISO 100) 6.00 m (at ISO 100)
Flash settings Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, High Speed Sync, Rear Curtain, Fill-in, Wireless Flash off, auto, fill flash, slow sync, rear sync, wireless, hi-speed
Hot shoe
Auto exposure bracketing
WB bracketing
Max flash sync 1/160 secs -
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Video resolutions - 3840 x 2160 @ 30p / 100 Mbps, XAVC S, MP4, H.264, Linear PCM
Highest video resolution None 3840x2160
Video data format - MPEG-4, XAVC S, H.264
Microphone jack
Headphone jack
Connectivity
Wireless None Built-In
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) Yes
GPS None None
Physical
Environmental seal
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 549 gr (1.21 pounds) 396 gr (0.87 pounds)
Dimensions 128 x 97 x 86mm (5.0" x 3.8" x 3.4") 120 x 67 x 59mm (4.7" x 2.6" x 2.3")
DXO scores
DXO Overall score 66 not tested
DXO Color Depth score 22.6 not tested
DXO Dynamic range score 11.5 not tested
DXO Low light score 615 not tested
Other
Battery life 290 photos 420 photos
Battery form Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery model NP-FH50 NP-FW50
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec) Yes
Time lapse shooting
Type of storage Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo, SD/SDHC SD/SDHC/SDXC + Memory Stick Pro Duo
Storage slots One One
Retail price $600 $748