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Sony A290 vs Sony H20

Portability
66
Imaging
54
Features
47
Overall
51
Sony Alpha DSLR-A290 front
 
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-H20 front
Portability
87
Imaging
33
Features
29
Overall
31

Sony A290 vs Sony H20 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
  • Announced June 2010
  • Superseded the Sony A230
Sony H20
(Full Review)
  • 10MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 3200
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 38-380mm (F3.5-4.4) lens
  • 250g - 107 x 69 x 47mm
  • Introduced May 2009
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Sony A290 vs Sony H20 Overview

Lets look much closer at the Sony A290 and Sony H20, former is a Entry-Level DSLR while the latter is a Small Sensor Compact and both are sold by Sony. There exists a considerable gap between the sensor resolutions of the A290 (14MP) and H20 (10MP) and the A290 (APS-C) and H20 (1/2.3") have different sensor sizes.

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The A290 was brought out 14 months after the H20 which makes them a generation away from one another. Each of the cameras have different body design with the Sony A290 being a Compact SLR camera and the Sony H20 being a Compact camera.

Before we go into a detailed comparison, here is a quick view of how the A290 matches up vs the H20 when considering portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

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Reasons to pick Sony A290 over the Sony H20

 A290 H20 
IntroducedJune 2010May 2009More modern by 14 months

Reasons to pick Sony H20 over the Sony A290

 H20 A290 
Screen dimensions3"2.7"Bigger screen (+0.3")

Common features in the Sony A290 and Sony H20

 A290 H20 
Manually focus Dial accurate focusing
Screen typeFixed Fixed Fixed screen
Screen resolution230k230kExact same screen resolution
Selfie screen Neither includes selfie screen
Touch friendly screen Neither includes Touch friendly screen

Sony A290 vs Sony H20 Physical Comparison

For anyone who is going to carry around your camera frequently, you are going to need to factor in its weight and size. The Sony A290 features exterior measurements of 128mm x 97mm x 86mm (5.0" x 3.8" x 3.4") along with a weight of 549 grams (1.21 lbs) and the Sony H20 has specifications of 107mm x 69mm x 47mm (4.2" x 2.7" x 1.9") along with a weight of 250 grams (0.55 lbs).

Check the Sony A290 and Sony H20 in our completely new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Keep in mind, the weight of an ILC will vary based on the lens you are employing at that moment. Underneath is a front view physical size comparison of the A290 compared to the H20.

Sony A290 vs Sony H20 size comparison

Looking at dimensions and weight, the portability score of the A290 and H20 is 66 and 87 respectively.

Sony A290 vs Sony H20 top view buttons comparison

Sony A290 vs Sony H20 Sensor Comparison

More often than not, it can be hard to picture the contrast between sensor sizes only by looking at specs. The image below should provide you a far better sense of the sensor measurements in the A290 and H20.

All in all, both of these cameras provide different resolutions and different sensor sizes. The A290 featuring a bigger sensor is going to make getting shallow DOF simpler and the Sony A290 will resolve more detail having its extra 4 Megapixels. Higher resolution can also let you crop pictures more aggressively. The more recent A290 should have an edge when it comes to sensor tech.

Sony A290 vs Sony H20 sensor size comparison

Sony A290 vs Sony H20 Screen and ViewFinder

Sony A290 vs Sony H20 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Sony A290 Portrait photography details
Sony H20 Portrait photography details
65
you can focus manually
decent MP (14MP)
good sensor size (APS-C)
provides face detect autofocus
supports RAW formats
no liveview feature
27
has manual focus
no external flash support
low MP (10MP)
small sensor (1/2.3")
lacks RAW format
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Street Comparison

Sony A290 Street photography information
Sony H20 Street photography information
66
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
good sensor size (APS-C)
supports RAW formats
screen is fixed
51
has image stabilization (Optical)
screen does not articulate
small sensor (1/2.3")
lacks RAW format
heavier than competition (250 grams)
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Sports Comparison

Sony A290 as a Sports photography camera
Sony H20 as a Sports photography camera
55
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent MP (14MP)
good sensor size (APS-C)
sensor has phase detect autofocus
no liveview feature
very slow continuous shooting (3.0 fps)
terrible battery pack (290 per charge)
26
has image stabilization (Optical)
very slow continuous shooting (2.0 fps)
low MP (10MP)
small sensor (1/2.3")
lacks phase detect auto focus
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Travel Comparison

Sony A290 Travel photography advice
Sony H20 Travel photography advice
53
decent MP (14 megapixels)
has built in flash
no Timelapse mode
terrible battery pack (290 per charge)
screen is not selfie friendly
51
has built in flash
long reach (380mm)
does not have Time Lapse function
heavier than competition (250g)
low MP (10MP)
display is not selfie friendly
wide angle not fantastic (38mm)
somewhat slow max aperture (f3.5)
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Landscape Comparison

Landscape photography with Sony A290
Landscape photography with Sony H20
58
you can focus manually
swap lenses (Sony/Minolta Alpha mount)
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent MP (14MP)
good sensor size (APS-C)
supports RAW formats
tiny screen (2.7 inch)
no liveview feature
terrible battery pack (290 per charge)
no Timelapse mode
36
has manual focus
good sized screen (3")
has image stabilization (Optical)
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
wide angle not fantastic (38mm)
somewhat slow max aperture (f3.5)
low MP (10MP)
small sensor (1/2.3")
lacks RAW format
does not have Time Lapse function
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Vlogging Comparison

Sony A290 Vlogging info
Sony H20 Vlogging info
9
no video recording
23
has image stabilization (Optical)
wide angle not fantastic (38mm)
somewhat slow max aperture (f3.5)
display is not selfie friendly
low quality video (1280 x 720 resolution)
does not have external mic support
heavier than competition (250 grams)
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Sony A290 vs Sony H20 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Sony A290 and Sony H20
 Sony Alpha DSLR-A290Sony Cyber-shot DSC-H20
General Information
Manufacturer Sony Sony
Model type Sony Alpha DSLR-A290 Sony Cyber-shot DSC-H20
Class Entry-Level DSLR Small Sensor Compact
Announced 2010-06-09 2009-05-14
Physical type Compact SLR Compact
Sensor Information
Powered by Bionz -
Sensor type CCD CCD
Sensor size APS-C 1/2.3"
Sensor dimensions 23.5 x 15.7mm 6.17 x 4.55mm
Sensor area 369.0mm² 28.1mm²
Sensor resolution 14 megapixels 10 megapixels
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 3:2 and 16:9 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Full resolution 4592 x 3056 3648 x 2736
Max native ISO 3200 3200
Minimum native ISO 100 100
RAW pictures
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch focus
Continuous autofocus
Autofocus single
Autofocus tracking
Autofocus selectice
Center weighted autofocus
Autofocus multi area
Live view autofocus
Face detect focus
Contract detect focus
Phase detect focus
Total focus points 9 9
Lens
Lens mount type Sony/Minolta Alpha fixed lens
Lens zoom range - 38-380mm (10.0x)
Maximal aperture - f/3.5-4.4
Macro focusing range - 2cm
Number of lenses 143 -
Crop factor 1.5 5.8
Screen
Display type Fixed Type Fixed Type
Display diagonal 2.7 inches 3 inches
Resolution of display 230 thousand dots 230 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch capability
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Optical (pentamirror) None
Viewfinder coverage 95% -
Viewfinder magnification 0.55x -
Features
Slowest shutter speed 30s 30s
Maximum shutter speed 1/4000s 1/2000s
Continuous shooting rate 3.0 frames/s 2.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Change white balance
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash distance 10.00 m (at ISO 100) 7.10 m
Flash options Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, High Speed Sync, Rear Curtain, Fill-in, Wireless Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye reduction, Slow Sync, Front Curtain, Rear Curtain
External flash
AEB
WB bracketing
Maximum flash synchronize 1/160s -
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Video resolutions - 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps)
Max video resolution None 1280x720
Mic support
Headphone support
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 sealing
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 549g (1.21 lbs) 250g (0.55 lbs)
Physical dimensions 128 x 97 x 86mm (5.0" x 3.8" x 3.4") 107 x 69 x 47mm (4.2" x 2.7" x 1.9")
DXO scores
DXO All around rating 66 not tested
DXO Color Depth rating 22.6 not tested
DXO Dynamic range rating 11.5 not tested
DXO Low light rating 615 not tested
Other
Battery life 290 photographs -
Type of battery Battery Pack -
Battery ID NP-FH50 NP-BG1
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 Memory Stick Duo / Pro Duo, Internal
Card slots 1 1
Cost at launch $600 $249