Sony A290 vs Sony H20
66 Imaging
54 Features
47 Overall
51
87 Imaging
33 Features
29 Overall
31
Sony A290 vs Sony H20 Key Specs
(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- Superseded the Sony A230
(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
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.
Photobucket discusses licensing 13 billion images with AI firmsThe 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.
Sony A290 vs Sony H20 Gallery
The following is a preview of the gallery images for Sony Alpha DSLR-A290 & Sony Cyber-shot DSC-H20. The entire galleries are available at Sony A290 Gallery & Sony H20 Gallery.
Reasons to pick Sony A290 over the Sony H20
A290 | H20 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Introduced | June 2010 | May 2009 | More modern by 14 months |
Reasons to pick Sony H20 over the Sony A290
H20 | A290 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Screen dimensions | 3" | 2.7" | Bigger screen (+0.3") |
Common features in the Sony A290 and Sony H20
A290 | H20 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Manually focus | Dial accurate focusing | |||
Screen type | Fixed | Fixed | Fixed screen | |
Screen resolution | 230k | 230k | Exact 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.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.
Looking at dimensions and weight, the portability score of the A290 and H20 is 66 and 87 respectively.
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 Screen and ViewFinder
Photography Type Scores
Portrait Comparison
Street Comparison
Sports Comparison
Travel Comparison
Landscape Comparison
Vlogging Comparison
Sony A290 vs Sony H20 Specifications
Sony Alpha DSLR-A290 | Sony 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 |