Sony A290 vs Sony RX10 II

Here is a in depth analysis of the Sony A290 and Sony RX10 II, one being a Entry-Level DSLR and the other is a Large Sensor Superzoom and both are created by Sony. There is a big difference between the sensor resolutions of the A290 (14MP) and RX10 II (20MP) and the A290 (APS-C) and RX10 II (1") posses totally different sensor size.

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The A290 was announced 6 years prior to the RX10 II and that is quite a big gap as far as tech is concerned. Each of these cameras have different body design with the Sony A290 being a Compact SLR camera and the Sony RX10 II being a SLR-like (bridge) camera.

Before we go right into a in-depth comparison, here is a concise highlight of how the A290 scores versus the RX10 II in relation to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

Below is a sample of the gallery pics for Sony Alpha DSLR-A290 and Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX10 II. The whole galleries are provided at Sony A290 Gallery and Sony RX10 II Gallery.

For those who are going to carry your camera regularly, you are going to need to factor its weight and proportions. The Sony A290 has outer dimensions of 128mm x 97mm x 86mm (5.0" x 3.8" x 3.4") along with a weight of 549 grams (1.21 lbs) while the Sony RX10 II has measurements of 129mm x 88mm x 102mm (5.1" x 3.5" x 4.0") along with a weight of 813 grams (1.79 lbs).

Look at the Sony A290 and Sony RX10 II in the latest Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Remember, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ dependant on the lens you select during that time. Here is a front view dimensions comparison of the A290 and the RX10 II.

Taking into consideration size and weight, the portability grade of the A290 and RX10 II is 66 and 58 respectively.

Generally, it is hard to visualise the contrast between sensor sizing purely by reviewing a spec sheet. The photograph here may provide you a better sense of the sensor dimensions in the A290 and RX10 II.

As you can see, each of these cameras have different megapixel count and different sensor sizing. The A290 having a larger sensor will make getting shallow DOF simpler and the Sony RX10 II will deliver extra detail with its extra 6MP. Greater resolution will make it easier to crop images a bit more aggressively. The older A290 is going to be disadvantaged when it comes to sensor innovation.