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Sony A290 vs Sony RX100

Portability
66
Imaging
54
Features
47
Overall
51
Sony Alpha DSLR-A290 front
 
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 front
Portability
91
Imaging
51
Features
68
Overall
57

Sony A290 vs Sony RX100 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
  • Previous Model is Sony A230
Sony RX100
(Full Review)
  • 20MP - 1" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 25600
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 28-100mm (F1.8-4.9) lens
  • 240g - 102 x 58 x 36mm
  • Launched August 2012
  • Later Model is Sony RX100 II
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Sony A290 vs Sony RX100 Overview

Below is a extended analysis of the Sony A290 versus Sony RX100, one being a Entry-Level DSLR and the latter is a Large Sensor Compact and both are designed by Sony. There is a big difference between the sensor resolutions of the A290 (14MP) and RX100 (20MP) and the A290 (APS-C) and RX100 (1") offer totally different sensor measurements.

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The A290 was brought out 3 years prior to the RX100 and that is quite a big gap as far as tech is concerned. Both the cameras have different body design with the Sony A290 being a Compact SLR camera and the Sony RX100 being a Large Sensor Compact camera.

Before we go right into a thorough comparison, here is a concise view of how the A290 grades versus the RX100 for portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

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Reasons to pick Sony A290 over the Sony RX100

 A290 RX100 

Reasons to pick Sony RX100 over the Sony A290

 RX100 A290 
LaunchedAugust 2012June 2010More recent by 27 months
Screen dimensions3"2.7"Bigger screen (+0.3")
Screen resolution1229k230kCrisper screen (+999k dot)

Common features in the Sony A290 and Sony RX100

 A290 RX100 
Focus manually More exact focusing
Screen typeFixed Fixed Fixed screen
Selfie screen Neither contains selfie screen
Touch screen Neither contains Touch screen

Sony A290 vs Sony RX100 Physical Comparison

If you are planning to lug around your camera regularly, you will need to consider its weight and volume. The Sony A290 has got outer dimensions of 128mm x 97mm x 86mm (5.0" x 3.8" x 3.4") with a weight of 549 grams (1.21 lbs) and the Sony RX100 has sizing of 102mm x 58mm x 36mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 1.4") with a weight of 240 grams (0.53 lbs).

Check the Sony A290 versus Sony RX100 in the new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Bear in mind, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change depending on the lens you choose at the time. Here is a front view dimension comparison of the A290 against the RX100.

Sony A290 vs Sony RX100 size comparison

Taking into account size and weight, the portability grade of the A290 and RX100 is 66 and 91 respectively.

Sony A290 vs Sony RX100 top view buttons comparison

Sony A290 vs Sony RX100 Sensor Comparison

Usually, it can be hard to envision the contrast between sensor measurements simply by going over specifications. The graphic below will offer you a clearer sense of the sensor dimensions in the A290 and RX100.

To sum up, the two cameras have different megapixels and different sensor measurements. The A290 featuring a bigger sensor will make achieving shallower depth of field easier and the Sony RX100 will offer you more detail having its extra 6MP. Higher resolution can also enable you to crop pictures a bit more aggressively. The older A290 is going to be behind with regard to sensor technology.

Sony A290 vs Sony RX100 sensor size comparison

Sony A290 vs Sony RX100 Screen and ViewFinder

Sony A290 vs Sony RX100 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Sony A290 as a Portrait photography camera
Sony RX100 as a Portrait photography camera
65
you can focus manually
decent sensor resolution (14 megapixels)
nice sensor size (APS-C)
provides face detection autofocus
supports RAW formats
no liveview feature
64
manual focus
flash sync speed is above average (1/2,000 seconds)
resolution is good (20 megapixels)
sensor size is nice (1")
includes face detection focus
supports RAW files
cannot use external flash
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Street Comparison

Sony A290 Street photography features
Sony RX100 Street photography features
66
image stabilization (Sensor based)
nice sensor size (APS-C)
supports RAW formats
screen does not articulate
80
image stabilization (Optical)
sensor size is nice (1")
supports RAW files
lighter than competition (240 grams)
great ISO range (25,600)
screen is fixed
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Sports Comparison

Sony A290 as a Sports photography camera
Sony RX100 as a Sports photography camera
55
image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent sensor resolution (14MP)
nice sensor size (APS-C)
supports phase detect autofocus
no liveview feature
low frames per second (3.0 frames/s)
low battery pack (290 per charge)
65
image stabilization (Optical)
resolution is good (20 megapixels)
sensor size is nice (1")
includes tracking autofocus
has no phase detect auto focus
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Travel Comparison

Sony A290 Travel photography features
Sony RX100 Travel photography features
53
decent sensor resolution (14 megapixels)
flash built-in
no Timelapse mode
low battery pack (290 shots)
screen is not selfie friendly
79
lighter than competition (240g)
resolution is good (20 megapixels)
flash built-in
relatively wide (28mm)
great max aperture (f1.8)
does not have a selfie friendly display
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Landscape Comparison

Sony A290 Landscape photography factors
Sony RX100 Landscape photography factors
58
you can focus manually
change lenses (Sony/Minolta Alpha mount)
image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent sensor resolution (14MP)
nice sensor size (APS-C)
supports RAW formats
screen is somewhat small (2.7 inches)
no liveview feature
low battery pack (290 CIPA)
no Timelapse mode
74
manual focus
relatively wide (28mm)
great max aperture (f1.8)
screen is a good size (3 inch)
image stabilization (Optical)
resolution is good (20 megapixels)
sensor size is nice (1")
great ISO range (25,600)
supports RAW files
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
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Vlogging Comparison

Sony A290 Vlogging info
Sony RX100 Vlogging info
9
no video recording
38
relatively wide (28mm)
great max aperture (f1.8)
image stabilization (Optical)
includes face detection focus
video res high (1920 x 1080 resolution)
lighter than competition (240g)
does not have a selfie friendly display
no external microphone support
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Sony A290 vs Sony RX100 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Sony A290 and Sony RX100
 Sony Alpha DSLR-A290Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100
General Information
Company Sony Sony
Model Sony Alpha DSLR-A290 Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100
Class Entry-Level DSLR Large Sensor Compact
Launched 2010-06-09 2012-08-28
Physical type Compact SLR Large Sensor Compact
Sensor Information
Powered by Bionz -
Sensor type CCD CMOS
Sensor size APS-C 1"
Sensor measurements 23.5 x 15.7mm 13.2 x 8.8mm
Sensor area 369.0mm² 116.2mm²
Sensor resolution 14 megapixels 20 megapixels
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 3:2 and 16:9 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Peak resolution 4592 x 3056 5472 x 3648
Highest native ISO 3200 25600
Min native ISO 100 100
RAW format
Autofocusing
Manual focus
Touch focus
AF continuous
AF single
Tracking AF
Selective AF
Center weighted AF
Multi area AF
AF live view
Face detect AF
Contract detect AF
Phase detect AF
Number of focus points 9 25
Lens
Lens mount Sony/Minolta Alpha fixed lens
Lens focal range - 28-100mm (3.6x)
Max aperture - f/1.8-4.9
Macro focus range - 5cm
Number of lenses 143 -
Crop factor 1.5 2.7
Screen
Display type Fixed Type Fixed Type
Display diagonal 2.7 inches 3 inches
Display resolution 230 thousand dots 1,229 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch function
Display tech - WhiteMagic TFT LCD
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Optical (pentamirror) None
Viewfinder coverage 95% -
Viewfinder magnification 0.55x -
Features
Min shutter speed 30 seconds 30 seconds
Max shutter speed 1/4000 seconds 1/2000 seconds
Continuous shutter rate 3.0 frames per sec 10.0 frames per sec
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual mode
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Set WB
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash range 10.00 m (at ISO 100) -
Flash options Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, High Speed Sync, Rear Curtain, Fill-in, Wireless Auto, On, Off, Slow Sync
External flash
AEB
WB bracketing
Max flash synchronize 1/160 seconds 1/2000 seconds
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Video resolutions - 1920 x 1080 (60 fps), 1440 x 1080 (30 fps), 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps)
Highest video resolution None 1920x1080
Video format - MPEG-4, AVCHD
Microphone support
Headphone support
Connectivity
Wireless None Eye-Fi Connected
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environment sealing
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 549g (1.21 pounds) 240g (0.53 pounds)
Physical dimensions 128 x 97 x 86mm (5.0" x 3.8" x 3.4") 102 x 58 x 36mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 1.4")
DXO scores
DXO Overall score 66 66
DXO Color Depth score 22.6 22.6
DXO Dynamic range score 11.5 12.4
DXO Low light score 615 390
Other
Battery life 290 pictures 330 pictures
Type of battery Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery model NP-FH50 NP-BX1
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec, Portrait 1/2)
Time lapse feature With downloadable app
Type of storage Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo, SD/SDHC SD/SDHC/SDXC, Memory Stick Duo/Pro Duo/Pro-HG Duo
Card slots 1 1
Cost at release $600 $448