Sony A290 vs Sony S950

Here, we are evaluating the Sony A290 and Sony S950, one being a Entry-Level DSLR and the other is a Small Sensor Compact and both are built by Sony. There is a crucial difference among the resolutions of the A290 (14MP) and S950 (10MP) and the A290 (APS-C) and S950 (1/2.3") posses totally different sensor sizing.

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The A290 was revealed 16 months later than the S950 making them a generation apart from each other. The two cameras feature different body design with the Sony A290 being a Compact SLR camera and the Sony S950 being a Compact camera.

Before delving straight to a full comparison, here is a quick highlight of how the A290 matches up against the S950 in regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

The following is a sample of the gallery pics for Sony Alpha DSLR-A290 and Sony Cyber-shot DSC-S950. The full galleries are available at Sony A290 Gallery and Sony S950 Gallery.

If you are looking to lug around your camera regularly, you'll need to think about its weight and proportions. The Sony A290 provides outside dimensions 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 S950 has measurements of 93mm x 56mm x 24mm (3.7" x 2.2" x 0.9") along with a weight of 167 grams (0.37 lbs).

Look at the Sony A290 and Sony S950 in the all new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Remember that, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change dependant on the lens you are working with at that time. Following is a front view scale comparison of the A290 against the S950.

Taking into consideration size and weight, the portability grade of the A290 and S950 is 66 and 94 respectively.

Oftentimes, it's difficult to see the gap in sensor measurements simply by viewing specifications. The visual underneath may give you a far better sense of the sensor sizes in the A290 and S950.

Plainly, both cameras feature different megapixel count and different sensor measurements. The A290 with its larger sensor will make shooting shallower depth of field easier and the Sony A290 will provide you with greater detail because of its extra 4MP. Greater resolution will let you crop images way more aggressively. The more recent A290 is going to have an edge with regard to sensor innovation.