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Sony A290 vs Sony TX5

Portability
66
Imaging
54
Features
47
Overall
51
Sony Alpha DSLR-A290 front
 
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-TX5 front
Portability
96
Imaging
33
Features
33
Overall
33

Sony A290 vs Sony TX5 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
  • Released June 2010
  • Older Model is Sony A230
Sony TX5
(Full Review)
  • 10MP - 1/2.4" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 125 - 3200
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 25-100mm (F3.5-6.3) lens
  • 148g - 94 x 57 x 18mm
  • Released February 2010
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Sony A290 vs Sony TX5 Overview

Lets take a closer look at the Sony A290 versus Sony TX5, former is a Entry-Level DSLR while the other is a Ultracompact and both are manufactured by Sony. There exists a noticeable gap between the image resolutions of the A290 (14MP) and TX5 (10MP) and the A290 (APS-C) and TX5 (1/2.4") provide different sensor measurements.

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The A290 was announced 4 months after the TX5 which means that they are of a similar age. Both of the cameras have different body design with the Sony A290 being a Compact SLR camera and the Sony TX5 being a Ultracompact camera.

Before we go into a complete comparison, here is a concise view of how the A290 scores against the TX5 in the way of portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

Photography Glossary
	
	

Reasons to pick Sony A290 over the Sony TX5

 A290 TX5 

Reasons to pick Sony TX5 over the Sony A290

 TX5 A290 
Display dimensions3"2.7"Larger display (+0.3")
Touch display Easily navigate

Common features in the Sony A290 and Sony TX5

 A290 TX5 
ReleasedJune 2010February 2010Similar age
Focus manually More accurate focus
Display typeFixed Fixed Fixed display
Display resolution230k230kThe same display resolution
Selfie screen Absent selfie screen

Sony A290 vs Sony TX5 Physical Comparison

In case you're aiming to carry around your camera often, you will need to think about its weight and measurements. The Sony A290 enjoys outside measurements of 128mm x 97mm x 86mm (5.0" x 3.8" x 3.4") having a weight of 549 grams (1.21 lbs) and the Sony TX5 has proportions of 94mm x 57mm x 18mm (3.7" x 2.2" x 0.7") along with a weight of 148 grams (0.33 lbs).

Compare the Sony A290 versus Sony TX5 in our newest Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Don't forget, the weight of an ILC will differ dependant on the lens you have at that moment. Underneath is a front view size comparison of the A290 compared to the TX5.

Sony A290 vs Sony TX5 size comparison

Factoring in dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the A290 and TX5 is 66 and 96 respectively.

Sony A290 vs Sony TX5 top view buttons comparison

Sony A290 vs Sony TX5 Sensor Comparison

Normally, it is tough to visualize the contrast between sensor sizes simply by going over technical specs. The pic here will help give you a more clear sense of the sensor measurements in the A290 and TX5.

As you can tell, both the cameras provide different resolutions and different sensor sizes. The A290 with its larger sensor is going to make getting shallower DOF easier and the Sony A290 will offer you extra detail with its extra 4 Megapixels. Greater resolution will make it easier to crop photos more aggressively.

Sony A290 vs Sony TX5 sensor size comparison

Sony A290 vs Sony TX5 Screen and ViewFinder

Sony A290 vs Sony TX5 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Portrait photography with Sony A290
Portrait photography with Sony TX5
65
focusing manually
MP count good (14 megapixels)
good sensor size (APS-C)
features face detection focus
supports RAW formats
does not have liveview
26
you can focus manually
manual exposure not available
no external flash support
low megapixels (10 megapixels)
tiny sensor size (1/2.4")
has no RAW files
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Street Comparison

Sony A290 Street photography info
Sony TX5 Street photography info
66
image stabilization (Sensor based)
good sensor size (APS-C)
supports RAW formats
fixed screen
63
has image stabilization (Optical)
offers touch focus
weather proofing
fixed screen
tiny sensor size (1/2.4")
has no RAW files
more heavy than others (148 grams)
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Sports Comparison

Sony A290 Sports photography advice
Sony TX5 Sports photography advice
55
image stabilization (Sensor based)
MP count good (14MP)
good sensor size (APS-C)
supports phase detect auto focus
does not have liveview
slow frames per second (3.0 fps)
not so great battery pack (290 per charge)
33
has image stabilization (Optical)
weather proofing
no shutter priority mode
low megapixels (10MP)
tiny sensor size (1/2.4")
has no phase detect AF
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Travel Comparison

Sony A290 Travel photography factors
Sony TX5 Travel photography factors
53
MP count good (14MP)
flash built-in
does not have Timelapse mode
not so great battery pack (290 CIPA)
display is not selfie friendly
62
weather proofing
offers touch focus
has built in flash
decently wide (25mm)
does not have Timelapse function
more heavy than others (148g)
low megapixels (10MP)
display is not selfie friendly
sluggish max aperture (f3.5)
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Landscape Comparison

Sony A290 Landscape photography information
Sony TX5 Landscape photography information
58
focusing manually
interchangeable lenses (Sony/Minolta Alpha mount)
image stabilization (Sensor based)
MP count good (14 megapixels)
good sensor size (APS-C)
supports RAW formats
small screen (2.7 inch)
does not have liveview
not so great battery pack (290 CIPA)
does not have Timelapse mode
43
you can focus manually
decently wide (25mm)
good sized screen (3 inch)
has image stabilization (Optical)
weather proofing
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
sluggish max aperture (f3.5)
manual exposure not available
low megapixels (10MP)
tiny sensor size (1/2.4")
has no RAW files
does not have Timelapse function
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Vlogging Comparison

Vlogging with Sony A290
Vlogging with Sony TX5
9
no video recording
30
decently wide (25mm)
screen is touchscreen
has image stabilization (Optical)
sluggish max aperture (f3.5)
display is not selfie friendly
low quality video (1280 x 720 pixels)
does not have external microphone jack
more heavy than others (148 grams)
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Sony A290 vs Sony TX5 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Sony A290 and Sony TX5
 Sony Alpha DSLR-A290Sony Cyber-shot DSC-TX5
General Information
Brand Name Sony Sony
Model type Sony Alpha DSLR-A290 Sony Cyber-shot DSC-TX5
Type Entry-Level DSLR Ultracompact
Released 2010-06-09 2010-02-18
Body design Compact SLR Ultracompact
Sensor Information
Chip Bionz Bionz
Sensor type CCD BSI-CMOS
Sensor size APS-C 1/2.4"
Sensor measurements 23.5 x 15.7mm 6.104 x 4.578mm
Sensor area 369.0mm² 27.9mm²
Sensor resolution 14 megapixel 10 megapixel
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 3:2 and 16:9 4:3 and 16:9
Full resolution 4592 x 3056 3648 x 2736
Max native ISO 3200 3200
Min native ISO 100 125
RAW data
Autofocusing
Manual focusing
Touch focus
AF continuous
AF single
Tracking AF
Selective AF
AF center weighted
Multi area AF
AF live view
Face detect focusing
Contract detect focusing
Phase detect focusing
Total focus points 9 9
Lens
Lens support Sony/Minolta Alpha fixed lens
Lens zoom range - 25-100mm (4.0x)
Maximal aperture - f/3.5-6.3
Macro focusing distance - 1cm
Amount of lenses 143 -
Crop factor 1.5 5.9
Screen
Range of display Fixed Type Fixed Type
Display size 2.7" 3"
Resolution of display 230 thousand dot 230 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch display
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Optical (pentamirror) None
Viewfinder coverage 95% -
Viewfinder magnification 0.55x -
Features
Slowest shutter speed 30s 2s
Maximum shutter speed 1/4000s 1/1600s
Continuous shooting speed 3.0fps 10.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual exposure
Exposure compensation Yes -
Custom WB
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash distance 10.00 m (at ISO 100) 2.90 m
Flash settings Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, High Speed Sync, Rear Curtain, Fill-in, Wireless Auto, On, Off, Slow syncro
Hot shoe
AE bracketing
WB bracketing
Maximum flash sync 1/160s -
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Supported video resolutions - 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps)
Max video resolution None 1280x720
Video file format - MPEG-4
Microphone input
Headphone input
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 seal
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 549 gr (1.21 lbs) 148 gr (0.33 lbs)
Physical dimensions 128 x 97 x 86mm (5.0" x 3.8" x 3.4") 94 x 57 x 18mm (3.7" x 2.2" x 0.7")
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 shots -
Battery format Battery Pack -
Battery ID NP-FH50 NP-BN1
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec) Yes (2 sec or 10 sec, portrait1/ portrait2)
Time lapse shooting
Storage media Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo, SD/SDHC SD/SDHC, Memory Stick Duo/Pro Duo/ Pro HG-Duo, Internal
Storage slots One One
Cost at launch $600 $239