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Sony A290 vs Sony TX55

Portability
66
Imaging
54
Features
47
Overall
51
Sony Alpha DSLR-A290 front
 
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-TX55 front
Portability
97
Imaging
39
Features
46
Overall
41

Sony A290 vs Sony TX55 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
  • Replaced the Sony A230
Sony TX55
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3.3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 100 - 3200
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 26-130mm (F3.5-4.8) lens
  • 109g - 93 x 54 x 13mm
  • Revealed July 2011
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Sony A290 vs Sony TX55 Overview

Following is a extensive overview of the Sony A290 versus Sony TX55, former is a Entry-Level DSLR while the other is a Ultracompact and both are offered by Sony. The resolution of the A290 (14MP) and the TX55 (16MP) is fairly well matched but the A290 (APS-C) and TX55 (1/2.3") offer different sensor measurements.

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The A290 was brought out 13 months prior to the TX55 making them a generation away from one another. Both of the cameras feature different body design with the Sony A290 being a Compact SLR camera and the Sony TX55 being a Ultracompact camera.

Before diving right into a thorough comparison, here is a simple summary of how the A290 scores against the TX55 in the way of portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

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Reasons to pick Sony A290 over the Sony TX55

 A290 TX55 

Reasons to pick Sony TX55 over the Sony A290

 TX55 A290 
RevealedJuly 2011June 2010More modern by 13 months
Display size3.3"2.7"Larger display (+0.6")
Display resolution1230k230kSharper display (+1000k dot)
Touch display Easily navigate

Common features in the Sony A290 and Sony TX55

 A290 TX55 
Manually focus More accurate focusing
Display typeFixed Fixed Fixed display
Selfie screen No selfie screen

Sony A290 vs Sony TX55 Physical Comparison

If you're looking to carry around your camera frequently, you will need to take into account its weight and measurements. The Sony A290 enjoys outer dimensions of 128mm x 97mm x 86mm (5.0" x 3.8" x 3.4") accompanied by a weight of 549 grams (1.21 lbs) and the Sony TX55 has proportions of 93mm x 54mm x 13mm (3.7" x 2.1" x 0.5") having a weight of 109 grams (0.24 lbs).

Check the Sony A290 versus Sony TX55 in our brand new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Bear in mind, the weight of an ILC will change dependant on the lens you use at that moment. Following is a front view overall size comparison of the A290 vs the TX55.

Sony A290 vs Sony TX55 size comparison

Looking at dimensions and weight, the portability score of the A290 and TX55 is 66 and 97 respectively.

Sony A290 vs Sony TX55 top view buttons comparison

Sony A290 vs Sony TX55 Sensor Comparison

Normally, it is very hard to visualize the difference between sensor sizes simply by checking technical specs. The image here may give you a more clear sense of the sensor dimensions in the A290 and TX55.

As you have seen, both of those cameras come with different megapixel count and different sensor sizes. The A290 featuring a larger sensor is going to make shooting shallower DOF less difficult and the Sony TX55 will give you more detail having its extra 2MP. Greater resolution will also allow you to crop pics a good deal more aggressively. The more aged A290 is going to be disadvantaged when it comes to sensor innovation.

Sony A290 vs Sony TX55 sensor size comparison

Sony A290 vs Sony TX55 Screen and ViewFinder

Sony A290 vs Sony TX55 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
Photography Glossary

Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Sony A290 Portrait photography factors
Sony TX55 Portrait photography factors
65
focusing manually
good megapixels (14MP)
nice sensor size (APS-C)
has face detection focusing
exports RAW files
no liveview feature
36
has manual focus
megapixel count good (16 megapixels)
no manual control
can't use external flash
very small sensor (1/2.3")
has no RAW format
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Street Comparison

Sony A290 Street photography features
Sony TX55 Street photography features
66
image stabilization (Sensor based)
nice sensor size (APS-C)
exports RAW files
no moving screen
58
image stabilization (Optical)
fixed screen
very small sensor (1/2.3")
has no RAW format
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Sports Comparison

Sports photography with Sony A290
Sports photography with Sony TX55
55
image stabilization (Sensor based)
good megapixels (14MP)
nice sensor size (APS-C)
has phase detect AF
no liveview feature
very slow continuous shooting (3.0 frames/s)
not so great battery power (290 shots)
44
image stabilization (Optical)
megapixel count good (16 megapixels)
better than average battery (250 shots)
no shutter priority mode
very small sensor (1/2.3")
has no phase detect autofocus
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Travel Comparison

Sony A290 Travel photography features
Sony TX55 Travel photography features
53
good megapixels (14 megapixels)
flash built-in
lack of Time Lapse function
not so great battery power (290 CIPA)
doesn't posses selfie friendly display
69
better than average battery (250 CIPA)
megapixel count good (16 megapixels)
built-in flash
relatively wide (26mm)
missing Time Lapse recording
doesn't offer selfie friendly display
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f3.5)
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Landscape Comparison

Sony A290 as a Landscape photography camera
Sony TX55 as a Landscape photography camera
58
focusing manually
interchangeable lenses (Sony/Minolta Alpha mount)
image stabilization (Sensor based)
good megapixels (14MP)
nice sensor size (APS-C)
exports RAW files
small screen (2.7 inches)
no liveview feature
not so great battery power (290 shots)
lack of Time Lapse function
50
has manual focus
relatively wide (26mm)
pretty good screen size (3.3 inch)
image stabilization (Optical)
megapixel count good (16MP)
better than average battery (250 per charge)
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f3.5)
no manual control
very small sensor (1/2.3")
has no RAW format
missing Time Lapse recording
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Vlogging Comparison

Vlogging with Sony A290
Vlogging with Sony TX55
9
no video shooting
34
relatively wide (26mm)
touchscreen enabled
image stabilization (Optical)
high res video (1920 x 1080 pixels)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f3.5)
doesn't offer selfie friendly display
missing external mic support
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Sony A290 vs Sony TX55 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Sony A290 and Sony TX55
 Sony Alpha DSLR-A290Sony Cyber-shot DSC-TX55
General Information
Brand Name Sony Sony
Model type Sony Alpha DSLR-A290 Sony Cyber-shot DSC-TX55
Category Entry-Level DSLR Ultracompact
Launched 2010-06-09 2011-07-24
Physical type Compact SLR Ultracompact
Sensor Information
Chip Bionz BIONZ
Sensor type CCD BSI-CMOS
Sensor size APS-C 1/2.3"
Sensor dimensions 23.5 x 15.7mm 6.17 x 4.55mm
Sensor surface area 369.0mm² 28.1mm²
Sensor resolution 14 megapixel 16 megapixel
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 3:2 and 16:9 4:3 and 16:9
Highest resolution 4592 x 3056 4608 x 3456
Highest native ISO 3200 3200
Min native ISO 100 100
RAW pictures
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch to focus
Continuous AF
AF single
AF tracking
AF selectice
AF center weighted
AF multi area
Live view AF
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 - 26-130mm (5.0x)
Highest aperture - f/3.5-4.8
Macro focusing distance - 3cm
Amount of lenses 143 -
Focal length multiplier 1.5 5.8
Screen
Display type Fixed Type Fixed Type
Display size 2.7" 3.3"
Resolution of display 230 thousand dots 1,230 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch operation
Display technology - XtraFine OLED display
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Optical (pentamirror) None
Viewfinder coverage 95% -
Viewfinder magnification 0.55x -
Features
Slowest shutter speed 30s 30s
Maximum shutter speed 1/4000s 1/1600s
Continuous shooting rate 3.0fps 10.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes -
Set WB
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash distance 10.00 m (at ISO 100) 3.70 m
Flash options Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, High Speed Sync, Rear Curtain, Fill-in, Wireless Auto, On, Off, Slow Sync
External flash
Auto exposure bracketing
White balance bracketing
Maximum flash synchronize 1/160s -
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Video resolutions - 1920 x 1080 (60fps), 1440 x 1080 (30fps), 1280 x 720 (30fps), 640 x 480 (30fps)
Highest video resolution None 1920x1080
Video file format - MPEG-4, AVCHD
Mic 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
Environmental sealing
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 549 gr (1.21 lb) 109 gr (0.24 lb)
Physical dimensions 128 x 97 x 86mm (5.0" x 3.8" x 3.4") 93 x 54 x 13mm (3.7" x 2.1" x 0.5")
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 250 shots
Style of battery Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID NP-FH50 NP-BN
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec, Portrait 1/2)
Time lapse feature
Type of storage Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo, SD/SDHC microSD/SDHC, Memory Stick Micro
Card slots Single Single
Retail pricing $600 $350