Sony A290 vs Sony W510

Lets take a deeper look at the Sony A290 vs Sony W510, one being a Entry-Level DSLR and the other is a Ultracompact and both of them are built by Sony. The image resolution of the A290 (14MP) and the W510 (12MP) is fairly comparable but the A290 (APS-C) and W510 (1/2.3") use different sensor sizing.

Photography Glossary

The A290 was manufactured 7 months prior to the W510 which means that they are both of a similar generation. Both the cameras come with different body type with the Sony A290 being a Compact SLR camera and the Sony W510 being a Ultracompact camera.

Before we go in to a complete comparison, below is a brief highlight of how the A290 scores against the W510 in regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Following is a sample of the gallery pictures for Sony Alpha DSLR-A290 and Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W510. The entire galleries are viewable at Sony A290 Gallery and Sony W510 Gallery.

If you are intending to lug around your camera often, you need to take into account its weight and dimensions. The Sony A290 features external measurements 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 W510 has dimensions of 96mm x 54mm x 20mm (3.8" x 2.1" x 0.8") and a weight of 119 grams (0.26 lbs).

Compare the Sony A290 vs Sony W510 in the all new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Remember, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change based on the lens you are using at that time. The following is the front view proportions comparison of the A290 versus the W510.

Considering size and weight, the portability rating of the A290 and W510 is 66 and 96 respectively.

In many cases, it's hard to imagine the difference in sensor measurements merely by checking out technical specs. The visual here might provide you a far better sense of the sensor measurements in the A290 and W510.

As you have seen, both the cameras posses different megapixel count and different sensor measurements. The A290 due to its larger sensor is going to make achieving bokeh simpler and the Sony A290 will show extra detail due to its extra 2 Megapixels. Greater resolution will help you crop pics somewhat more aggressively. The older A290 will be behind with regard to sensor tech.