Sony A290 vs Sony W530

Let's look a little more in depth at the Sony A290 and Sony W530, one being a Entry-Level DSLR and the other is a Ultracompact and both are designed by Sony. The resolution of the A290 (14MP) and the W530 (14MP) is fairly close but the A290 (APS-C) and W530 (1/2.3") feature different sensor dimensions.

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The A290 was introduced 7 months prior to the W530 which means that they are both of a similar generation. Each of these cameras offer different body type with the Sony A290 being a Compact SLR camera and the Sony W530 being a Ultracompact camera.

Before diving through a in-depth comparison, below is a quick highlight of how the A290 scores against the W530 in the way of 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-W530. The whole galleries are viewable at Sony A290 Gallery and Sony W530 Gallery.

For anyone who is aiming to lug around your camera frequently, you have to factor its weight and measurements. The Sony A290 provides outer dimensions of 128mm x 97mm x 86mm (5.0" x 3.8" x 3.4") having a weight of 549 grams (1.21 lbs) whilst the Sony W530 has proportions of 93mm x 53mm x 19mm (3.7" x 2.1" x 0.7") with a weight of 113 grams (0.25 lbs).

Check out the Sony A290 and Sony W530 in the all new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Don't forget, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change dependant on the lens you have at the time. Underneath is the front view physical size comparison of the A290 and the W530.

Taking into account size and weight, the portability rating of the A290 and W530 is 66 and 96 respectively.

Generally, it can be hard to visualize the gap in sensor measurements simply by looking through a spec sheet. The visual below will provide you a much better sense of the sensor dimensions in the A290 and W530.

As you can see, each of these cameras enjoy the same exact resolution but different sensor measurements. The A290 has got the larger sensor which will make getting shallow depth of field easier. The older A290 will be disadvantaged with regard to sensor technology.