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Sony A290 vs Sony WX220

Portability
66
Imaging
54
Features
47
Overall
51
Sony Alpha DSLR-A290 front
 
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-WX220 front
Portability
96
Imaging
43
Features
41
Overall
42

Sony A290 vs Sony WX220 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
  • Revealed June 2010
  • Superseded the Sony A230
Sony WX220
(Full Review)
  • 18MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 12800
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 25-250mm (F3.3-5.9) lens
  • 121g - 92 x 52 x 22mm
  • Released February 2014
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Sony A290 vs Sony WX220 Overview

Below is a in-depth analysis of the Sony A290 versus Sony WX220, former being a Entry-Level DSLR while the latter is a Ultracompact and both of them are built by Sony. There exists a noticeable gap among the resolutions of the A290 (14MP) and WX220 (18MP) and the A290 (APS-C) and WX220 (1/2.3") possess totally different sensor size.

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The A290 was launched 4 years before the WX220 and that is a fairly sizable difference as far as camera technology is concerned. Both cameras offer different body type with the Sony A290 being a Compact SLR camera and the Sony WX220 being a Ultracompact camera.

Before we go straight into a in-depth comparison, below is a brief view of how the A290 scores against the WX220 with regard to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

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Reasons to pick Sony A290 over the Sony WX220

 A290 WX220 
Focus manually Very precise focusing

Reasons to pick Sony WX220 over the Sony A290

 WX220 A290 
ReleasedFebruary 2014June 2010More recent by 44 months
Screen sizing3"2.7"Bigger screen (+0.3")
Screen resolution460k230kCrisper screen (+230k dot)

Common features in the Sony A290 and Sony WX220

 A290 WX220 
Screen typeFixed Fixed Fixed screen
Selfie screen Absent selfie screen
Touch friendly screen Absent Touch friendly screen

Sony A290 vs Sony WX220 Physical Comparison

In case you're aiming to lug around your camera regularly, you should take into account its weight and volume. The Sony A290 provides exterior measurements 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 WX220 has sizing of 92mm x 52mm x 22mm (3.6" x 2.0" x 0.9") and a weight of 121 grams (0.27 lbs).

See the Sony A290 versus Sony WX220 in our newest Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Bear in mind, the weight of an ILC will differ based on the lens you have at that moment. Here is the front view measurement comparison of the A290 against the WX220.

Sony A290 vs Sony WX220 size comparison

Taking into account dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the A290 and WX220 is 66 and 96 respectively.

Sony A290 vs Sony WX220 top view buttons comparison

Sony A290 vs Sony WX220 Sensor Comparison

More often than not, its difficult to envision the gap in sensor measurements simply by researching specs. The graphic below will help provide you a stronger sense of the sensor measurements in the A290 and WX220.

As you can plainly see, both the cameras enjoy different resolutions and different sensor measurements. The A290 because of its bigger sensor will make shooting shallow DOF simpler and the Sony WX220 will provide you with extra detail utilizing its extra 4 Megapixels. Higher resolution will allow you to crop shots far more aggressively. The older A290 will be behind when it comes to sensor innovation.

Sony A290 vs Sony WX220 sensor size comparison

Sony A290 vs Sony WX220 Screen and ViewFinder

Sony A290 vs Sony WX220 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Sony A290 Portrait photography info
Sony WX220 Portrait photography info
65
manual focus
decent MP (14MP)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
provides face detection focusing
saves RAW formats
doesn't have liveview
37
good MP (18MP)
has face detect focus
focusing manually not possible
no manual control
no external flash support
small sensor (1/2.3")
lack of RAW support
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Street Comparison

Sony A290 as a Street photography camera
Sony WX220 as a Street photography camera
66
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
saves RAW formats
no moving screen
59
has image stabilization (Optical)
screen does not articulate
small sensor (1/2.3")
lack of RAW support
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Sports Comparison

Sports photography with Sony A290
Sports photography with Sony WX220
55
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent MP (14 megapixels)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
sensor has phase detect AF
doesn't have liveview
low frames per second (3.0 frames/s)
low battery (290 per charge)
46
has image stabilization (Optical)
good MP (18 megapixels)
has tracking focus
lack of shutter priority mode
small sensor (1/2.3")
lack of phase detect auto focus
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Travel Comparison

Sony A290 as a Travel photography camera
Sony WX220 as a Travel photography camera
53
decent MP (14 megapixels)
has built in flash
missing Timelapse function
low battery (290 shots)
doesn't offer selfie friendly screen
69
good MP (18MP)
flash built-in
quite wide (25mm)
very long zoom (250mm)
does not have Time Lapse recording
display isn't selfie friendly
somewhat slow max aperture (f3.3)
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Landscape Comparison

Sony A290 Landscape photography factors
Sony WX220 Landscape photography factors
58
manual focus
swap lenses (Sony/Minolta Alpha mount)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent MP (14 megapixels)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
saves RAW formats
screen is somewhat small (2.7")
doesn't have liveview
low battery (290 shots)
missing Timelapse function
44
quite wide (25mm)
nice screen size (3 inch)
has image stabilization (Optical)
good MP (18 megapixels)
focusing manually not possible
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
somewhat slow max aperture (f3.3)
no manual control
small sensor (1/2.3")
lack of RAW support
does not have Time Lapse recording
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Vlogging Comparison

Sony A290 Vlogging information
Sony WX220 Vlogging information
9
can't shoot video
34
quite wide (25mm)
has image stabilization (Optical)
has face detect focus
great video quality (1920 x 1080 resolution)
somewhat slow max aperture (f3.3)
display isn't selfie friendly
does not have mic socket
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Sony A290 vs Sony WX220 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Sony A290 and Sony WX220
 Sony Alpha DSLR-A290Sony Cyber-shot DSC-WX220
General Information
Brand Sony Sony
Model Sony Alpha DSLR-A290 Sony Cyber-shot DSC-WX220
Category Entry-Level DSLR Ultracompact
Revealed 2010-06-09 2014-02-12
Physical type Compact SLR Ultracompact
Sensor Information
Processor Bionz Bionz X
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 18 megapixel
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 3:2 and 16:9 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Full resolution 4592 x 3056 4896 x 3672
Max native ISO 3200 12800
Minimum native ISO 100 100
RAW format
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch to focus
AF continuous
Single AF
Tracking AF
AF selectice
AF center weighted
Multi area AF
Live view AF
Face detect AF
Contract detect AF
Phase detect AF
Number of focus points 9 -
Lens
Lens mount Sony/Minolta Alpha fixed lens
Lens focal range - 25-250mm (10.0x)
Maximal aperture - f/3.3-5.9
Available lenses 143 -
Crop factor 1.5 5.8
Screen
Display type Fixed Type Fixed Type
Display size 2.7 inch 3 inch
Resolution of display 230k dots 460k dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch screen
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Optical (pentamirror) None
Viewfinder coverage 95 percent -
Viewfinder magnification 0.55x -
Features
Slowest shutter speed 30 secs 4 secs
Maximum shutter speed 1/4000 secs 1/1600 secs
Continuous shooting rate 3.0fps 10.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes -
Custom WB
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash range 10.00 m (at ISO 100) 3.70 m (with Auto ISO)
Flash settings Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, High Speed Sync, Rear Curtain, Fill-in, Wireless Auto, on, slow synchro, off, advanced
External flash
AE bracketing
WB bracketing
Maximum flash synchronize 1/160 secs -
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Video resolutions - 1920 x 1080 (60p, 60i), 1440 x 1080 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps)
Max video resolution None 1920x1080
Video data format - MPEG-4, AVCHD
Mic port
Headphone port
Connectivity
Wireless None Built-In
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environment sealing
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 549 gr (1.21 lbs) 121 gr (0.27 lbs)
Dimensions 128 x 97 x 86mm (5.0" x 3.8" x 3.4") 92 x 52 x 22mm (3.6" x 2.0" x 0.9")
DXO scores
DXO All around score 66 not tested
DXO Color Depth score 22.6 not tested
DXO Dynamic range score 11.5 not tested
DXO Low light score 615 not tested
Other
Battery life 290 photos 210 photos
Battery type Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery model NP-FH50 NP-BN
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec, portrait)
Time lapse shooting
Type of storage Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo, SD/SDHC SD/ SDHC/SDXC, Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo
Card slots Single Single
Cost at launch $600 $198