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Sony A290 vs Sony WX500

Portability
66
Imaging
54
Features
47
Overall
51
Sony Alpha DSLR-A290 front
 
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-WX500 front
Portability
91
Imaging
43
Features
56
Overall
48

Sony A290 vs Sony WX500 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
  • Older Model is Sony A230
Sony WX500
(Full Review)
  • 18MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Display
  • ISO 80 - 12800
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 24-720mm (F3.5-6.4) lens
  • 236g - 102 x 58 x 36mm
  • Launched April 2015
  • Replaced the Sony WX350
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Sony A290 vs Sony WX500 Overview

Its time to look more closely at the Sony A290 vs Sony WX500, one being a Entry-Level DSLR and the other is a Small Sensor Superzoom and they are both produced by Sony. There is a huge difference between the sensor resolutions of the A290 (14MP) and WX500 (18MP) and the A290 (APS-C) and WX500 (1/2.3") boast totally different sensor dimensions.

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The A290 was released 5 years earlier than the WX500 and that is quite a significant gap as far as tech is concerned. Each of these cameras have different body design with the Sony A290 being a Compact SLR camera and the Sony WX500 being a Compact camera.

Before diving right into a thorough comparison, here is a short highlight of how the A290 matches up vs the WX500 when considering portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

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Reasons to pick Sony A290 over the Sony WX500

 A290 WX500 
Focus manually Very exact focusing

Reasons to pick Sony WX500 over the Sony A290

 WX500 A290 
LaunchedApril 2015June 2010More recent by 59 months
Display typeTiltingFixed Tilting display
Display dimensions3"2.7"Larger display (+0.3")
Display resolution921k230kSharper display (+691k dot)

Common features in the Sony A290 and Sony WX500

 A290 WX500 
Selfie screen Lack of selfie screen
Touch display Lack of Touch display

Sony A290 vs Sony WX500 Physical Comparison

If you are looking to lug around your camera, you need to think about its weight and volume. The Sony A290 has outside measurements 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 WX500 has sizing of 102mm x 58mm x 36mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 1.4") along with a weight of 236 grams (0.52 lbs).

Take a look at the Sony A290 vs Sony WX500 in the latest Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Do not forget, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change depending on the lens you are utilizing at that moment. Below is a front view scale comparison of the A290 against the WX500.

Sony A290 vs Sony WX500 size comparison

Taking into account size and weight, the portability score of the A290 and WX500 is 66 and 91 respectively.

Sony A290 vs Sony WX500 top view buttons comparison

Sony A290 vs Sony WX500 Sensor Comparison

Usually, it's difficult to envision the gap between sensor measurements purely by reading technical specs. The graphic below should offer you a clearer sense of the sensor measurements in the A290 and WX500.

As you can tell, the two cameras provide different megapixels and different sensor measurements. The A290 due to its larger sensor will make achieving shallower depth of field simpler and the Sony WX500 will offer you extra detail as a result of its extra 4MP. Greater resolution can also make it easier to crop pics more aggressively. The older A290 is going to be disadvantaged with regard to sensor innovation.

Sony A290 vs Sony WX500 sensor size comparison

Sony A290 vs Sony WX500 Screen and ViewFinder

Sony A290 vs Sony WX500 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Sony A290 as a Portrait photography camera
Sony WX500 as a Portrait photography camera
65
manual focus
decent megapixels (14 megapixels)
sensor size is good (APS-C)
comes with face detection focusing
delivers RAW formats
does not have liveview
39
good resolution (18MP)
supports face detect focusing
no manual focus
external flash not possible
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW support
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Street Comparison

Sony A290 as a Street photography camera
Sony WX500 as a Street photography camera
66
image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is good (APS-C)
delivers RAW formats
fixed screen
69
screen tilts up and down
has image stabilization (Optical)
lighter than competition (236g)
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW support
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Sports Comparison

Sony A290 Sports photography info
Sony WX500 Sports photography info
55
image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent megapixels (14MP)
sensor size is good (APS-C)
sensor has phase detect AF
does not have liveview
continuous shooting slow (3.0 fps)
not so great battery life (290 per charge)
57
incredible zoom range (24-720mm 30.0 x zoom)
has image stabilization (Optical)
good resolution (18MP)
supports tracking focus
great battery (360 per charge)
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
doesn't have phase detect AF
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Travel Comparison

Sony A290 as a Travel photography camera
Sony WX500 as a Travel photography camera
53
decent megapixels (14MP)
built-in flash
no Time Lapse recording
not so great battery life (290 CIPA)
screen is not selfie friendly
71
great battery (360 CIPA)
lighter than competition (236g)
good resolution (18MP)
flash built-in
relatively wide (24mm)
very long reach (720mm)
doesn't have Time Lapse mode
doesn't feature selfie friendly display
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.5)
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Landscape Comparison

Sony A290 Landscape photography details
Sony WX500 Landscape photography details
58
manual focus
swap lenses (Sony/Minolta Alpha mount)
image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent megapixels (14MP)
sensor size is good (APS-C)
delivers RAW formats
small screen (2.7 inches)
does not have liveview
not so great battery life (290 shots)
no Time Lapse recording
49
relatively wide (24mm)
screen is a good size (3")
has image stabilization (Optical)
good resolution (18MP)
great battery (360 CIPA)
no manual focus
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.5)
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW support
doesn't have Time Lapse mode
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Vlogging Comparison

Sony A290 as a Vlogging camera
Sony WX500 as a Vlogging camera
9
can't record video
35
relatively wide (24mm)
has image stabilization (Optical)
supports face detect focusing
video resolution high (1920 x 1080 pxls)
lighter than competition (236g)
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.5)
doesn't feature selfie friendly display
doesn't have mic jack
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Sony A290 vs Sony WX500 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Sony A290 and Sony WX500
 Sony Alpha DSLR-A290Sony Cyber-shot DSC-WX500
General Information
Company Sony Sony
Model type Sony Alpha DSLR-A290 Sony Cyber-shot DSC-WX500
Category Entry-Level DSLR Small Sensor Superzoom
Revealed 2010-06-09 2015-04-14
Body design Compact SLR Compact
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 area 369.0mm² 28.1mm²
Sensor resolution 14MP 18MP
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 3:2 and 16:9 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Maximum resolution 4592 x 3056 4896 x 3672
Maximum native ISO 3200 12800
Lowest native ISO 100 80
RAW data
Autofocusing
Manual focusing
Touch focus
AF continuous
Single AF
Tracking AF
Selective AF
Center weighted AF
Multi area AF
AF live view
Face detect focusing
Contract detect focusing
Phase detect focusing
Total focus points 9 -
Lens
Lens support Sony/Minolta Alpha fixed lens
Lens zoom range - 24-720mm (30.0x)
Largest aperture - f/3.5-6.4
Macro focusing distance - 5cm
Available lenses 143 -
Crop factor 1.5 5.8
Screen
Range of display Fixed Type Tilting
Display diagonal 2.7" 3"
Display resolution 230k dot 921k dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch capability
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Optical (pentamirror) None
Viewfinder coverage 95 percent -
Viewfinder magnification 0.55x -
Features
Slowest shutter speed 30 secs 30 secs
Maximum shutter speed 1/4000 secs 1/2000 secs
Continuous shooting speed 3.0fps 10.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Custom WB
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash distance 10.00 m (at ISO 100) 5.40 m (with Auto ISO)
Flash options Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, High Speed Sync, Rear Curtain, Fill-in, Wireless Auto, flash on, slow sync, flash off, rear sync
External flash
AE bracketing
WB bracketing
Maximum flash sync 1/160 secs -
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Supported video resolutions - 1920 x 1080 (60p, 60i, 30p, 24p), 1280 x 720 (30p)
Maximum video resolution None 1920x1080
Video data format - AVCHD, XAVC S
Mic input
Headphone input
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 seal
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 549g (1.21 lb) 236g (0.52 lb)
Physical dimensions 128 x 97 x 86mm (5.0" x 3.8" x 3.4") 102 x 58 x 36mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 1.4")
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 photos 360 photos
Form of battery Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID NP-FH50 NP-BX1
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec) Yes
Time lapse recording
Storage media Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo, SD/SDHC SD/SDHC/SDXC, Memory Stick Duo
Storage slots 1 1
Cost at launch $600 $348