Sony A390 vs Sony RX100

Its time to take a closer look at the Sony A390 vs Sony RX100, one is a Entry-Level DSLR and the other is a Large Sensor Compact and both are built by Sony. There exists a big gap among the resolutions of the A390 (14MP) and RX100 (20MP) and the A390 (APS-C) and RX100 (1") use totally different sensor sizing.

Photography Glossary

The A390 was brought out 3 years prior to the RX100 which is a fairly big gap as far as camera technology is concerned. Each of these cameras offer different body type with the Sony A390 being a Compact SLR camera and the Sony RX100 being a Large Sensor Compact camera.

Before delving straight into a in depth comparison, below is a quick summation of how the A390 grades versus the RX100 when it comes to portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

Here is a sample of the gallery pics for Sony Alpha DSLR-A390 and Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100. The entire galleries are available at Sony A390 Gallery and Sony RX100 Gallery.

For anyone who is planning to travel with your camera frequently, you'll have to factor its weight and dimensions. The Sony A390 features outside measurements of 128mm x 97mm x 86mm (5.0" x 3.8" x 3.4") with a weight of 549 grams (1.21 lbs) while the Sony RX100 has dimensions of 102mm x 58mm x 36mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 1.4") and a weight of 240 grams (0.53 lbs).

Examine the Sony A390 vs Sony RX100 in the new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Remember that, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ dependant on the lens you are working with at that moment. Below is the front view overall size comparison of the A390 and the RX100.

Using dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the A390 and RX100 is 66 and 91 respectively.

Typically, it's hard to visualise the gap in sensor dimensions only by researching technical specs. The pic here might offer you a better sense of the sensor measurements in the A390 and RX100.

As you can tell, both of these cameras enjoy different resolutions and different sensor dimensions. The A390 due to its larger sensor will make achieving shallow DOF easier and the Sony RX100 will render more detail having its extra 6 Megapixels. Greater resolution will also allow you to crop images far more aggressively. The more aged A390 will be behind with regard to sensor technology.