Sony A390 vs Sony RX100 IV

Here is a extended comparison of the Sony A390 and Sony RX100 IV, one being a Entry-Level DSLR and the other is a Large Sensor Compact and both of them are designed by Sony. There exists a sizeable gap between the sensor resolutions of the A390 (14MP) and RX100 IV (20MP) and the A390 (APS-C) and RX100 IV (1") have totally different sensor size.

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The A390 was released 5 years prior to the RX100 IV and that is quite a large gap as far as technology is concerned. Each of the cameras feature different body design with the Sony A390 being a Compact SLR camera and the Sony RX100 IV being a Large Sensor Compact camera.

Before diving right into a full comparison, here is a quick highlight of how the A390 grades against the RX100 IV for portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

Below is a sample of the gallery pics for Sony Alpha DSLR-A390 and Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 IV. The complete galleries are viewable at Sony A390 Gallery and Sony RX100 IV Gallery.

In case you're aiming to carry your camera frequently, you will want to take into account its weight and volume. The Sony A390 provides outside dimensions of 128mm x 97mm x 86mm (5.0" x 3.8" x 3.4") having a weight of 549 grams (1.21 lbs) while the Sony RX100 IV has sizing of 102mm x 58mm x 41mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 1.6") and a weight of 298 grams (0.66 lbs).

Contrast the Sony A390 and Sony RX100 IV in the new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Do not forget, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary depending on the lens you have at the time. Here is a front view overall size comparison of the A390 versus the RX100 IV.

Taking into consideration dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the A390 and RX100 IV is 66 and 89 respectively.

Quite often, it is very difficult to see the gap between sensor sizing only by looking at a spec sheet. The visual underneath will give you a much better sense of the sensor sizes in the A390 and RX100 IV.

Clearly, both of these cameras feature different megapixels and different sensor sizing. The A390 featuring a larger sensor will make getting shallow DOF easier and the Sony RX100 IV will give you extra detail as a result of its extra 6 Megapixels. Greater resolution can also enable you to crop images way more aggressively. The older A390 is going to be behind when it comes to sensor tech.