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Sony A390 vs Sony RX100 IV

Portability
66
Imaging
54
Features
54
Overall
54
Sony Alpha DSLR-A390 front
 
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 IV front
Portability
89
Imaging
52
Features
79
Overall
62

Sony A390 vs Sony RX100 IV Key Specs

Sony A390
(Full Review)
  • 14MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 2.7" Tilting Screen
  • ISO 100 - 3200
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • No Video
  • Sony/Minolta Alpha Mount
  • 549g - 128 x 97 x 86mm
  • Introduced July 2010
  • Earlier Model is Sony A380
Sony RX100 IV
(Full Review)
  • 20MP - 1" Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Display
  • ISO 125 - 12800 (Boost to 25600)
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 3840 x 2160 video
  • 24-70mm (F1.8-2.8) lens
  • 298g - 102 x 58 x 41mm
  • Released June 2015
  • Superseded the Sony RX100 III
  • Refreshed by Sony RX100 V
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Sony A390 vs Sony RX100 IV Overview

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.

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Reasons to pick Sony A390 over the Sony RX100 IV

 A390 RX100 IV 

Reasons to pick Sony RX100 IV over the Sony A390

 RX100 IV A390 
ReleasedJune 2015July 2010Fresher by 59 months
Display size3"2.7"Larger display (+0.3")
Display resolution1229k230kSharper display (+999k dot)
Selfie screen Take selfies

Common features in the Sony A390 and Sony RX100 IV

 A390 RX100 IV 
Manually focus Very accurate focusing
Display typeTiltingTiltingTilting display
Touch friendly display Lack of Touch friendly display

Sony A390 vs Sony RX100 IV Physical Comparison

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. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

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.

Sony A390 vs Sony RX100 IV size comparison

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

Sony A390 vs Sony RX100 IV top view buttons comparison

Sony A390 vs Sony RX100 IV Sensor Comparison

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.

Sony A390 vs Sony RX100 IV sensor size comparison

Sony A390 vs Sony RX100 IV Screen and ViewFinder

Sony A390 vs Sony RX100 IV Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Portrait photography with Sony A390
Portrait photography with Sony RX100 IV
72
focusing manually
good megapixels (14 megapixels)
good sensor size (APS-C)
comes with face detection autofocus
supports RAW formats
65
manual focus
above average flash sync speed (1/2,000s)
decent MP (20 megapixels)
sensor size is decent (1")
provides face detection focusing
supports RAW formats
no external flash support
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Street Comparison

Sony A390 Street photography details
Sony RX100 IV Street photography details
76
screen tilts
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
good sensor size (APS-C)
supports RAW formats
85
tilting screen
has image stabilization (Optical)
sensor size is decent (1")
supports RAW formats
lighter than competition (298 grams)
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Sports Comparison

Sports photography with Sony A390
Sports photography with Sony RX100 IV
60
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
good megapixels (14MP)
good sensor size (APS-C)
sensor has phase detect autofocus
very slow continuous shooting (3.0 fps)
terrible battery pack (230 per charge)
68
silent shooting (1/32,000 seconds)
max fps high (16.0 frames/s)
has image stabilization (Optical)
decent MP (20MP)
sensor size is decent (1")
provides tracking autofocus
has no phase detect AF
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Travel Comparison

Sony A390 as a Travel photography camera
Sony RX100 IV as a Travel photography camera
53
good megapixels (14MP)
built-in flash
doesn't have Time Lapse function
terrible battery pack (230 CIPA)
does not have a selfie friendly display
86
lighter than competition (298 grams)
decent MP (20 megapixels)
flash built-in
selfie friendly display
reasonably wide (24mm)
good maximum aperture (f1.8)
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Landscape Comparison

Sony A390 as a Landscape photography camera
Sony RX100 IV as a Landscape photography camera
61
focusing manually
interchangeable lenses (Sony/Minolta Alpha mount)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
good megapixels (14 megapixels)
good sensor size (APS-C)
supports RAW formats
tiny screen (2.7 inch)
terrible battery pack (230 CIPA)
doesn't have Time Lapse function
74
manual focus
reasonably wide (24mm)
good maximum aperture (f1.8)
screen size is decent (3")
has image stabilization (Optical)
decent MP (20 megapixels)
sensor size is decent (1")
supports RAW formats
can't change lenses (fixed lens mount)
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Vlogging Comparison

Sony A390 Vlogging factors
Sony RX100 IV Vlogging factors
9
no video recording
81
reasonably wide (24mm)
good maximum aperture (f1.8)
selfie friendly display
has image stabilization (Optical)
provides face detection focusing
high quality video (3840 x 2160 pixels)
lighter than competition (298g)
missing external microphone jack
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Sony A390 vs Sony RX100 IV Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Sony A390 and Sony RX100 IV
 Sony Alpha DSLR-A390Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 IV
General Information
Brand Sony Sony
Model type Sony Alpha DSLR-A390 Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 IV
Class Entry-Level DSLR Large Sensor Compact
Introduced 2010-07-28 2015-06-10
Body design Compact SLR Large Sensor Compact
Sensor Information
Chip Bionz Bionz X
Sensor type CCD BSI-CMOS
Sensor size APS-C 1"
Sensor measurements 23.5 x 15.7mm 13.2 x 8.8mm
Sensor area 369.0mm² 116.2mm²
Sensor resolution 14MP 20MP
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 3:2 and 16:9 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Peak resolution 4592 x 3056 5472 x 3648
Highest native ISO 3200 12800
Highest enhanced ISO - 25600
Min native ISO 100 125
RAW format
Min enhanced ISO - 80
Autofocusing
Focus manually
AF touch
Continuous AF
AF single
AF tracking
Selective AF
Center weighted AF
AF multi area
AF live view
Face detection focusing
Contract detection focusing
Phase detection focusing
Total focus points 9 25
Lens
Lens mount type Sony/Minolta Alpha fixed lens
Lens zoom range - 24-70mm (2.9x)
Max aperture - f/1.8-2.8
Macro focusing range - 5cm
Amount of lenses 143 -
Focal length multiplier 1.5 2.7
Screen
Screen type Tilting Tilting
Screen diagonal 2.7" 3"
Resolution of screen 230 thousand dot 1,229 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch function
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Optical (pentamirror) Electronic
Viewfinder resolution - 2,359 thousand dot
Viewfinder coverage 95% 100%
Viewfinder magnification 0.49x 0.59x
Features
Min shutter speed 30s 30s
Max shutter speed 1/4000s 1/2000s
Max silent shutter speed - 1/32000s
Continuous shutter speed 3.0 frames per second 16.0 frames per second
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Custom WB
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash distance 10.00 m (at ISO 100) -
Flash settings Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, Rear Curtain, Wireless -
External flash
AE bracketing
White balance bracketing
Max flash sync 1/160s 1/2000s
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Video resolutions - 3840 x 2160 (30p, 25p, 24p), 1920 x 1080 (60p/60i/24p), 1280 x 720 (60p/30p/24p/120p), 1440 x 1080 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps)
Highest video resolution None 3840x2160
Video data format - MPEG-4, AVCHD, XAVC S
Microphone 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
Environmental seal
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 549 gr (1.21 lbs) 298 gr (0.66 lbs)
Physical dimensions 128 x 97 x 86mm (5.0" x 3.8" x 3.4") 102 x 58 x 41mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 1.6")
DXO scores
DXO Overall rating 66 70
DXO Color Depth rating 22.5 22.9
DXO Dynamic range rating 11.5 12.6
DXO Low light rating 607 562
Other
Battery life 230 photos 280 photos
Style of battery Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID NP-FH50 NP-BX1
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec) Yes
Time lapse feature With downloadable app
Type of storage SD/ SDHC, Memory Stick Pro Duo SD/ SDHC/SDXC, Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo
Storage slots One One
Launch pricing $500 $898