Sony A390 vs Sony WX500

In this article, we will be comparing the Sony A390 and Sony WX500, one is a Entry-Level DSLR and the latter is a Small Sensor Superzoom and both of them are manufactured by Sony. There exists a significant gap among the image resolutions of the A390 (14MP) and WX500 (18MP) and the A390 (APS-C) and WX500 (1/2.3") come with totally different sensor sizes.

Photography Glossary

The A390 was released 5 years before the WX500 which is a fairly sizable gap as far as camera technology is concerned. Both the cameras offer different body type with the Sony A390 being a Compact SLR camera and the Sony WX500 being a Compact camera.

Before diving straight into a full comparison, below is a quick summation of how the A390 scores versus the WX500 when considering portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

Following is a preview of the gallery images for Sony Alpha DSLR-A390 and Sony Cyber-shot DSC-WX500. The complete galleries are provided at Sony A390 Gallery and Sony WX500 Gallery.

If you are going to travel with your camera often, you are going to need to take into account its weight and dimensions. The Sony A390 comes with exterior dimensions of 128mm x 97mm x 86mm (5.0" x 3.8" x 3.4") along with a weight of 549 grams (1.21 lbs) whilst the Sony WX500 has dimensions of 102mm x 58mm x 36mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 1.4") and a weight of 236 grams (0.52 lbs).

Contrast the Sony A390 and Sony WX500 in the all new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Always remember, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change based on the lens you are employing at the time. Below is the front view proportions comparison of the A390 versus the WX500.

Taking into account dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the A390 and WX500 is 66 and 91 respectively.

More often than not, it's difficult to visualise the contrast in sensor dimensions simply by looking through specifications. The pic below will provide you a much better sense of the sensor dimensions in the A390 and WX500.

To sum up, both of the cameras offer different megapixels and different sensor dimensions. The A390 because of its bigger sensor will make getting shallower depth of field easier and the Sony WX500 will provide you with more detail as a result of its extra 4 Megapixels. Higher resolution can also allow you to crop pictures a little more aggressively. The more aged A390 will be disadvantaged in sensor tech.