Sony A500 vs Sony W290
63 Imaging
52 Features
52 Overall
52
94 Imaging
35 Features
28 Overall
32
Sony A500 vs Sony W290 Key Specs
(Full Review)
- 12MP - APS-C Sensor
- 3" Tilting Display
- ISO 200 - 12800
- Sensor based Image Stabilization
- No Video
- Sony/Minolta Alpha Mount
- 630g - 137 x 104 x 84mm
- Announced August 2009
- Successor is Sony A560
(Full Review)
- 12MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
- 3" Fixed Display
- ISO 80 - 3200
- Optical Image Stabilization
- 1280 x 720 video
- 28-140mm (F3.3-5.2) lens
- 167g - 98 x 57 x 23mm
- Released February 2009
Body cameras now worn by bakery staff to deter stealing Sony A500 vs Sony W290 Overview
Lets take a deeper look at the Sony A500 vs Sony W290, former being a Entry-Level DSLR while the other is a Small Sensor Compact and both are built by Sony. The sensor resolution of the A500 (12MP) and the W290 (12MP) is fairly comparable but the A500 (APS-C) and W290 (1/2.3") feature different sensor dimensions.
Japan-exclusive Leica Leitz Phone 3 features big sensor and new modesThe A500 was unveiled 7 months later than the W290 so they are both of a similar age. Both the cameras offer different body type with the Sony A500 being a Compact SLR camera and the Sony W290 being a Compact camera.
Before getting in to a thorough comparison, below is a brief introduction of how the A500 matches up versus the W290 with respect to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.
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This is a sample of the gallery pictures for Sony Alpha DSLR-A500 & Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W290. The full galleries are available at Sony A500 Gallery & Sony W290 Gallery.
Reasons to pick Sony A500 over the Sony W290
| A500 | W290 | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Released | August 2009 |  | February 2009 | Fresher by 7 months |
| Display type | Tilting |  | Fixed | Tilting display |
Reasons to pick Sony W290 over the Sony A500
| W290 | A500 |
|---|
Common features in the Sony A500 and Sony W290
| A500 | W290 | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Manually focus |  | More exact focus | ||
| Display sizing | 3" |  | 3" | Equivalent display sizing |
| Display resolution | 230k |  | 230k | Same display resolution |
| Selfie screen |  | Neither includes selfie screen | ||
| Touch display |  | Neither includes Touch display |
Sony A500 vs Sony W290 Physical Comparison
If you are planning to carry your camera frequently, you'll need to think about its weight and size. The Sony A500 features external measurements of 137mm x 104mm x 84mm (5.4" x 4.1" x 3.3") with a weight of 630 grams (1.39 lbs) while the Sony W290 has specifications of 98mm x 57mm x 23mm (3.9" x 2.2" x 0.9") accompanied by a weight of 167 grams (0.37 lbs).
Analyze the Sony A500 vs Sony W290 in our brand new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.
Remember, the weight of an ILC will differ depending on the lens you have attached during that time. The following is the front view over all size comparison of the A500 vs the W290.
Using size and weight, the portability score of the A500 and W290 is 63 and 94 respectively.
Sony A500 vs Sony W290 Sensor Comparison
In many cases, it is tough to imagine the gap in sensor sizing just by going through specifications. The visual here will help give you a better sense of the sensor sizing in the A500 and W290.
To sum up, both of these cameras offer the same exact resolution but different sensor sizing. The A500 comes with the larger sensor which should make obtaining shallow DOF simpler. The more recent A500 should have an advantage in sensor tech.
Sony A500 vs Sony W290 Screen and ViewFinder
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Sony A500 vs Sony W290 Specifications
| Sony Alpha DSLR-A500 | Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W290 | |
|---|---|---|
| General Information | ||
| Company | Sony | Sony |
| Model type | Sony Alpha DSLR-A500 | Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W290 |
| Category | Entry-Level DSLR | Small Sensor Compact |
| Announced | 2009-08-27 | 2009-02-17 |
| Body design | Compact SLR | Compact |
| Sensor Information | ||
| Processor Chip | Bionz | - |
| Sensor type | CMOS | CCD |
| Sensor size | APS-C | 1/2.3" |
| Sensor measurements | 23.5 x 15.6mm | 6.17 x 4.55mm |
| Sensor area | 366.6mm² | 28.1mm² |
| Sensor resolution | 12MP | 12MP |
| Anti alias filter | ||
| Aspect ratio | 3:2 and 16:9 | 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 |
| Max resolution | 4272 x 2848 | 4000 x 3000 |
| Max native ISO | 12800 | 3200 |
| Minimum native ISO | 200 | 80 |
| RAW photos | ||
| Autofocusing | ||
| Focus manually | ||
| Touch focus | ||
| Autofocus continuous | ||
| Single autofocus | ||
| Autofocus tracking | ||
| Selective autofocus | ||
| Autofocus center weighted | ||
| Multi area autofocus | ||
| Autofocus live view | ||
| Face detect focus | ||
| Contract detect focus | ||
| Phase detect focus | ||
| Total focus points | 9 | 9 |
| Lens | ||
| Lens support | Sony/Minolta Alpha | fixed lens |
| Lens zoom range | - | 28-140mm (5.0x) |
| Max aperture | - | f/3.3-5.2 |
| Macro focusing distance | - | 10cm |
| Total lenses | 143 | - |
| Crop factor | 1.5 | 5.8 |
| Screen | ||
| Range of display | Tilting | Fixed Type |
| Display sizing | 3 inches | 3 inches |
| Resolution of display | 230k dot | 230k dot |
| Selfie friendly | ||
| Liveview | ||
| Touch functionality | ||
| Viewfinder Information | ||
| Viewfinder | Optical (pentamirror) | None |
| Viewfinder coverage | 95 percent | - |
| Viewfinder magnification | 0.53x | - |
| Features | ||
| Minimum shutter speed | 30 secs | 2 secs |
| Fastest shutter speed | 1/4000 secs | 1/1600 secs |
| Continuous shutter speed | 5.0 frames/s | 2.0 frames/s |
| Shutter priority | ||
| Aperture priority | ||
| Expose Manually | ||
| Exposure compensation | Yes | - |
| Change white balance | ||
| Image stabilization | ||
| Built-in flash | ||
| Flash distance | 12.00 m | 3.90 m |
| Flash settings | Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, High Speed Sync, Rear Curtain, Fill-in, Wireless | Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye reduction, Slow Sync |
| External flash | ||
| Auto exposure bracketing | ||
| WB bracketing | ||
| Fastest flash sync | 1/160 secs | - |
| Exposure | ||
| Multisegment exposure | ||
| Average exposure | ||
| Spot exposure | ||
| Partial exposure | ||
| AF area exposure | ||
| Center weighted exposure | ||
| Video features | ||
| Video resolutions | - | 1280 x 720 (30 fps) 640 x 480 (30 fps) |
| Max video resolution | None | 1280x720 |
| Video format | - | MPEG-4 |
| Microphone input | ||
| Headphone input | ||
| Connectivity | ||
| Wireless | None | None |
| 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 | 630g (1.39 lb) | 167g (0.37 lb) |
| Dimensions | 137 x 104 x 84mm (5.4" x 4.1" x 3.3") | 98 x 57 x 23mm (3.9" x 2.2" x 0.9") |
| DXO scores | ||
| DXO Overall rating | 64 | not tested |
| DXO Color Depth rating | 21.8 | not tested |
| DXO Dynamic range rating | 11.6 | not tested |
| DXO Low light rating | 772 | not tested |
| Other | ||
| Battery life | 520 shots | - |
| Battery format | Battery Pack | - |
| Battery ID | NP-FM500H | - |
| Self timer | Yes (2 or 10 sec) | Yes (2 or 10 sec) |
| Time lapse shooting | ||
| Type of storage | SD/ SDHC, Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo | Memory Stick Duo / Pro Duo, Internal |
| Storage slots | 1 | 1 |
| Retail price | $638 | $230 |
