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Sony A500 vs Sony W290

Portability
63
Imaging
52
Features
52
Overall
52
Sony Alpha DSLR-A500 front
 
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W290 front
Portability
94
Imaging
34
Features
28
Overall
31

Sony A500 vs Sony W290 Key Specs

Sony A500
(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
Sony W290
(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
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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.

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The 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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Reasons to pick Sony A500 over the Sony W290

 A500 W290 
ReleasedAugust 2009February 2009Fresher by 7 months
Display typeTiltingFixed 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 sizing3"3"Equivalent display sizing
Display resolution230k230kSame 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. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

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.

Sony A500 vs Sony W290 size comparison

Using size and weight, the portability score of the A500 and W290 is 63 and 94 respectively.

Sony A500 vs Sony W290 top view buttons comparison

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 sensor size comparison

Sony A500 vs Sony W290 Screen and ViewFinder

Sony A500 vs Sony W290 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Portrait photography with Sony A500
Portrait photography with Sony W290
63
has manual focus
decent sensor size (APS-C)
has face detect autofocus
delivers RAW formats
low megapixels (12 megapixels)
27
focusing manually
manual exposure not possible
external flash not possible
megapixel count low (12MP)
small sensor size (1/2.3")
does not have RAW files
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Street Comparison

Sony A500 Street photography features
Sony W290 Street photography features
74
has a tilting screen
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent sensor size (APS-C)
delivers RAW formats
56
image stabilization (Optical)
no articulating screen
small sensor size (1/2.3")
does not have RAW files
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Sports Comparison

Sony A500 Sports photography features
Sony W290 Sports photography features
51
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent sensor size (APS-C)
comes with phase detect autofocus
painfully slow continuous shooting (5.0 fps)
low megapixels (12MP)
not so great battery life (520 shots)
25
image stabilization (Optical)
slow fps (2.0 fps)
no shutter priority
megapixel count low (12MP)
small sensor size (1/2.3")
does not have phase detect auto focus
Photography Glossary

Travel Comparison

Sony A500 Travel photography advice
Sony W290 Travel photography advice
43
built-in flash
does not have Time Lapse recording
not so great battery life (520 shots)
low megapixels (12 megapixels)
does not contain selfie friendly screen
57
flash built-in
relatively wide (28mm)
lack of Timelapse recording
megapixel count low (12MP)
display is not selfie friendly
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.3)
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Landscape Comparison

Sony A500 Landscape photography factors
Sony W290 Landscape photography factors
60
has manual focus
swap lenses (Sony/Minolta Alpha mount)
screen size is good (3 inch)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent sensor size (APS-C)
delivers RAW formats
low megapixels (12MP)
not so great battery life (520 CIPA)
does not have Time Lapse recording
41
focusing manually
relatively wide (28mm)
screen size is good (3")
image stabilization (Optical)
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.3)
manual exposure not possible
megapixel count low (12MP)
small sensor size (1/2.3")
does not have RAW files
lack of Timelapse recording
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Vlogging Comparison

Vlogging with Sony A500
Vlogging with Sony W290
9
can't shoot video
28
relatively wide (28mm)
image stabilization (Optical)
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.3)
display is not selfie friendly
video quality not great (1280 x 720 resolution)
lack of microphone jack
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Sony A500 vs Sony W290 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Sony A500 and Sony W290
 Sony Alpha DSLR-A500Sony 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