Sony A550 vs Sony W290

Its time to look more in depth at the Sony A550 vs Sony W290, former being a Entry-Level DSLR while the other is a Small Sensor Compact and both are sold by Sony. The resolution of the A550 (14MP) and the W290 (12MP) is very comparable but the A550 (APS-C) and W290 (1/2.3") provide different sensor dimensions.

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The A550 was released 10 months later than the W290 so they are both of a similar age. Both of these cameras have different body design with the Sony A550 being a Compact SLR camera and the Sony W290 being a Compact camera.

Before going into a in-depth comparison, here is a brief introduction of how the A550 matches up vs the W290 with regard to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

Below is a sample of the gallery pics for Sony Alpha DSLR-A550 & Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W290. The complete galleries are provided at Sony A550 Gallery & Sony W290 Gallery.

When you are looking to carry your camera frequently, you are going to need to factor in its weight and measurements. The Sony A550 provides outside measurements of 137mm x 104mm x 84mm (5.4" x 4.1" x 3.3") along with a weight of 632 grams (1.39 lbs) and the Sony W290 has proportions of 98mm x 57mm x 23mm (3.9" x 2.2" x 0.9") with a weight of 167 grams (0.37 lbs).

Take a look at the Sony A550 vs Sony W290 in our completely new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Remember that, the weight of an ILC will differ based on the lens you use at that moment. Following is a front view measurements comparison of the A550 and the W290.

Taking into account dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the A550 and W290 is 63 and 94 respectively.

Quite often, it is very hard to visualize the gap in sensor sizing just by going through technical specs. The graphic below might offer you a clearer sense of the sensor measurements in the A550 and W290.

As you can tell, each of these cameras provide different megapixel count and different sensor sizing. The A550 featuring a larger sensor is going to make getting shallower depth of field less difficult and the Sony A550 will produce greater detail as a result of its extra 2 Megapixels. Greater resolution can also make it easier to crop pics more aggressively. The younger A550 provides a benefit when it comes to sensor tech.