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Sony A550 vs Sony W290

Portability
63
Imaging
54
Features
65
Overall
58
Sony Alpha DSLR-A550 front
 
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W290 front
Portability
94
Imaging
35
Features
28
Overall
32

Sony A550 vs Sony W290 Key Specs

Sony A550
(Full Review)
  • 14MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Display
  • ISO 200 - 12800
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • No Video
  • Sony/Minolta Alpha Mount
  • 632g - 137 x 104 x 84mm
  • Revealed December 2009
  • Old Model is Sony A100
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
  • Introduced February 2009
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Sony A550 vs Sony W290 Overview

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.

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Reasons to pick Sony A550 over the Sony W290

 A550 W290 
IntroducedDecember 2009February 2009Fresher by 10 months
Display typeTiltingFixed Tilting display
Display resolution922k230kSharper display (+692k dot)

Reasons to pick Sony W290 over the Sony A550

 W290 A550 

Common features in the Sony A550 and Sony W290

 A550 W290 
Focus manually Dial accurate focusing
Display dimensions3"3"Equal display sizing
Selfie screen Neither provides selfie screen
Touch display Neither provides Touch display

Sony A550 vs Sony W290 Physical Comparison

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. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

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.

Sony A550 vs Sony W290 size comparison

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

Sony A550 vs Sony W290 top view buttons comparison

Sony A550 vs Sony W290 Sensor Comparison

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.

Sony A550 vs Sony W290 sensor size comparison

Sony A550 vs Sony W290 Screen and ViewFinder

Sony A550 vs Sony W290 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Sony A550 Portrait photography factors
Sony W290 Portrait photography factors
72
manual focus
megapixel count decent (14 megapixels)
sensor size is good (APS-C)
supports face detect focusing
delivers RAW formats
27
focusing manually
manual mode not possible
no external flash support
megapixel count low (12MP)
very small sensor (1/2.3")
lacks RAW support
Photography Glossary

Street Comparison

Street photography with Sony A550
Street photography with Sony W290
74
screen tilts
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is good (APS-C)
delivers RAW formats
56
image stabilization (Optical)
fixed screen
very small sensor (1/2.3")
lacks RAW support
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Sports Comparison

Sony A550 Sports photography details
Sony W290 Sports photography details
67
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
megapixel count decent (14MP)
sensor size is good (APS-C)
supports phase detect AF
bad battery life (480 shots)
25
image stabilization (Optical)
max fps very slow (2.0 frames/s)
lack of shutter priority mode
megapixel count low (12 megapixels)
very small sensor (1/2.3")
lacks phase detect auto focus
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Travel Comparison

Sony A550 Travel photography advice
Sony W290 Travel photography advice
52
megapixel count decent (14MP)
built-in flash
missing Time Lapse recording
bad battery life (480 CIPA)
does not contain selfie friendly screen
57
flash built-in
fairly wide (28mm)
doesn't have Timelapse mode
megapixel count low (12 megapixels)
does not offer selfie friendly display
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.3)
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Landscape Comparison

Sony A550 Landscape photography info
Sony W290 Landscape photography info
66
manual focus
change lenses (Sony/Minolta Alpha mount)
screen size is good (3")
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
megapixel count decent (14MP)
sensor size is good (APS-C)
delivers RAW formats
bad battery life (480 shots)
missing Time Lapse recording
41
focusing manually
fairly wide (28mm)
screen size is good (3")
image stabilization (Optical)
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.3)
manual mode not possible
megapixel count low (12MP)
very small sensor (1/2.3")
lacks RAW support
doesn't have Timelapse mode
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Vlogging Comparison

Sony A550 Vlogging advice
Sony W290 Vlogging advice
9
no video recording
28
fairly wide (28mm)
image stabilization (Optical)
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.3)
does not offer selfie friendly display
video quality not great (1280 x 720 pixels)
doesn't have microphone socket
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Sony A550 vs Sony W290 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Sony A550 and Sony W290
 Sony Alpha DSLR-A550Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W290
General Information
Company Sony Sony
Model Sony Alpha DSLR-A550 Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W290
Category Entry-Level DSLR Small Sensor Compact
Revealed 2009-12-09 2009-02-17
Physical type Compact SLR Compact
Sensor Information
Processor Bionz -
Sensor type CMOS CCD
Sensor size APS-C 1/2.3"
Sensor measurements 23.4 x 15.6mm 6.17 x 4.55mm
Sensor area 365.0mm² 28.1mm²
Sensor resolution 14 megapixels 12 megapixels
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 3:2 and 16:9 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Peak resolution 4592 x 3056 4000 x 3000
Highest native ISO 12800 3200
Min native ISO 200 80
RAW pictures
Autofocusing
Manual focus
Touch focus
Autofocus continuous
Single autofocus
Autofocus tracking
Autofocus selectice
Center weighted autofocus
Multi area autofocus
Live view autofocus
Face detect focus
Contract detect focus
Phase detect focus
Number of focus points 9 9
Lens
Lens mounting type Sony/Minolta Alpha fixed lens
Lens focal range - 28-140mm (5.0x)
Maximal aperture - f/3.3-5.2
Macro focus range - 10cm
Available lenses 143 -
Crop factor 1.5 5.8
Screen
Display type Tilting Fixed Type
Display diagonal 3 inches 3 inches
Resolution of display 922 thousand dots 230 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch screen
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Optical (pentamirror) None
Viewfinder coverage 95% -
Viewfinder magnification 0.53x -
Features
Min shutter speed 30 seconds 2 seconds
Max shutter speed 1/4000 seconds 1/1600 seconds
Continuous shutter rate 7.0 frames/s 2.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes -
Custom white balance
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash range 12.00 m 3.90 m
Flash modes Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, High Speed Sync, Rear Curtain, Fill-in, Wireless Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye reduction, Slow Sync
Hot shoe
Auto exposure bracketing
WB bracketing
Max flash synchronize 1/160 seconds -
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Video resolutions - 1280 x 720 (30 fps) 640 x 480 (30 fps)
Highest video resolution None 1280x720
Video data format - MPEG-4
Microphone port
Headphone port
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 sealing
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 632g (1.39 lbs) 167g (0.37 lbs)
Physical 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 score 66 not tested
DXO Color Depth score 21.9 not tested
DXO Dynamic range score 11.8 not tested
DXO Low light score 807 not tested
Other
Battery life 480 photographs -
Battery type Battery Pack -
Battery model NP-FM500H -
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse recording
Type of storage SD/ SDHC, Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo Memory Stick Duo / Pro Duo, Internal
Card slots 1 1
Retail price $749 $230