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Sony A560 vs Sony W290

Portability
64
Imaging
54
Features
78
Overall
63
Sony Alpha DSLR-A560 front
 
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W290 front
Portability
94
Imaging
35
Features
28
Overall
32

Sony A560 vs Sony W290 Key Specs

Sony A560
(Full Review)
  • 14MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Screen
  • ISO 100 - 12800 (Increase to 25600)
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Sony/Minolta Alpha Mount
  • 599g - 137 x 104 x 84mm
  • Announced August 2010
  • Earlier Model is Sony A500
Sony W290
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 80 - 3200
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 28-140mm (F3.3-5.2) lens
  • 167g - 98 x 57 x 23mm
  • Announced February 2009
Photography Glossary

Sony A560 vs Sony W290 Overview

Below, we will be matching up the Sony A560 versus Sony W290, former being a Entry-Level DSLR while the latter is a Small Sensor Compact and they are both offered by Sony. The resolution of the A560 (14MP) and the W290 (12MP) is relatively well matched but the A560 (APS-C) and W290 (1/2.3") come with totally different sensor size.

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The A560 was released 19 months later than the W290 which makes the cameras a generation apart from each other. Both the cameras come with different body type with the Sony A560 being a Compact SLR camera and the Sony W290 being a Compact camera.

Before diving straight into a step-by-step comparison, below is a quick view of how the A560 matches up versus the W290 with regard to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

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Reasons to pick Sony A560 over the Sony W290

 A560 W290 
AnnouncedAugust 2010February 2009Fresher by 19 months
Screen typeTiltingFixed Tilting screen
Screen resolution922k230kClearer screen (+692k dot)

Reasons to pick Sony W290 over the Sony A560

 W290 A560 

Common features in the Sony A560 and Sony W290

 A560 W290 
Manual focus Very exact focusing
Screen dimension3"3"Identical screen size
Selfie screen Lacking selfie screen
Touch friendly screen Neither contains Touch friendly screen

Sony A560 vs Sony W290 Physical Comparison

If you are looking to carry your camera often, you are going to need to factor in its weight and size. The Sony A560 has got outer measurements of 137mm x 104mm x 84mm (5.4" x 4.1" x 3.3") along with a weight of 599 grams (1.32 lbs) whilst the Sony W290 has specifications of 98mm x 57mm x 23mm (3.9" x 2.2" x 0.9") and a weight of 167 grams (0.37 lbs).

Take a look at the Sony A560 versus 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 dependant on the lens you use at that moment. The following is the front view measurements comparison of the A560 compared to the W290.

Sony A560 vs Sony W290 size comparison

Taking into consideration size and weight, the portability rating of the A560 and W290 is 64 and 94 respectively.

Sony A560 vs Sony W290 top view buttons comparison

Sony A560 vs Sony W290 Sensor Comparison

Often, it's hard to see the difference between sensor sizing just by checking a spec sheet. The graphic below should provide you a more clear sense of the sensor sizing in the A560 and W290.

As you can see, both cameras have got different megapixel count and different sensor sizing. The A560 due to its bigger sensor will make shooting shallow DOF easier and the Sony A560 will resolve greater detail as a result of its extra 2 Megapixels. Higher resolution will also let you crop photographs much more aggressively. The newer A560 is going to have an edge with regard to sensor tech.

Sony A560 vs Sony W290 sensor size comparison

Sony A560 vs Sony W290 Screen and ViewFinder

Sony A560 vs Sony W290 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Sony A560 Portrait photography info
Sony W290 Portrait photography info
72
focusing manually
decent MP (14MP)
nice sensor size (APS-C)
provides face detection autofocus
delivers RAW files
27
has manual focus
lack of manual exposure
cannot use external flash
megapixel count low (12 megapixels)
very small sensor (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW files
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Street Comparison

Sony A560 as a Street photography camera
Sony W290 as a Street photography camera
75
has a tilting screen
image stabilization (Sensor based)
nice sensor size (APS-C)
delivers RAW files
56
image stabilization (Optical)
fixed screen
very small sensor (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW files
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Sports Comparison

Sports photography with Sony A560
Sports photography with Sony W290
68
image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent MP (14 megapixels)
nice sensor size (APS-C)
great battery life (1,050 CIPA)
has phase detect autofocus
continuous shooting slow (5.0 frames per second)
25
image stabilization (Optical)
continuous shooting slow (2.0 fps)
no shutter priority mode
megapixel count low (12 megapixels)
very small sensor (1/2.3")
doesn't have phase detect autofocus
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Travel Comparison

Sony A560 Travel photography factors
Sony W290 Travel photography factors
60
great battery life (1,050 CIPA)
decent MP (14 megapixels)
has built in flash
no Time Lapse mode
screen isn't selfie friendly
57
flash built-in
rather wide (28mm)
missing Time Lapse function
megapixel count low (12 megapixels)
does not have a selfie friendly screen
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f3.3)
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Landscape Comparison

Sony A560 as a Landscape photography camera
Sony W290 as a Landscape photography camera
73
focusing manually
swap lenses (Sony/Minolta Alpha mount)
decent sized screen (3 inch)
image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent MP (14 megapixels)
nice sensor size (APS-C)
delivers RAW files
great battery life (1,050 CIPA)
has dual storage slots
no Time Lapse mode
41
has manual focus
rather wide (28mm)
screen size is good (3 inch)
image stabilization (Optical)
can't change lenses (fixed lens mount)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f3.3)
lack of manual exposure
megapixel count low (12MP)
very small sensor (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW files
missing Time Lapse function
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Vlogging Comparison

Sony A560 Vlogging info
Sony W290 Vlogging info
34
image stabilization (Sensor based)
provides face detection autofocus
great video quality (1920 x 1080 pixels)
has external mic jack
screen isn't selfie friendly
28
rather wide (28mm)
image stabilization (Optical)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f3.3)
does not have a selfie friendly screen
video resolution low (1280 x 720 pxls)
missing external mic support
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Sony A560 vs Sony W290 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Sony A560 and Sony W290
 Sony Alpha DSLR-A560Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W290
General Information
Brand Sony Sony
Model type Sony Alpha DSLR-A560 Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W290
Class Entry-Level DSLR Small Sensor Compact
Announced 2010-08-24 2009-02-17
Physical type Compact SLR Compact
Sensor Information
Chip Bionz -
Sensor type CMOS CCD
Sensor size APS-C 1/2.3"
Sensor dimensions 23.5 x 15.6mm 6.17 x 4.55mm
Sensor area 366.6mm² 28.1mm²
Sensor resolution 14 megapixels 12 megapixels
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 3:2 and 16:9 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Highest Possible resolution 4592 x 3056 4000 x 3000
Maximum native ISO 12800 3200
Maximum enhanced ISO 25600 -
Lowest native ISO 100 80
RAW images
Autofocusing
Manual focusing
Touch focus
AF continuous
AF single
Tracking AF
Selective AF
AF center weighted
Multi area AF
AF live view
Face detection AF
Contract detection AF
Phase detection AF
Total focus points 15 9
Cross type focus points 3 -
Lens
Lens mount type Sony/Minolta Alpha fixed lens
Lens zoom range - 28-140mm (5.0x)
Maximum aperture - f/3.3-5.2
Macro focusing distance - 10cm
Amount of lenses 143 -
Crop factor 1.5 5.8
Screen
Type of screen Tilting Fixed Type
Screen sizing 3 inch 3 inch
Resolution of screen 922k dots 230k dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch capability
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Optical (pentamirror) None
Viewfinder coverage 95 percent -
Viewfinder magnification 0.53x -
Features
Minimum shutter speed 30 seconds 2 seconds
Fastest shutter speed 1/4000 seconds 1/1600 seconds
Continuous shutter rate 5.0 frames/s 2.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes -
Set WB
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash distance 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
AE bracketing
WB bracketing
Fastest flash synchronize 1/160 seconds -
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Supported video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (60, 29.97 fps), 1440 x 1080 (30fps), 640 x 424 (29.97 fps) 1280 x 720 (30 fps) 640 x 480 (30 fps)
Maximum video resolution 1920x1080 1280x720
Video format MPEG-4, AVCHD, H.264 MPEG-4
Mic support
Headphone support
Connectivity
Wireless Eye-Fi Connected None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environment sealing
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 599g (1.32 pounds) 167g (0.37 pounds)
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 70 not tested
DXO Color Depth rating 22.5 not tested
DXO Dynamic range rating 12.3 not tested
DXO Low light rating 817 not tested
Other
Battery life 1050 pictures -
Battery style Battery Pack -
Battery ID NP-FM500H -
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse shooting
Storage type SD/SDHC/SDXC/Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo Memory Stick Duo / Pro Duo, Internal
Card slots Dual One
Launch price $650 $230