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Sony A850 vs Sony W290

Portability
54
Imaging
68
Features
60
Overall
64
Sony Alpha DSLR-A850 front
 
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W290 front
Portability
94
Imaging
34
Features
28
Overall
31

Sony A850 vs Sony W290 Key Specs

Sony A850
(Full Review)
  • 25MP - Full frame Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 200 - 3200 (Increase to 6400)
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1/8000s Max Shutter
  • No Video
  • Sony/Minolta Alpha Mount
  • 895g - 156 x 117 x 82mm
  • Launched April 2010
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
  • Revealed February 2009
Photography Glossary

Sony A850 vs Sony W290 Overview

On this page, we are analyzing the Sony A850 vs Sony W290, one is a Advanced DSLR and the other is a Small Sensor Compact and both are offered by Sony. There exists a sizeable gap among the sensor resolutions of the A850 (25MP) and W290 (12MP) and the A850 (Full frame) and W290 (1/2.3") have different sensor size.

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The A850 was released 15 months after the W290 making them a generation away from one another. Both cameras have different body design with the Sony A850 being a Mid-size SLR camera and the Sony W290 being a Compact camera.

Before getting into a more detailed comparison, here is a quick overview of how the A850 scores against the W290 with regard to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

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Reasons to pick Sony A850 over the Sony W290

 A850 W290 
RevealedApril 2010February 2009More modern by 15 months
Display resolution922k230kCrisper display (+692k dot)

Reasons to pick Sony W290 over the Sony A850

 W290 A850 

Common features in the Sony A850 and Sony W290

 A850 W290 
Manual focus More accurate focusing
Display typeFixed Fixed Fixed display
Display dimensions3"3"Equal display size
Selfie screen Missing selfie screen
Touch friendly display Missing Touch friendly display

Sony A850 vs Sony W290 Physical Comparison

In case you're looking to carry around your camera regularly, you need to consider its weight and dimensions. The Sony A850 has got outside dimensions of 156mm x 117mm x 82mm (6.1" x 4.6" x 3.2") having a weight of 895 grams (1.97 lbs) while the Sony W290 has dimensions of 98mm x 57mm x 23mm (3.9" x 2.2" x 0.9") having a weight of 167 grams (0.37 lbs).

See the Sony A850 vs Sony W290 in the latest Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Always remember, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change dependant on the lens you have attached at that moment. Underneath is a front view over all size comparison of the A850 against the W290.

Sony A850 vs Sony W290 size comparison

Using dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the A850 and W290 is 54 and 94 respectively.

Sony A850 vs Sony W290 top view buttons comparison

Sony A850 vs Sony W290 Sensor Comparison

Quite often, it is very hard to picture the contrast in sensor sizes purely by seeing a spec sheet. The image below should provide you a clearer sense of the sensor dimensions in the A850 and W290.

Clearly, both cameras have different resolutions and different sensor sizes. The A850 because of its larger sensor is going to make achieving shallow depth of field simpler and the Sony A850 will provide extra detail as a result of its extra 13MP. Greater resolution will help you crop photos a bit more aggressively. The younger A850 provides an edge when it comes to sensor technology.

Sony A850 vs Sony W290 sensor size comparison

Sony A850 vs Sony W290 Screen and ViewFinder

Sony A850 vs Sony W290 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Sony A850 Portrait photography information
Sony W290 Portrait photography information
72
has manual focus
amazing megapixels (25MP)
sensor size is great (Full frame)
saves RAW formats
no liveview feature
27
you can focus manually
lack of manual mode
can't use external flash
low megapixels (12 megapixels)
sensor is very small (1/2.3")
lack of RAW support
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Street Comparison

Sony A850 as a Street photography camera
Sony W290 as a Street photography camera
66
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is great (Full frame)
saves RAW formats
environment proof
screen is fixed
56
has image stabilization (Optical)
no moving screen
sensor is very small (1/2.3")
lack of RAW support
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Sports Comparison

Sony A850 Sports photography advice
Sony W290 Sports photography advice
71
high shutter speed (1/8,000s)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
amazing megapixels (25MP)
sensor size is great (Full frame)
environment proof
comes with phase detect auto focus
no liveview feature
continuous shooting slow (3.0 frames/s)
25
has image stabilization (Optical)
slow frames per second (2.0 frames per second)
no shutter priority
low megapixels (12 megapixels)
sensor is very small (1/2.3")
lack of phase detect AF
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Travel Comparison

Travel photography with Sony A850
Travel photography with Sony W290
55
environment proof
amazing megapixels (25 megapixels)
no Timelapse recording
doesn't have a selfie friendly screen
57
has built in flash
reasonably wide (28mm)
lack of Time Lapse recording
low megapixels (12 megapixels)
does not posses selfie friendly screen
slow max aperture (f3.3)
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Landscape Comparison

Sony A850 as a Landscape photography camera
Sony W290 as a Landscape photography camera
73
has manual focus
swap lenses (Sony/Minolta Alpha mount)
decent sized screen (3 inches)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
amazing megapixels (25 megapixels)
sensor size is great (Full frame)
saves RAW formats
environment proof
2 card slots
no liveview feature
no Timelapse recording
41
you can focus manually
reasonably wide (28mm)
pretty good screen size (3")
has image stabilization (Optical)
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
slow max aperture (f3.3)
lack of manual mode
low megapixels (12MP)
sensor is very small (1/2.3")
lack of RAW support
lack of Time Lapse recording
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Vlogging Comparison

Sony A850 Vlogging info
Sony W290 Vlogging info
9
can't shoot video
28
reasonably wide (28mm)
has image stabilization (Optical)
slow max aperture (f3.3)
does not posses selfie friendly screen
low res video (1280 x 720 pixels)
lack of mic support
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Sony A850 vs Sony W290 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Sony A850 and Sony W290
 Sony Alpha DSLR-A850Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W290
General Information
Manufacturer Sony Sony
Model type Sony Alpha DSLR-A850 Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W290
Category Advanced DSLR Small Sensor Compact
Launched 2010-04-15 2009-02-17
Physical type Mid-size SLR Compact
Sensor Information
Processor Chip Bionz -
Sensor type CMOS CCD
Sensor size Full frame 1/2.3"
Sensor dimensions 35.9 x 24mm 6.17 x 4.55mm
Sensor area 861.6mm² 28.1mm²
Sensor resolution 25MP 12MP
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 3:2 and 16:9 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Highest Possible resolution 6048 x 4032 4000 x 3000
Maximum native ISO 3200 3200
Maximum enhanced ISO 6400 -
Minimum native ISO 200 80
RAW images
Autofocusing
Focus manually
AF touch
AF continuous
Single AF
Tracking AF
Selective AF
Center weighted AF
Multi area AF
AF live view
Face detection AF
Contract detection AF
Phase detection AF
Total focus points 9 9
Lens
Lens support Sony/Minolta Alpha fixed lens
Lens zoom range - 28-140mm (5.0x)
Maximum aperture - f/3.3-5.2
Macro focusing range - 10cm
Total lenses 143 -
Crop factor 1 5.8
Screen
Type of screen Fixed Type Fixed Type
Screen sizing 3 inches 3 inches
Screen resolution 922k dots 230k dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch function
Screen technology TFT Xtra Fine color LCD -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Optical (pentaprism) None
Viewfinder coverage 98 percent -
Viewfinder magnification 0.74x -
Features
Min shutter speed 30 seconds 2 seconds
Max shutter speed 1/8000 seconds 1/1600 seconds
Continuous shutter rate 3.0 frames per sec 2.0 frames per sec
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes -
Set WB
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash distance no built-in flash 3.90 m
Flash options Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, Rear Curtain, Fill-in, Wireless Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye reduction, Slow Sync
Hot shoe
AE bracketing
WB bracketing
Max flash synchronize 1/250 seconds -
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)
Maximum video resolution None 1280x720
Video data format - MPEG-4
Mic support
Headphone support
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 proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 895 grams (1.97 lb) 167 grams (0.37 lb)
Physical dimensions 156 x 117 x 82mm (6.1" x 4.6" x 3.2") 98 x 57 x 23mm (3.9" x 2.2" x 0.9")
DXO scores
DXO Overall rating 79 not tested
DXO Color Depth rating 23.8 not tested
DXO Dynamic range rating 12.2 not tested
DXO Low light rating 1415 not tested
Other
Battery life 880 photographs -
Type of battery Battery Pack -
Battery ID NP-FM500H -
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse shooting
Type of storage Compact Flash (Type I or II), UDMA, Memory Stick Duo / Pro Duo Memory Stick Duo / Pro Duo, Internal
Card slots Two Single
Pricing at release $0 $230