Sony A850 vs Sony W290

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.

Photography Glossary

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.

Here is a sample of the gallery pictures for Sony Alpha DSLR-A850 and Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W290. The complete galleries are available at Sony A850 Gallery and Sony W290 Gallery.

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.

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.

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

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.