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Sony A850 vs Sony W690

Portability
54
Imaging
68
Features
60
Overall
64
Sony Alpha DSLR-A850 front
 
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W690 front
Portability
95
Imaging
39
Features
32
Overall
36

Sony A850 vs Sony W690 Key Specs

Sony A850
(Full Review)
  • 25MP - Full frame Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 200 - 3200 (Bump to 6400)
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1/8000s Max Shutter
  • No Video
  • Sony/Minolta Alpha Mount
  • 895g - 156 x 117 x 82mm
  • Introduced April 2010
Sony W690
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 80 - 3200
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 25-250mm (F3.3-5.9) lens
  • 142g - 94 x 56 x 22mm
  • Released February 2012
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Sony A850 vs Sony W690 Overview

Its time to take a deeper look at the Sony A850 vs Sony W690, one is a Advanced DSLR and the other is a Small Sensor Compact and they are both designed by Sony. There exists a crucial gap among the image resolutions of the A850 (25MP) and W690 (16MP) and the A850 (Full frame) and W690 (1/2.3") enjoy different sensor dimensions.

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The A850 was launched 22 months before the W690 making the cameras a generation away from one another. Both of these cameras come with different body type with the Sony A850 being a Mid-size SLR camera and the Sony W690 being a Compact camera.

Before delving in to a in depth comparison, below is a short overview of how the A850 matches up against the W690 with regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

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Reasons to pick Sony A850 over the Sony W690

 A850 W690 
Manual focus More exact focusing
Display resolution922k230kCrisper display (+692k dot)

Reasons to pick Sony W690 over the Sony A850

 W690 A850 
ReleasedFebruary 2012April 2010More modern by 22 months

Common features in the Sony A850 and Sony W690

 A850 W690 
Display typeFixed Fixed Fixed display
Display dimension3"3"Identical display sizing
Selfie screen No selfie screen
Touch display No Touch display

Sony A850 vs Sony W690 Physical Comparison

When you are intending to carry around your camera, you'll need to consider its weight and size. The Sony A850 comes with external measurements of 156mm x 117mm x 82mm (6.1" x 4.6" x 3.2") and a weight of 895 grams (1.97 lbs) while the Sony W690 has specifications of 94mm x 56mm x 22mm (3.7" x 2.2" x 0.9") with a weight of 142 grams (0.31 lbs).

Contrast the Sony A850 vs Sony W690 in the latest Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Keep in mind, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change based on the lens you have chosen at that time. The following is the front view physical size comparison of the A850 versus the W690.

Sony A850 vs Sony W690 size comparison

Taking into account dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the A850 and W690 is 54 and 95 respectively.

Sony A850 vs Sony W690 top view buttons comparison

Sony A850 vs Sony W690 Sensor Comparison

Normally, its tough to imagine the difference in sensor sizes purely by researching technical specs. The pic below might give you a clearer sense of the sensor measurements in the A850 and W690.

As you can tell, both cameras posses different resolutions and different sensor sizes. The A850 due to its larger sensor is going to make achieving bokeh simpler and the Sony A850 will provide you with greater detail utilizing its extra 9 Megapixels. Greater resolution will make it easier to crop photos somewhat more aggressively. The more aged A850 will be disadvantaged in sensor innovation.

Sony A850 vs Sony W690 sensor size comparison

Sony A850 vs Sony W690 Screen and ViewFinder

Sony A850 vs Sony W690 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Sony A850 Portrait photography features
Sony W690 Portrait photography features
72
manual focus
great megapixels (25 megapixels)
big sensor size (Full frame)
exports RAW formats
no liveview
34
good megapixels (16MP)
comes with face detect focusing
no manual focus
manual mode not possible
no external flash support
small sensor size (1/2.3")
no RAW files
Photography Glossary

Street Comparison

Sony A850 Street photography highlights
Sony W690 Street photography highlights
66
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
big sensor size (Full frame)
exports RAW formats
weather proof
no articulating screen
57
has image stabilization (Optical)
fixed screen
small sensor size (1/2.3")
no RAW files
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Sports Comparison

Sports photography with Sony A850
Sports photography with Sony W690
71
max shutter speed is good (1/8,000 seconds)
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
great megapixels (25MP)
big sensor size (Full frame)
weather proof
has phase detect auto focus
no liveview
slow fps (3.0 frames/s)
40
has image stabilization (Optical)
good megapixels (16 megapixels)
comes with tracking focus
continuous shooting slow (1.0 frames per second)
no shutter priority mode
small sensor size (1/2.3")
no phase detect AF
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Travel Comparison

Sony A850 Travel photography factors
Sony W690 Travel photography factors
55
weather proof
great megapixels (25 megapixels)
missing Timelapse mode
doesn't have selfie friendly screen
68
good megapixels (16 megapixels)
has built in flash
decently wide (25mm)
great zoom (250mm)
missing Timelapse recording
doesn't have selfie friendly display
sluggish max aperture (f3.3)
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Landscape Comparison

Sony A850 Landscape photography advice
Sony W690 Landscape photography advice
73
manual focus
swap lenses (Sony/Minolta Alpha mount)
screen size is good (3 inch)
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
great megapixels (25 megapixels)
big sensor size (Full frame)
exports RAW formats
weather proof
has double storage slots
no liveview
missing Timelapse mode
43
decently wide (25mm)
good sized screen (3 inch)
has image stabilization (Optical)
good megapixels (16 megapixels)
no manual focus
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
sluggish max aperture (f3.3)
manual mode not possible
small sensor size (1/2.3")
no RAW files
missing Timelapse recording
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Vlogging Comparison

Sony A850 Vlogging info
Sony W690 Vlogging info
9
can't shoot video
31
decently wide (25mm)
has image stabilization (Optical)
comes with face detect focusing
sluggish max aperture (f3.3)
doesn't have selfie friendly display
low quality video (1280 x 720 pxls)
missing microphone port
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Sony A850 vs Sony W690 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Sony A850 and Sony W690
 Sony Alpha DSLR-A850Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W690
General Information
Make Sony Sony
Model Sony Alpha DSLR-A850 Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W690
Class Advanced DSLR Small Sensor Compact
Introduced 2010-04-15 2012-02-28
Body design Mid-size SLR Compact
Sensor Information
Processor Bionz BIONZ
Sensor type CMOS CCD
Sensor size Full frame 1/2.3"
Sensor measurements 35.9 x 24mm 6.17 x 4.55mm
Sensor area 861.6mm² 28.1mm²
Sensor resolution 25 megapixels 16 megapixels
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 3:2 and 16:9 4:3 and 16:9
Highest resolution 6048 x 4032 4608 x 3456
Highest native ISO 3200 3200
Highest boosted ISO 6400 -
Lowest native ISO 200 80
RAW data
Autofocusing
Manual focus
Touch to focus
Continuous autofocus
Single autofocus
Tracking autofocus
Selective autofocus
Center weighted autofocus
Autofocus multi area
Autofocus live view
Face detect focus
Contract detect focus
Phase detect focus
Number of focus points 9 -
Cross focus points - -
Lens
Lens mount Sony/Minolta Alpha fixed lens
Lens focal range - 25-250mm (10.0x)
Max aperture - f/3.3-5.9
Macro focus range - 5cm
Available lenses 143 -
Focal length multiplier 1 5.8
Screen
Range of display Fixed Type Fixed Type
Display sizing 3 inch 3 inch
Display resolution 922k dot 230k dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch operation
Display tech TFT Xtra Fine color LCD ClearPhoto TFT LCD display
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Optical (pentaprism) None
Viewfinder coverage 98 percent -
Viewfinder magnification 0.74x -
Features
Lowest shutter speed 30s 30s
Highest shutter speed 1/8000s 1/1600s
Continuous shooting speed 3.0fps 1.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual exposure
Exposure compensation Yes -
Change white balance
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash range no built-in flash 3.30 m
Flash options Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, Rear Curtain, Fill-in, Wireless Auto, On, Off, Slow Sync
External flash
AE bracketing
White balance bracketing
Highest flash sync 1/250s -
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Supported video resolutions - 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps)
Highest video resolution None 1280x720
Video data format - MPEG-4
Microphone jack
Headphone jack
Connectivity
Wireless None None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environmental seal
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 895 grams (1.97 lbs) 142 grams (0.31 lbs)
Dimensions 156 x 117 x 82mm (6.1" x 4.6" x 3.2") 94 x 56 x 22mm (3.7" x 2.2" x 0.9")
DXO scores
DXO All around score 79 not tested
DXO Color Depth score 23.8 not tested
DXO Dynamic range score 12.2 not tested
DXO Low light score 1415 not tested
Other
Battery life 880 images 220 images
Battery form Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery model NP-FM500H NP-BN
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec, Portrait 1/2)
Time lapse shooting
Storage media Compact Flash (Type I or II), UDMA, Memory Stick Duo / Pro Duo SD/SDHC/SDXC/Memory Stick Duo/Memory Stick Pro Duo, Memory Stick Pro-HG Duo
Storage slots Two One
Retail cost $0 $297