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Sony A900 vs Sony W290

Portability
54
Imaging
66
Features
62
Overall
64
Sony Alpha DSLR-A900 front
 
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W290 front
Portability
94
Imaging
34
Features
28
Overall
31

Sony A900 vs Sony W290 Key Specs

Sony A900
(Full Review)
  • 25MP - Full frame Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 6400
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1/8000s Maximum Shutter
  • No Video
  • Sony/Minolta Alpha Mount
  • 895g - 156 x 117 x 82mm
  • Announced October 2008
  • Renewed by Sony A99
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
  • Launched February 2009
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Sony A900 vs Sony W290 Overview

Lets look a bit more closely at the Sony A900 and Sony W290, former being a Advanced DSLR while the latter is a Small Sensor Compact and both of them are manufactured by Sony. There is a large difference between the image resolutions of the A900 (25MP) and W290 (12MP) and the A900 (Full frame) and W290 (1/2.3") feature different sensor measurements.

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The A900 was brought out 3 months before the W290 so they are both of a similar age. Both of these cameras offer different body type with the Sony A900 being a Mid-size SLR camera and the Sony W290 being a Compact camera.

Before getting in to a full comparison, below is a simple introduction of how the A900 grades against the W290 in the way of portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

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Reasons to pick Sony A900 over the Sony W290

 A900 W290 
Screen resolution922k230kSharper screen (+692k dot)

Reasons to pick Sony W290 over the Sony A900

 W290 A900 

Common features in the Sony A900 and Sony W290

 A900 W290 
LaunchedOctober 2008February 2009Similar age
Manual focus More exact focusing
Screen typeFixed Fixed Fixed screen
Screen sizing3"3"Equivalent screen measurements
Selfie screen Neither has selfie screen
Touch friendly screen No Touch friendly screen

Sony A900 vs Sony W290 Physical Comparison

If you are looking to lug around your camera often, you will want to factor its weight and size. The Sony A900 has external dimensions of 156mm x 117mm x 82mm (6.1" x 4.6" x 3.2") accompanied by a weight of 895 grams (1.97 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).

Compare the Sony A900 and Sony W290 in our completely new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Always remember, the weight of an ILC will differ depending on the lens you are employing at that moment. Below is the front view sizing comparison of the A900 and the W290.

Sony A900 vs Sony W290 size comparison

Using size and weight, the portability rating of the A900 and W290 is 54 and 94 respectively.

Sony A900 vs Sony W290 top view buttons comparison

Sony A900 vs Sony W290 Sensor Comparison

Oftentimes, it is very tough to picture the gap between sensor measurements simply by looking at specs. The graphic here will give you a stronger sense of the sensor dimensions in the A900 and W290.

All in all, both cameras offer different megapixels and different sensor measurements. The A900 because of its bigger sensor is going to make achieving shallower DOF less difficult and the Sony A900 will give you extra detail having its extra 13MP. Higher resolution will also enable you to crop pictures a little more aggressively.

Sony A900 vs Sony W290 sensor size comparison

Sony A900 vs Sony W290 Screen and ViewFinder

Sony A900 vs Sony W290 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Sony A900 Portrait photography information
Sony W290 Portrait photography information
71
focusing manually
excellent megapixels (25MP)
sensor size is great (Full frame)
exports RAW files
does not have liveview
27
focusing manually
no manual mode
cannot use external flash
low resolution sensor (12MP)
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
no RAW files
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Street Comparison

Street photography with Sony A900
Street photography with Sony W290
66
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is great (Full frame)
exports RAW files
weather proofing
fixed screen
56
image stabilization (Optical)
no moving screen
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
no RAW files
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Sports Comparison

Sony A900 as a Sports photography camera
Sony W290 as a Sports photography camera
70
max shutter speed is good (1/8,000s)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
excellent megapixels (25MP)
sensor size is great (Full frame)
weather proofing
sensor has phase detect autofocus
does not have liveview
painfully slow continuous shooting (5.0 fps)
25
image stabilization (Optical)
max fps very slow (2.0 frames/s)
no shutter priority
low resolution sensor (12 megapixels)
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
no phase detect autofocus
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Travel Comparison

Sony A900 Travel photography information
Sony W290 Travel photography information
54
weather proofing
excellent megapixels (25 megapixels)
lack of Time Lapse function
doesn't offer selfie friendly display
57
built-in flash
really wide (28mm)
does not have Time Lapse mode
low resolution sensor (12 megapixels)
does not contain selfie friendly screen
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.3)
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Landscape Comparison

Sony A900 Landscape photography details
Sony W290 Landscape photography details
72
focusing manually
interchangeable lenses (Sony/Minolta Alpha mount)
good sized screen (3 inch)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
excellent megapixels (25MP)
sensor size is great (Full frame)
exports RAW files
weather proofing
two card slots
does not have liveview
lack of Time Lapse function
41
focusing manually
really wide (28mm)
nice screen size (3 inch)
image stabilization (Optical)
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.3)
no manual mode
low resolution sensor (12MP)
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
no RAW files
does not have Time Lapse mode
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Vlogging Comparison

Sony A900 Vlogging information
Sony W290 Vlogging information
9
no video
28
really wide (28mm)
image stabilization (Optical)
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.3)
does not contain selfie friendly screen
video res low (1280 x 720 pxls)
does not have external mic jack
Photography Glossary

Sony A900 vs Sony W290 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Sony A900 and Sony W290
 Sony Alpha DSLR-A900Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W290
General Information
Brand Name Sony Sony
Model type Sony Alpha DSLR-A900 Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W290
Category Advanced DSLR Small Sensor Compact
Announced 2008-10-22 2009-02-17
Body design Mid-size SLR Compact
Sensor Information
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 surface 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
Peak resolution 6048 x 4032 4000 x 3000
Highest native ISO 6400 3200
Min native ISO 100 80
RAW format
Autofocusing
Manual focusing
Autofocus touch
Autofocus continuous
Single autofocus
Autofocus tracking
Selective autofocus
Autofocus center weighted
Multi area autofocus
Autofocus live view
Face detection focus
Contract detection focus
Phase detection focus
Total focus points 9 9
Lens
Lens mount type Sony/Minolta Alpha fixed lens
Lens zoom range - 28-140mm (5.0x)
Highest aperture - f/3.3-5.2
Macro focusing range - 10cm
Amount of lenses 143 -
Focal length multiplier 1 5.8
Screen
Range of screen Fixed Type Fixed Type
Screen sizing 3" 3"
Screen resolution 922k dot 230k dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch display
Screen technology TFT Xtra Fine color LCD -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Optical (pentaprism) None
Viewfinder coverage 100 percent -
Viewfinder magnification 0.74x -
Features
Minimum shutter speed 30s 2s
Fastest shutter speed 1/8000s 1/1600s
Continuous shutter speed 5.0 frames per second 2.0 frames per second
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual exposure
Exposure compensation Yes -
Change white balance
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash distance no built-in flash 3.90 m
Flash settings Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, Rear Curtain, Fill-in, Wireless Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye reduction, Slow Sync
Hot shoe
AE bracketing
White balance bracketing
Fastest flash sync 1/250s -
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Supported video resolutions - 1280 x 720 (30 fps) 640 x 480 (30 fps)
Highest video resolution None 1280x720
Video file format - MPEG-4
Mic input
Headphone input
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 proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 895 gr (1.97 pounds) 167 gr (0.37 pounds)
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 23.7 not tested
DXO Dynamic range rating 12.3 not tested
DXO Low light rating 1431 not tested
Other
Battery life 880 photographs -
Battery format Battery Pack -
Battery ID NP-FM500H -
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse recording
Storage media Compact Flash (Type I or II), Memory Stick Duo / Pro Duo, UDMA Mode 5, Supports FAT12 / FAT16 / FAT32 Memory Stick Duo / Pro Duo, Internal
Storage slots Dual Single
Cost at release $2,736 $230