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Sony NEX-5R vs Sony W290

Portability
89
Imaging
57
Features
76
Overall
64
Sony Alpha NEX-5R front
 
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W290 front
Portability
94
Imaging
34
Features
28
Overall
31

Sony NEX-5R vs Sony W290 Key Specs

Sony NEX-5R
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Display
  • ISO 100 - 25600
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Sony E Mount
  • 276g - 111 x 59 x 39mm
  • Launched August 2012
  • Superseded the Sony NEX-5N
  • Refreshed by Sony NEX-5T
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
  • Revealed February 2009
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Sony NEX-5R vs Sony W290 Overview

Below is a detailed overview of the Sony NEX-5R vs Sony W290, former being a Entry-Level Mirrorless while the latter is a Small Sensor Compact and both of them are built by Sony. There is a noticeable difference between the image resolutions of the NEX-5R (16MP) and W290 (12MP) and the NEX-5R (APS-C) and W290 (1/2.3") feature different sensor measurements.

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The NEX-5R was released 3 years later than the W290 and that is quite a sizable difference as far as tech is concerned. The two cameras come with different body type with the Sony NEX-5R being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Sony W290 being a Compact camera.

Before delving straight into a complete comparison, below is a quick view of how the NEX-5R grades versus the W290 in terms of portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

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Reasons to pick Sony NEX-5R over the Sony W290

 NEX-5R W290 
RevealedAugust 2012February 2009More recent by 43 months
Screen typeTiltingFixed Tilting screen
Screen resolution920k230kSharper screen (+690k dot)
Touch friendly screen Quickly navigate

Reasons to pick Sony W290 over the Sony NEX-5R

 W290 NEX-5R 

Common features in the Sony NEX-5R and Sony W290

 NEX-5R W290 
Focus manually Dial precise focusing
Screen dimension3"3"Identical screen measurements
Selfie screen Neither provides selfie screen

Sony NEX-5R vs Sony W290 Physical Comparison

For those who are planning to lug around your camera frequently, you are going to need to factor in its weight and dimensions. The Sony NEX-5R provides exterior dimensions of 111mm x 59mm x 39mm (4.4" x 2.3" x 1.5") having a weight of 276 grams (0.61 lbs) while the Sony W290 has dimensions of 98mm x 57mm x 23mm (3.9" x 2.2" x 0.9") with a weight of 167 grams (0.37 lbs).

See the Sony NEX-5R vs Sony W290 in our brand new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Do not forget, the weight of an ILC will change based on the lens you select at that time. Following is the front view overall size comparison of the NEX-5R and the W290.

Sony NEX-5R vs Sony W290 size comparison

Using size and weight, the portability score of the NEX-5R and W290 is 89 and 94 respectively.

Sony NEX-5R vs Sony W290 top view buttons comparison

Sony NEX-5R vs Sony W290 Sensor Comparison

Oftentimes, its hard to visualize the difference between sensor measurements just by reading specs. The visual below may provide you a far better sense of the sensor sizes in the NEX-5R and W290.

All in all, both cameras posses different megapixels and different sensor measurements. The NEX-5R because of its bigger sensor is going to make achieving shallow depth of field less difficult and the Sony NEX-5R will deliver extra detail as a result of its extra 4 Megapixels. Higher resolution will also make it easier to crop photographs somewhat more aggressively. The younger NEX-5R provides a benefit with regard to sensor tech.

Sony NEX-5R vs Sony W290 sensor size comparison

Sony NEX-5R vs Sony W290 Screen and ViewFinder

Sony NEX-5R vs Sony W290 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Portrait photography with Sony NEX-5R
Portrait photography with Sony W290
74
has manual focus
good MP (16MP)
sensor size is good (APS-C)
supports RAW files
27
manual focus
manual mode not available
cannot use external flash
megapixel count low (12MP)
tiny sensor (1/2.3")
lacks RAW format
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Street Comparison

Sony NEX-5R Street photography advice
Sony W290 Street photography advice
80
has a tilting screen
sensor size is good (APS-C)
supports RAW files
supports touch focus
very good ISO range (25,600)
lack of image stabilization
56
has image stabilization (Optical)
screen is fixed
tiny sensor (1/2.3")
lacks RAW format
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Sports Comparison

Sony NEX-5R Sports photography features
Sony W290 Sports photography features
68
good MP (16 megapixels)
sensor size is good (APS-C)
offers tracking focus
supports phase detect autofocus
lack of image stabilization
25
has image stabilization (Optical)
low frames per second (2.0 fps)
no shutter priority
megapixel count low (12MP)
tiny sensor (1/2.3")
lacks phase detect autofocus
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Travel Comparison

Sony NEX-5R Travel photography features
Sony W290 Travel photography features
73
supports touch focus
good MP (16MP)
does not feature selfie friendly display
57
built-in flash
fairly wide (28mm)
no Time Lapse function
megapixel count low (12 megapixels)
display isn't selfie friendly
sluggish max aperture (f3.3)
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Landscape Comparison

Sony NEX-5R Landscape photography factors
Sony W290 Landscape photography factors
75
has manual focus
interchangeable lenses (Sony E mount)
nice screen size (3")
good MP (16MP)
sensor size is good (APS-C)
very good ISO range (25,600)
supports RAW files
lack of image stabilization
41
manual focus
fairly wide (28mm)
screen size is good (3 inch)
has image stabilization (Optical)
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
sluggish max aperture (f3.3)
manual mode not available
megapixel count low (12MP)
tiny sensor (1/2.3")
lacks RAW format
no Time Lapse function
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Vlogging Comparison

Sony NEX-5R Vlogging features
Sony W290 Vlogging features
31
touchscreen enabled
video res high (1920 x 1080 resolution)
does not feature selfie friendly display
lack of image stabilization
doesn't have microphone port
28
fairly wide (28mm)
has image stabilization (Optical)
sluggish max aperture (f3.3)
display isn't selfie friendly
video res low (1280 x 720 pxls)
no mic support
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Sony NEX-5R vs Sony W290 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Sony NEX-5R and Sony W290
 Sony Alpha NEX-5RSony Cyber-shot DSC-W290
General Information
Brand Sony Sony
Model Sony Alpha NEX-5R Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W290
Category Entry-Level Mirrorless Small Sensor Compact
Launched 2012-08-29 2009-02-17
Physical type Rangefinder-style mirrorless Compact
Sensor Information
Processor Chip Bionz -
Sensor type CMOS CCD
Sensor size APS-C 1/2.3"
Sensor dimensions 23.4 x 15.6mm 6.17 x 4.55mm
Sensor area 365.0mm² 28.1mm²
Sensor resolution 16MP 12MP
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 3:2 and 16:9 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Highest Possible resolution 4912 x 3264 4000 x 3000
Maximum native ISO 25600 3200
Min native ISO 100 80
RAW data
Autofocusing
Manual focus
Autofocus touch
Autofocus continuous
Autofocus single
Autofocus tracking
Selective autofocus
Autofocus center weighted
Multi area autofocus
Autofocus live view
Face detect focus
Contract detect focus
Phase detect focus
Number of focus points 99 9
Lens
Lens mounting type Sony E fixed lens
Lens focal range - 28-140mm (5.0x)
Largest aperture - f/3.3-5.2
Macro focus range - 10cm
Total lenses 121 -
Focal length multiplier 1.5 5.8
Screen
Display type Tilting Fixed Type
Display diagonal 3" 3"
Resolution of display 920k dots 230k dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch function
Display technology Tilt Up 180� Down 50� TFT LCD -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Electronic (optional) None
Features
Minimum shutter speed 30s 2s
Fastest shutter speed 1/4000s 1/1600s
Continuous shutter rate 10.0fps 2.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes -
Custom white balance
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash range no built-in flash 3.90 m
Flash settings Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, Rear Curtain, Fill-in Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye reduction, Slow Sync
External flash
AE bracketing
White balance bracketing
Fastest flash synchronize 1/160s -
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (60 fps), 1440 x 1080 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps) 1280 x 720 (30 fps) 640 x 480 (30 fps)
Maximum video resolution 1920x1080 1280x720
Video data format AVCHD MPEG-4
Mic support
Headphone support
Connectivity
Wireless Built-In None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environmental sealing
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 276 grams (0.61 lbs) 167 grams (0.37 lbs)
Dimensions 111 x 59 x 39mm (4.4" x 2.3" x 1.5") 98 x 57 x 23mm (3.9" x 2.2" x 0.9")
DXO scores
DXO Overall score 78 not tested
DXO Color Depth score 23.7 not tested
DXO Dynamic range score 13.1 not tested
DXO Low light score 910 not tested
Other
Battery life 330 photographs -
Battery style Battery Pack -
Battery model NPFW50 -
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec, 10sec (3 images)) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse shooting With downloadable app
Type of storage SD/ SDHC/SDXC, Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo Memory Stick Duo / Pro Duo, Internal
Card slots 1 1
Retail price $750 $230