Sony NEX-6 vs Sony W290

On this page, we are looking at the Sony NEX-6 versus Sony W290, former being a Advanced Mirrorless while the other is a Small Sensor Compact and both of them are sold by Sony. There is a sizable difference between the sensor resolutions of the NEX-6 (16MP) and W290 (12MP) and the NEX-6 (APS-C) and W290 (1/2.3") offer different sensor dimensions.

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The NEX-6 was manufactured 4 years later than the W290 and that is quite a significant difference as far as tech is concerned. Each of the cameras have different body design with the Sony NEX-6 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Sony W290 being a Compact camera.

Before getting into a in-depth comparison, here is a short summary of how the NEX-6 matches up versus the W290 with respect to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

This is a sample of the gallery pics for Sony Alpha NEX-6 & Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W290. The entire galleries are viewable at Sony NEX-6 Gallery & Sony W290 Gallery.

For anyone who is going to lug around your camera frequently, you're going to have to take into account its weight and dimensions. The Sony NEX-6 provides outer measurements of 120mm x 67mm x 43mm (4.7" x 2.6" x 1.7") along with a weight of 345 grams (0.76 lbs) and 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).

Examine the Sony NEX-6 versus Sony W290 in our completely new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Take into account, the weight of an ILC will change based on the lens you choose during that time. Here is a front view measurement comparison of the NEX-6 against the W290.

Taking into account size and weight, the portability rating of the NEX-6 and W290 is 85 and 94 respectively.

Oftentimes, it's difficult to picture the difference between sensor measurements merely by looking at specs. The photograph below will provide you a clearer sense of the sensor sizing in the NEX-6 and W290.

As you can plainly see, both of those cameras provide different resolutions and different sensor measurements. The NEX-6 due to its larger sensor is going to make getting shallower DOF easier and the Sony NEX-6 will give you extra detail due to its extra 4 Megapixels. Greater resolution will also let you crop images more aggressively. The fresher NEX-6 should have an advantage when it comes to sensor tech.