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Sony NEX-7 vs Sony W290

Portability
84
Imaging
63
Features
71
Overall
66
Sony Alpha NEX-7 front
 
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W290 front
Portability
94
Imaging
34
Features
28
Overall
31

Sony NEX-7 vs Sony W290 Key Specs

Sony NEX-7
(Full Review)
  • 24MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Display
  • ISO 100 - 16000
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Sony E Mount
  • 400g - 120 x 67 x 43mm
  • Introduced December 2011
Sony W290
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 80 - 3200
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 28-140mm (F3.3-5.2) lens
  • 167g - 98 x 57 x 23mm
  • Announced February 2009
Photography Glossary

Sony NEX-7 vs Sony W290 Overview

Lets look closer at the Sony NEX-7 and Sony W290, former is a Advanced Mirrorless while the other is a Small Sensor Compact and they are both manufactured by Sony. There exists a large gap among the image resolutions of the NEX-7 (24MP) and W290 (12MP) and the NEX-7 (APS-C) and W290 (1/2.3") provide totally different sensor size.

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The NEX-7 was announced 2 years after the W290 which is a fairly serious difference as far as camera technology is concerned. The two cameras have different body design with the Sony NEX-7 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Sony W290 being a Compact camera.

Before delving into a more detailed comparison, here is a simple summary of how the NEX-7 grades vs the W290 with respect to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

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Reasons to pick Sony NEX-7 over the Sony W290

 NEX-7 W290 
AnnouncedDecember 2011February 2009More modern by 35 months
Display typeTiltingFixed Tilting display
Display resolution921k230kClearer display (+691k dot)

Reasons to pick Sony W290 over the Sony NEX-7

 W290 NEX-7 

Common features in the Sony NEX-7 and Sony W290

 NEX-7 W290 
Manually focus More accurate focus
Display dimensions3"3"Equal display size
Selfie screen Lack of selfie screen
Touch friendly display Lack of Touch friendly display

Sony NEX-7 vs Sony W290 Physical Comparison

If you're looking to carry around your camera often, you will need to take into account its weight and measurements. The Sony NEX-7 enjoys outer measurements of 120mm x 67mm x 43mm (4.7" x 2.6" x 1.7") having a weight of 400 grams (0.88 lbs) whilst the Sony W290 has proportions of 98mm x 57mm x 23mm (3.9" x 2.2" x 0.9") along with a weight of 167 grams (0.37 lbs).

Take a look at the Sony NEX-7 and Sony W290 in our newest Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Remember that, the weight of an ILC will change dependant on the lens you select during that time. Here is a front view scale comparison of the NEX-7 against the W290.

Sony NEX-7 vs Sony W290 size comparison

Taking into consideration dimensions and weight, the portability score of the NEX-7 and W290 is 84 and 94 respectively.

Sony NEX-7 vs Sony W290 top view buttons comparison

Sony NEX-7 vs Sony W290 Sensor Comparison

Normally, it can be tough to visualise the gap in sensor sizes purely by going through a spec sheet. The image below will provide you a far better sense of the sensor sizing in the NEX-7 and W290.

Clearly, both the cameras provide different megapixels and different sensor sizes. The NEX-7 using its larger sensor will make achieving bokeh easier and the Sony NEX-7 will produce more detail with its extra 12MP. Greater resolution will enable you to crop images more aggressively. The newer NEX-7 is going to have an advantage with regard to sensor tech.

Sony NEX-7 vs Sony W290 sensor size comparison

Sony NEX-7 vs Sony W290 Screen and ViewFinder

Sony NEX-7 vs Sony W290 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Sony NEX-7 Portrait photography factors
Sony W290 Portrait photography factors
77
you can focus manually
good megapixels (24MP)
nice sensor size (APS-C)
provides face detect focus
saves RAW files
27
manual focus
manual exposure not possible
no external flash support
MP count low (12 megapixels)
sensor is small (1/2.3")
does not have RAW format
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Street Comparison

Sony NEX-7 Street photography info
Sony W290 Street photography info
76
screen tilts up and down
nice sensor size (APS-C)
saves RAW files
no image stabilization
56
has image stabilization (Optical)
fixed screen
sensor is small (1/2.3")
does not have RAW format
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Sports Comparison

Sony NEX-7 Sports photography advice
Sony W290 Sports photography advice
61
good megapixels (24 megapixels)
nice sensor size (APS-C)
better than average battery (430 CIPA)
no image stabilization
lacks phase detect auto focus
25
has image stabilization (Optical)
painfully slow continuous shooting (2.0 frames per second)
lack of shutter priority mode
MP count low (12MP)
sensor is small (1/2.3")
does not have phase detect autofocus
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Travel Comparison

Sony NEX-7 Travel photography information
Sony W290 Travel photography information
70
better than average battery (430 per charge)
good megapixels (24MP)
has built in flash
doesn't have Timelapse mode
display isn't selfie friendly
57
built-in flash
quite wide (28mm)
doesn't have Timelapse mode
MP count low (12MP)
display isn't selfie friendly
slow max aperture (f3.3)
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Landscape Comparison

Sony NEX-7 Landscape photography details
Sony W290 Landscape photography details
72
you can focus manually
interchangeable lenses (Sony E mount)
screen is a good size (3 inches)
good megapixels (24 megapixels)
nice sensor size (APS-C)
saves RAW files
better than average battery (430 shots)
no image stabilization
doesn't have Timelapse mode
41
manual focus
quite wide (28mm)
screen is a good size (3")
has image stabilization (Optical)
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
slow max aperture (f3.3)
manual exposure not possible
MP count low (12 megapixels)
sensor is small (1/2.3")
does not have RAW format
doesn't have Timelapse mode
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Vlogging Comparison

Sony NEX-7 as a Vlogging camera
Sony W290 as a Vlogging camera
35
provides face detect focus
video resolution high (1920 x 1080 pxls)
has microphone port
display isn't selfie friendly
no image stabilization
28
quite wide (28mm)
has image stabilization (Optical)
slow max aperture (f3.3)
display isn't selfie friendly
low video resolution (1280 x 720 resolution)
doesn't have external microphone socket
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Sony NEX-7 vs Sony W290 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Sony NEX-7 and Sony W290
 Sony Alpha NEX-7Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W290
General Information
Brand Name Sony Sony
Model Sony Alpha NEX-7 Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W290
Category Advanced Mirrorless Small Sensor Compact
Introduced 2011-12-13 2009-02-17
Physical type Rangefinder-style mirrorless Compact
Sensor Information
Powered by Bionz -
Sensor type CMOS CCD
Sensor size APS-C 1/2.3"
Sensor measurements 23.5 x 15.6mm 6.17 x 4.55mm
Sensor surface area 366.6mm² 28.1mm²
Sensor resolution 24 megapixels 12 megapixels
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 3:2 and 16:9 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Highest resolution 6000 x 4000 4000 x 3000
Highest native ISO 16000 3200
Minimum native ISO 100 80
RAW photos
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch to focus
Continuous autofocus
Autofocus single
Autofocus tracking
Autofocus selectice
Center weighted autofocus
Autofocus multi area
Live view autofocus
Face detect focus
Contract detect focus
Phase detect focus
Number of focus points 25 9
Lens
Lens mounting type Sony E fixed lens
Lens focal range - 28-140mm (5.0x)
Maximum aperture - f/3.3-5.2
Macro focus distance - 10cm
Number of lenses 121 -
Crop factor 1.5 5.8
Screen
Type of display Tilting Fixed Type
Display sizing 3 inches 3 inches
Resolution of display 921k dots 230k dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch screen
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Electronic None
Viewfinder coverage 100 percent -
Viewfinder magnification 0.73x -
Features
Lowest shutter speed 30s 2s
Highest shutter speed 1/4000s 1/1600s
Continuous shooting rate 10.0 frames/s 2.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes -
Custom white balance
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash range 6.00 m 3.90 m
Flash modes Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, Rear Curtain, Fill-in, Wireless Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye reduction, Slow Sync
External flash
AE bracketing
White balance bracketing
Highest flash synchronize 1/160s -
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Supported video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (60, 24 fps), 1440 x 1080 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps) 1280 x 720 (30 fps) 640 x 480 (30 fps)
Highest video resolution 1920x1080 1280x720
Video file format MPEG-4, AVCHD MPEG-4
Microphone port
Headphone port
Connectivity
Wireless Eye-Fi Connected None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environment sealing
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 400 gr (0.88 lb) 167 gr (0.37 lb)
Physical dimensions 120 x 67 x 43mm (4.7" x 2.6" x 1.7") 98 x 57 x 23mm (3.9" x 2.2" x 0.9")
DXO scores
DXO All around score 81 not tested
DXO Color Depth score 24.1 not tested
DXO Dynamic range score 13.4 not tested
DXO Low light score 1016 not tested
Other
Battery life 430 photos -
Battery type Battery Pack -
Battery model NPFW50 -
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec, 10sec (3 or 5 images)) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse feature
Storage type SD/SDHC/SDXC/Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo Memory Stick Duo / Pro Duo, Internal
Card slots 1 1
Retail pricing $699 $230