Sony NEX-7 vs Sony W290

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.

Here is a sample of the gallery pics for Sony Alpha NEX-7 & Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W290. The whole galleries are viewable at Sony NEX-7 Gallery & Sony W290 Gallery.

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.

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.

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

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.