Sony a1 vs Sony W290

Let's look closer at the Sony a1 vs Sony W290, one is a Pro Mirrorless and the other is a Small Sensor Compact and both of them are built by Sony. There is a big difference among the resolutions of the a1 (50MP) and W290 (12MP) and the a1 (Full frame) and W290 (1/2.3") posses different sensor sizes.

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The a1 was unveiled 12 years after the W290 which is a fairly big gap as far as camera tech is concerned. Both of the cameras feature different body design with the Sony a1 being a SLR-style mirrorless camera and the Sony W290 being a Compact camera.

Before we go right into a detailed comparison, here is a short highlight of how the a1 grades vs the W290 when it comes to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

Below is a sample of the gallery pictures for Sony Alpha a1 and Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W290. The full galleries are available at Sony a1 Gallery and Sony W290 Gallery.

If you are looking to carry around your camera regularly, you will want to take into account its weight and volume. The Sony a1 provides exterior measurements of 129mm x 97mm x 70mm (5.1" x 3.8" x 2.8") and a weight of 737 grams (1.62 lbs) whilst the Sony W290 has sizing of 98mm x 57mm x 23mm (3.9" x 2.2" x 0.9") along with a weight of 167 grams (0.37 lbs).

Compare the Sony a1 vs Sony W290 in the new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Take into consideration, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change based on the lens you are working with at the time. The following is a front view dimension comparison of the a1 against the W290.

Taking into account size and weight, the portability grade of the a1 and W290 is 61 and 94 respectively.

Often, it is very hard to visualize the gap in sensor sizes merely by viewing technical specs. The pic underneath will give you a greater sense of the sensor sizing in the a1 and W290.

As you can tell, both of these cameras come with different megapixels and different sensor sizes. The a1 having a larger sensor is going to make getting bokeh less difficult and the Sony a1 will render greater detail having an extra 38 Megapixels. Greater resolution can also make it easier to crop pics a good deal more aggressively. The younger a1 should have a benefit when it comes to sensor technology.