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Sony a1 vs Sony W290

Portability
61
Imaging
81
Features
93
Overall
85
Sony Alpha a1 front
 
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W290 front
Portability
94
Imaging
34
Features
28
Overall
31

Sony a1 vs Sony W290 Key Specs

Sony a1
(Full Review)
  • 50MP - Full frame Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Display
  • ISO 100 - 32000 (Raise to 102400)
  • Sensor based 5-axis Image Stabilization
  • 1/8000s Max Shutter
  • 7680 x 4320 video
  • Sony E Mount
  • 737g - 129 x 97 x 70mm
  • Announced January 2021
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
  • Launched February 2009
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Sony a1 vs Sony W290 Overview

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.

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Reasons to pick Sony a1 over the Sony W290

 a1 W290 
LaunchedJanuary 2021February 2009More modern by 146 months
Display typeTiltingFixed Tilting display
Display resolution1440k230kCrisper display (+1210k dot)
Touch display Easily navigate

Reasons to pick Sony W290 over the Sony a1

 W290 a1 

Common features in the Sony a1 and Sony W290

 a1 W290 
Manually focus Very precise focus
Display size3"3"Same display dimensions
Selfie screen Neither provides selfie screen

Sony a1 vs Sony W290 Physical Comparison

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. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

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.

Sony a1 vs Sony W290 size comparison

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

Sony a1 vs Sony W290 top view buttons comparison

Sony a1 vs Sony W290 Sensor Comparison

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.

Sony a1 vs Sony W290 sensor size comparison

Sony a1 vs Sony W290 Screen and ViewFinder

Sony a1 vs Sony W290 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Portrait photography with Sony a1
Portrait photography with Sony W290
88
focusing manually
great flash sync speed (1/400 seconds)
excellent MP (50MP)
large sensor size (Full frame)
offers face detection focus
supports RAW formats
27
has manual focus
lack of manual mode
external flash not possible
low resolution (12MP)
sensor size is very small (1/2.3")
lack of RAW files
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Street Comparison

Sony a1 as a Street photography camera
Sony W290 as a Street photography camera
79
has a tilting screen
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
large sensor size (Full frame)
supports RAW formats
offers touch focus
weather proofing
good ISO range (32,000)
56
image stabilization (Optical)
no articulating screen
sensor size is very small (1/2.3")
lack of RAW files
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Sports Comparison

Sony a1 Sports photography highlights
Sony W290 Sports photography highlights
90
max shutter speed is good (1/8,000s)
quiet shooting (1/32,000s)
fast continuous shooting (30.0 frames per second)
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
excellent MP (50MP)
large sensor size (Full frame)
offers tracking autofocus
weather proofing
good battery pack (530 shots)
sensor has phase detect auto focus
25
image stabilization (Optical)
max frames per second low (2.0 frames/s)
lack of shutter priority mode
low resolution (12MP)
sensor size is very small (1/2.3")
lack of phase detect AF
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Travel Comparison

Sony a1 as a Travel photography camera
Sony W290 as a Travel photography camera
73
good battery pack (530 shots)
weather proofing
has bluetooth
offers touch focus
excellent MP (50MP)
display is not selfie friendly
57
flash built-in
decently wide (28mm)
doesn't have Timelapse mode
low resolution (12 megapixels)
does not contain selfie friendly display
sluggish max aperture (f3.3)
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Landscape Comparison

Landscape photography with Sony a1
Landscape photography with Sony W290
88
focusing manually
switch lenses (Sony E mount)
pretty good screen size (3 inches)
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
excellent MP (50MP)
large sensor size (Full frame)
good ISO range (32,000)
supports RAW formats
weather proofing
good battery pack (530 shots)
has dual storage slots
41
has manual focus
decently wide (28mm)
nice screen size (3 inch)
image stabilization (Optical)
cannot swap lens (fixed lens mount)
sluggish max aperture (f3.3)
lack of manual mode
low resolution (12 megapixels)
sensor size is very small (1/2.3")
lack of RAW files
doesn't have Timelapse mode
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Vlogging Comparison

Sony a1 Vlogging features
Sony W290 Vlogging features
36
touchscreen capability
has image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
offers face detection focus
good video quality (7680 x 4320 pxls)
includes external microphone jack
display is not selfie friendly
28
decently wide (28mm)
image stabilization (Optical)
sluggish max aperture (f3.3)
does not contain selfie friendly display
low res video (1280 x 720 pixels)
doesn't have external microphone port
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Sony a1 vs Sony W290 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Sony a1 and Sony W290
 Sony Alpha a1Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W290
General Information
Brand Sony Sony
Model Sony Alpha a1 Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W290
Category Pro Mirrorless Small Sensor Compact
Announced 2021-01-26 2009-02-17
Body design SLR-style mirrorless Compact
Sensor Information
Sensor type BSI-CMOS CCD
Sensor size Full frame 1/2.3"
Sensor measurements 35.9 x 24mm 6.17 x 4.55mm
Sensor area 861.6mm² 28.1mm²
Sensor resolution 50MP 12MP
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Peak resolution 8640 x 5760 4000 x 3000
Highest native ISO 32000 3200
Highest enhanced ISO 102400 -
Minimum native ISO 100 80
RAW format
Minimum enhanced ISO 50 -
Autofocusing
Manual focus
AF touch
AF continuous
AF single
AF tracking
Selective AF
Center weighted AF
Multi area AF
AF live view
Face detect focusing
Contract detect focusing
Phase detect focusing
Number of focus points 759 9
Lens
Lens mount Sony E fixed lens
Lens focal range - 28-140mm (5.0x)
Max aperture - f/3.3-5.2
Macro focus range - 10cm
Amount of lenses 133 -
Focal length multiplier 1 5.8
Screen
Display type Tilting Fixed Type
Display diagonal 3 inch 3 inch
Display resolution 1,440 thousand dot 230 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch operation
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Electronic None
Viewfinder resolution 9,437 thousand dot -
Viewfinder coverage 100% -
Viewfinder magnification 0.9x -
Features
Minimum shutter speed 30 secs 2 secs
Fastest shutter speed 1/8000 secs 1/1600 secs
Fastest quiet shutter speed 1/32000 secs -
Continuous shutter speed 30.0 frames/s 2.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual exposure
Exposure compensation Yes -
Change WB
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash range no built-in flash 3.90 m
Flash settings Flash off, Autoflash, Fill-flash, Slow Sync., Rear Sync., Red-eye reduction, Wireless, Hi-speed sync Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye reduction, Slow Sync
External flash
Auto exposure bracketing
WB bracketing
Fastest flash sync 1/400 secs -
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Video resolutions 7680x4320 (30p, 25p, 23.98) 1280 x 720 (30 fps) 640 x 480 (30 fps)
Highest video resolution 7680x4320 1280x720
Video file format XAVC S, XAVC HS, H.264, H.265 MPEG-4
Microphone jack
Headphone jack
Connectivity
Wireless Built-In None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB Yes USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environmental seal
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 737 gr (1.62 lbs) 167 gr (0.37 lbs)
Physical dimensions 129 x 97 x 70mm (5.1" x 3.8" x 2.8") 98 x 57 x 23mm (3.9" x 2.2" x 0.9")
DXO scores
DXO Overall score not tested not tested
DXO Color Depth score not tested not tested
DXO Dynamic range score not tested not tested
DXO Low light score not tested not tested
Other
Battery life 530 images -
Style of battery Battery Pack -
Battery model NP-FZ100 -
Self timer Yes Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse shooting
Type of storage Dual SD/CFexpress Type A slots (UHS-II supported) Memory Stick Duo / Pro Duo, Internal
Storage slots Dual Single
Retail cost $6,498 $230