Clicky

Sony a3500 vs Sony W290

Portability
69
Imaging
63
Features
54
Overall
59
Sony Alpha a3500 front
 
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W290 front
Portability
94
Imaging
34
Features
28
Overall
31

Sony a3500 vs Sony W290 Key Specs

Sony a3500
(Full Review)
  • 20MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 100 - 16000
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Sony E Mount
  • 411g - 128 x 91 x 85mm
  • Launched March 2014
  • Old Model is Sony A3000
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
  • Revealed February 2009
Meta to Introduce 'AI-Generated' Labels for Media starting next month

Sony a3500 vs Sony W290 Overview

Lets examine more in depth at the Sony a3500 and Sony W290, former being a Entry-Level Mirrorless while the other is a Small Sensor Compact and they are both created by Sony. There exists a substantial gap among the image resolutions of the a3500 (20MP) and W290 (12MP) and the a3500 (APS-C) and W290 (1/2.3") possess totally different sensor size.

Sora from OpenAI releases its first ever music video

The a3500 was revealed 5 years later than the W290 and that is a fairly big difference as far as camera technology is concerned. Each of the cameras offer different body type with the Sony a3500 being a SLR-style mirrorless camera and the Sony W290 being a Compact camera.

Before delving in to a thorough comparison, below is a quick summation of how the a3500 matches up against the W290 in terms of portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

Photography Glossary

				

Reasons to pick Sony a3500 over the Sony W290

 a3500 W290 
RevealedMarch 2014February 2009Fresher by 62 months

Reasons to pick Sony W290 over the Sony a3500

 W290 a3500 

Common features in the Sony a3500 and Sony W290

 a3500 W290 
Manual focus More exact focus
Display typeFixed Fixed Fixed display
Display sizing3"3"Equivalent display size
Display resolution230k230kExact same display resolution
Selfie screen Absent selfie screen
Touch display Absent Touch display

Sony a3500 vs Sony W290 Physical Comparison

For anybody who is going to carry your camera, you're going to have to take into account its weight and size. The Sony a3500 features external dimensions of 128mm x 91mm x 85mm (5.0" x 3.6" x 3.3") with a weight of 411 grams (0.91 lbs) and the Sony W290 has specifications of 98mm x 57mm x 23mm (3.9" x 2.2" x 0.9") accompanied by a weight of 167 grams (0.37 lbs).

Examine the Sony a3500 and Sony W290 in our brand new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Bear in mind, the weight of an ILC will change dependant on the lens you are utilising during that time. Below is the front view sizing comparison of the a3500 versus the W290.

Sony a3500 vs Sony W290 size comparison

Looking at dimensions and weight, the portability score of the a3500 and W290 is 69 and 94 respectively.

Sony a3500 vs Sony W290 top view buttons comparison

Sony a3500 vs Sony W290 Sensor Comparison

Typically, it can be hard to envision the difference in sensor sizing just by researching technical specs. The visual below may give you a more clear sense of the sensor sizes in the a3500 and W290.

As you can tell, each of the cameras enjoy different resolutions and different sensor sizing. The a3500 having a larger sensor will make shooting bokeh less difficult and the Sony a3500 will provide you with more detail because of its extra 8 Megapixels. Greater resolution will allow you to crop pics far more aggressively. The fresher a3500 will have a benefit when it comes to sensor tech.

Sony a3500 vs Sony W290 sensor size comparison

Sony a3500 vs Sony W290 Screen and ViewFinder

Sony a3500 vs Sony W290 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
Apple Innovates by Creating Next-Level Optical Stabilization for iPhone

Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Sony a3500 Portrait photography info
Sony W290 Portrait photography info
77
manual focus
megapixel count good (20 megapixels)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
features face detect focus
supports RAW files
27
focusing manually
no manual control
can't use external flash
sensor resolution low (12MP)
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
no RAW format
Japan-exclusive Leica Leitz Phone 3 features big sensor and new modes

Street Comparison

Sony a3500 as a Street photography camera
Sony W290 as a Street photography camera
57
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
supports RAW files
fixed screen
no image stabilization
heavier than average (411 grams)
56
built in image stabilization (Optical)
no articulating screen
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
no RAW format
Snapchat Adds Watermarks to AI-Created Images

Sports Comparison

Sony a3500 Sports photography highlights
Sony W290 Sports photography highlights
60
megapixel count good (20MP)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
features tracking focus
better than average battery pack (470 per charge)
continuous shooting slow (4.0 frames per second)
no image stabilization
no phase detect auto focus
25
built in image stabilization (Optical)
low fps (2.0 frames/s)
lack of shutter priority mode
sensor resolution low (12MP)
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
no phase detect auto focus
Samsung Releases Faster Versions of EVO MicroSD Cards

Travel Comparison

Sony a3500 Travel photography features
Sony W290 Travel photography features
60
better than average battery pack (470 per charge)
megapixel count good (20MP)
flash built-in
doesn't have Time Lapse function
heavier than average (411g)
display isn't selfie friendly
57
has built in flash
fairly wide (28mm)
does not have Time Lapse recording
sensor resolution low (12 megapixels)
does not contain selfie friendly display
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.3)
President Biden pushes bill mandating TikTok sale or ban

Landscape Comparison

Sony a3500 as a Landscape photography camera
Sony W290 as a Landscape photography camera
70
manual focus
interchangeable lenses (Sony E mount)
nice screen size (3")
megapixel count good (20MP)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
supports RAW files
better than average battery pack (470 per charge)
no image stabilization
doesn't have Time Lapse function
41
focusing manually
fairly wide (28mm)
good sized screen (3 inch)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.3)
no manual control
sensor resolution low (12 megapixels)
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
no RAW format
does not have Time Lapse recording
Photobucket discusses licensing 13 billion images with AI firms

Vlogging Comparison

Sony a3500 Vlogging highlights
Sony W290 Vlogging highlights
26
features face detect focus
high quality video (1920 x 1080 resolution)
display isn't selfie friendly
no image stabilization
doesn't have mic socket
heavier than average (411 grams)
28
fairly wide (28mm)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.3)
does not contain selfie friendly display
video quality not great (1280 x 720 pxls)
does not have mic port
Pentax 17 Pre-Orders Outperform Expectations by a Landslide

Sony a3500 vs Sony W290 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Sony a3500 and Sony W290
 Sony Alpha a3500Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W290
General Information
Company Sony Sony
Model Sony Alpha a3500 Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W290
Class Entry-Level Mirrorless Small Sensor Compact
Launched 2014-03-21 2009-02-17
Body design SLR-style mirrorless Compact
Sensor Information
Processor BIONZ image -
Sensor type CMOS CCD
Sensor size APS-C 1/2.3"
Sensor dimensions 23.5 x 15.6mm 6.17 x 4.55mm
Sensor area 366.6mm² 28.1mm²
Sensor resolution 20MP 12MP
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 3:2 and 16:9 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Highest Possible resolution 5456 x 3632 4000 x 3000
Maximum native ISO 16000 3200
Min native ISO 100 80
RAW pictures
Autofocusing
Manual focus
Autofocus touch
Autofocus continuous
Single autofocus
Autofocus tracking
Selective autofocus
Center weighted autofocus
Multi area autofocus
Autofocus live view
Face detect autofocus
Contract detect autofocus
Phase detect autofocus
Number of focus points 25 9
Lens
Lens mounting type Sony E fixed lens
Lens focal range - 28-140mm (5.0x)
Highest aperture - f/3.3-5.2
Macro focus range - 10cm
Available lenses 121 -
Focal length multiplier 1.5 5.8
Screen
Range of display Fixed Type Fixed Type
Display diagonal 3 inches 3 inches
Resolution of display 230 thousand dot 230 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch screen
Display technology TFT LCD -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Electronic None
Viewfinder coverage 100% -
Viewfinder magnification 0.47x -
Features
Min shutter speed 30 secs 2 secs
Max shutter speed 1/4000 secs 1/1600 secs
Continuous shutter speed 4.0 frames/s 2.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes -
Set white balance
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash range 6.00 m (at ISO200 / 4m at ISO100) 3.90 m
Flash settings Flash off, Auto flash, Fill-flash, Slow Sync., Rear Sync. Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye reduction, Slow Sync
Hot shoe
AEB
WB bracketing
Max flash sync 1/160 secs -
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Supported video resolutions 1920 x 1080 1280 x 720 (30 fps) 640 x 480 (30 fps)
Maximum video resolution 1920x1080 1280x720
Video file format AVCHD, H.264 MPEG-4
Mic jack
Headphone jack
Connectivity
Wireless None None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environmental seal
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 411 grams (0.91 lb) 167 grams (0.37 lb)
Dimensions 128 x 91 x 85mm (5.0" x 3.6" x 3.3") 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 470 pictures -
Battery form Battery Pack -
Battery model NP-FW50 -
Self timer Yes (2-sec. or 10-sec. delay) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse shooting
Storage media - Memory Stick Duo / Pro Duo, Internal
Storage slots Single Single
Price at release $398 $230