Sony HX300 vs Sony W290

Below is a in-depth assessment of the Sony HX300 and Sony W290, former being a Small Sensor Superzoom while the other is a Small Sensor Compact and both of them are designed by Sony. There is a considerable difference between the sensor resolutions of the HX300 (20MP) and W290 (12MP) but they feature the exact same sensor sizing (1/2.3").

Photography Glossary

The HX300 was manufactured 4 years later than the W290 and that is quite a large difference as far as tech is concerned. Both cameras come with different body type with the Sony HX300 being a SLR-like (bridge) camera and the Sony W290 being a Compact camera.

Before we go straight into a in-depth comparison, below is a quick synopsis of how the HX300 grades versus the W290 when considering portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

This is a sample of the gallery pics for Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX300 & Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W290. The entire galleries are available at Sony HX300 Gallery & Sony W290 Gallery.

If you are going to lug around your camera often, you need to factor in its weight and volume. The Sony HX300 enjoys outer dimensions of 130mm x 103mm x 93mm (5.1" x 4.1" x 3.7") having a weight of 623 grams (1.37 lbs) and the Sony W290 has sizing of 98mm x 57mm x 23mm (3.9" x 2.2" x 0.9") with a weight of 167 grams (0.37 lbs).

Analyze the Sony HX300 and Sony W290 in our brand new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Take into consideration, the weight of an ILC will differ dependant on the lens you choose at that moment. Here is the front view scale comparison of the HX300 compared to the W290.

Factoring in size and weight, the portability rating of the HX300 and W290 is 63 and 94 respectively.

Often, it's tough to see the difference between sensor measurements only by reading specifications. The photograph here will help provide you a clearer sense of the sensor sizes in the HX300 and W290.

Plainly, each of these cameras posses the exact same sensor measurements but not the same megapixels. You can expect to see the Sony HX300 to offer more detail due to its extra 8MP. Greater resolution will let you crop photos somewhat more aggressively. The fresher HX300 is going to have an advantage in sensor technology.