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Sony W290 vs Sony W800

Portability
94
Imaging
35
Features
28
Overall
32
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W290 front
 
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W800 front
Portability
96
Imaging
45
Features
29
Overall
38

Sony W290 vs Sony W800 Key Specs

Sony W290
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 80 - 3200
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 28-140mm (F3.3-5.2) lens
  • 167g - 98 x 57 x 23mm
  • Announced February 2009
Sony W800
(Full Review)
  • 20MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 2.7" Fixed Display
  • ISO 100 - 3200
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 26-130mm (F3.2-6.4) lens
  • 125g - 97 x 55 x 21mm
  • Introduced February 2014
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Sony W290 vs Sony W800 Overview

In this article, we are contrasting the Sony W290 and Sony W800, both Small Sensor Compact cameras and they are both created by Sony. There exists a noticeable gap among the image resolutions of the W290 (12MP) and W800 (20MP) but they possess the same exact sensor size (1/2.3").

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The W290 was unveiled 6 years earlier than the W800 and that is a fairly sizable difference as far as camera technology is concerned. Each of the cameras offer the identical body type (Compact).

Before diving in to a thorough comparison, below is a concise summary of how the W290 matches up vs the W800 with respect to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

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Reasons to pick Sony W290 over the Sony W800

 W290 W800 
Manually focus More accurate focus
Display sizing3"2.7"Larger display (+0.3")

Reasons to pick Sony W800 over the Sony W290

 W800 W290 
IntroducedFebruary 2014February 2009More recent by 60 months

Common features in the Sony W290 and Sony W800

 W290 W800 
Display typeFixed Fixed Fixed display
Display resolution230k230kExact same display resolution
Selfie screen No selfie screen
Touch friendly display Neither features Touch friendly display

Sony W290 vs Sony W800 Physical Comparison

If you're looking to lug around your camera, you need to take into account its weight and size. The Sony W290 enjoys outer measurements of 98mm x 57mm x 23mm (3.9" x 2.2" x 0.9") and a weight of 167 grams (0.37 lbs) whilst the Sony W800 has specifications of 97mm x 55mm x 21mm (3.8" x 2.2" x 0.8") along with a weight of 125 grams (0.28 lbs).

Analyze the Sony W290 and Sony W800 in our completely new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Always remember, the weight of an ILC will differ dependant on the lens you select at that time. Underneath is the front view dimension comparison of the W290 vs the W800.

Sony W290 vs Sony W800 size comparison

Looking at dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the W290 and W800 is 94 and 96 respectively.

Sony W290 vs Sony W800 top view buttons comparison

Sony W290 vs Sony W800 Sensor Comparison

Quite often, its tough to visualize the difference in sensor measurements simply by looking through a spec sheet. The visual below will give you a better sense of the sensor sizing in the W290 and W800.

As you can see, both of these cameras enjoy the same exact sensor sizing but different resolution. You can expect to see the Sony W800 to provide you with extra detail having an extra 8 Megapixels. Greater resolution will also enable you to crop photos far more aggressively. The older W290 will be behind in sensor technology.

Sony W290 vs Sony W800 sensor size comparison

Sony W290 vs Sony W800 Screen and ViewFinder

Sony W290 vs Sony W800 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Sony W290 Portrait photography details
Sony W800 Portrait photography details
27
manual focus
no manual exposure
external flash not possible
MP count low (12MP)
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
lack of RAW support
38
MP count decent (20MP)
offers face detect autofocus
no manual focus
manual exposure not possible
no external flash support
small sensor (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW files
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Street Comparison

Sony W290 Street photography features
Sony W800 Street photography features
56
built in image stabilization (Optical)
screen is fixed
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
lack of RAW support
65
has image stabilization (Optical)
lighter than competition in class (125g)
screen is fixed
small sensor (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW files
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Sports Comparison

Sony W290 as a Sports photography camera
Sony W800 as a Sports photography camera
25
built in image stabilization (Optical)
max frames per second low (2.0 frames per second)
no shutter priority mode
MP count low (12 megapixels)
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
lack of phase detect auto focus
43
has image stabilization (Optical)
MP count decent (20 megapixels)
offers tracking focus
painfully slow continuous shooting (1.0 frames/s)
lack of shutter priority mode
small sensor (1/2.3")
doesn't have phase detect autofocus
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Travel Comparison

Sony W290 Travel photography highlights
Sony W800 Travel photography highlights
57
flash built-in
really wide (28mm)
no Time Lapse recording
MP count low (12MP)
doesn't posses selfie friendly screen
somewhat slow max aperture (f3.3)
70
lighter than competition in class (125g)
MP count decent (20 megapixels)
has built in flash
reasonably wide (26mm)
missing Time Lapse function
does not posses selfie friendly screen
slow maximum aperture (f3.2)
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Landscape Comparison

Sony W290 Landscape photography information
Sony W800 Landscape photography information
41
manual focus
really wide (28mm)
screen size is decent (3 inches)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
somewhat slow max aperture (f3.3)
no manual exposure
MP count low (12 megapixels)
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
lack of RAW support
no Time Lapse recording
41
reasonably wide (26mm)
has image stabilization (Optical)
MP count decent (20MP)
no manual focus
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
slow maximum aperture (f3.2)
small screen (2.7 inches)
manual exposure not possible
small sensor (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW files
missing Time Lapse function
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Vlogging Comparison

Sony W290 Vlogging information
Sony W800 Vlogging information
28
really wide (28mm)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
somewhat slow max aperture (f3.3)
doesn't posses selfie friendly screen
low res video (1280 x 720 pixels)
no external mic socket
33
reasonably wide (26mm)
has image stabilization (Optical)
offers face detect autofocus
lighter than competition in class (125 grams)
slow maximum aperture (f3.2)
does not posses selfie friendly screen
video quality not great (1280 x 720 pixels)
missing mic support
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Sony W290 vs Sony W800 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Sony W290 and Sony W800
 Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W290Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W800
General Information
Brand Name Sony Sony
Model type Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W290 Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W800
Class Small Sensor Compact Small Sensor Compact
Announced 2009-02-17 2014-02-13
Physical type Compact Compact
Sensor Information
Sensor type CCD CCD
Sensor size 1/2.3" 1/2.3"
Sensor dimensions 6.17 x 4.55mm 6.17 x 4.55mm
Sensor surface area 28.1mm² 28.1mm²
Sensor resolution 12 megapixel 20 megapixel
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 4:3 and 16:9
Max resolution 4000 x 3000 5152 x 3864
Max native ISO 3200 3200
Lowest native ISO 80 100
RAW data
Autofocusing
Manual focusing
AF touch
AF continuous
Single AF
Tracking AF
AF selectice
AF center weighted
Multi area AF
Live view AF
Face detection focusing
Contract detection focusing
Phase detection focusing
Total focus points 9 -
Cross type focus points - -
Lens
Lens support fixed lens fixed lens
Lens zoom range 28-140mm (5.0x) 26-130mm (5.0x)
Maximal aperture f/3.3-5.2 f/3.2-6.4
Macro focusing distance 10cm -
Crop factor 5.8 5.8
Screen
Type of screen Fixed Type Fixed Type
Screen size 3" 2.7"
Resolution of screen 230k dots 230k dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch friendly
Screen technology - TFT LCD display
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type None None
Features
Minimum shutter speed 2s 2s
Fastest shutter speed 1/1600s 1/1500s
Continuous shutter rate 2.0 frames/s 1.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Change WB
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash distance 3.90 m 3.50 m
Flash modes Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye reduction, Slow Sync Auto / Flash On / Slow Synchro / Flash Off / Advanced Flash
Hot shoe
AE bracketing
WB bracketing
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Supported video resolutions 1280 x 720 (30 fps) 640 x 480 (30 fps) 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps)
Max video resolution 1280x720 1280x720
Video format MPEG-4 AVI MPEG4
Mic support
Headphone support
Connectivity
Wireless None None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environment sealing
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 167 gr (0.37 lbs) 125 gr (0.28 lbs)
Dimensions 98 x 57 x 23mm (3.9" x 2.2" x 0.9") 97 x 55 x 21mm (3.8" x 2.2" x 0.8")
DXO scores
DXO Overall rating not tested not tested
DXO Color Depth rating not tested not tested
DXO Dynamic range rating not tested not tested
DXO Low light rating not tested not tested
Other
Battery ID - NP-BN
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec, Portrait 1/2)
Time lapse feature
Storage type Memory Stick Duo / Pro Duo, Internal SD/SDHC/SDXC/Memory Stick Duo/Memory Stick Pro Duo, Memory Stick Pro-HG Duo
Card slots 1 1
Pricing at release $230 $90