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Sony W290 vs Sony A58

Portability
94
Imaging
35
Features
28
Overall
32
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W290 front
 
Sony SLT-A58 front
Portability
68
Imaging
63
Features
72
Overall
66

Sony W290 vs Sony A58 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
  • Launched February 2009
Sony A58
(Full Review)
  • 20MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 2.7" Tilting Screen
  • ISO 100 - 16000 (Increase to 25600)
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Sony/Minolta Alpha Mount
  • 492g - 129 x 95 x 78mm
  • Revealed November 2013
  • Older Model is Sony A57
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Sony W290 vs Sony A58 Overview

Lets take a deeper look at the Sony W290 versus Sony A58, one being a Small Sensor Compact and the latter is a Entry-Level DSLR and both are built by Sony. There exists a significant gap between the sensor resolutions of the W290 (12MP) and A58 (20MP) and the W290 (1/2.3") and A58 (APS-C) posses totally different sensor measurements.

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The W290 was revealed 5 years earlier than the A58 and that is quite a sizable gap as far as technology is concerned. The two cameras have different body design with the Sony W290 being a Compact camera and the Sony A58 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before going right into a more detailed comparison, here is a simple summation of how the W290 matches up against the A58 with regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

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Reasons to pick Sony W290 over the Sony A58

 W290 A58 
Screen dimensions3"2.7"Bigger screen (+0.3")

Reasons to pick Sony A58 over the Sony W290

 A58 W290 
RevealedNovember 2013February 2009Fresher by 58 months
Screen typeTiltingFixed Tilting screen
Screen resolution460k230kClearer screen (+230k dot)

Common features in the Sony W290 and Sony A58

 W290 A58 
Focus manually Dial exact focus
Selfie screen No selfie screen
Touch screen No Touch screen

Sony W290 vs Sony A58 Physical Comparison

For anybody who is intending to carry your camera regularly, you're going to have to think about its weight and measurements. The Sony W290 enjoys exterior dimensions of 98mm x 57mm x 23mm (3.9" x 2.2" x 0.9") and a weight of 167 grams (0.37 lbs) and the Sony A58 has proportions of 129mm x 95mm x 78mm (5.1" x 3.7" x 3.1") with a weight of 492 grams (1.08 lbs).

Check out the Sony W290 versus Sony A58 in the latest Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Don't forget, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary based on the lens you use during that time. Here is a front view over all size comparison of the W290 against the A58.

Sony W290 vs Sony A58 size comparison

Looking at dimensions and weight, the portability score of the W290 and A58 is 94 and 68 respectively.

Sony W290 vs Sony A58 top view buttons comparison

Sony W290 vs Sony A58 Sensor Comparison

Normally, it is hard to envision the gap between sensor sizing merely by reading technical specs. The photograph here will help offer you a clearer sense of the sensor sizes in the W290 and A58.

As you can tell, both the cameras provide different megapixels and different sensor sizing. The W290 with its tinier sensor will make shooting shallower DOF more challenging and the Sony A58 will deliver extra detail because of its extra 8 Megapixels. Higher resolution can also let you crop pictures more aggressively. The older W290 is going to be behind with regard to sensor tech.

Sony W290 vs Sony A58 sensor size comparison

Sony W290 vs Sony A58 Screen and ViewFinder

Sony W290 vs Sony A58 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Sony W290 Portrait photography factors
Sony A58 Portrait photography factors
27
manual focus
no manual control
can't use external flash
sensor resolution low (12 megapixels)
tiny sensor (1/2.3")
has no RAW format
77
has manual focus
decent MP (20 megapixels)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
supports face detect focus
saves RAW files
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Street Comparison

Sony W290 Street photography information
Sony A58 Street photography information
56
built in image stabilization (Optical)
screen does not articulate
tiny sensor (1/2.3")
has no RAW format
78
screen tilts
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
saves RAW files
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Sports Comparison

Sony W290 Sports photography highlights
Sony A58 Sports photography highlights
25
built in image stabilization (Optical)
max fps very slow (2.0 fps)
no shutter priority mode
sensor resolution low (12 megapixels)
tiny sensor (1/2.3")
has no phase detect auto focus
81
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent MP (20MP)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
supports tracking focus
great battery (690 per charge)
supports phase detect auto focus
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Travel Comparison

Sony W290 Travel photography info
Sony A58 Travel photography info
57
flash built-in
rather wide (28mm)
lack of Timelapse mode
sensor resolution low (12 megapixels)
screen isn't selfie friendly
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.3)
63
great battery (690 per charge)
decent MP (20 megapixels)
has built in flash
doesn't have Timelapse function
doesn't feature selfie friendly screen
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Landscape Comparison

Sony W290 Landscape photography advice
Sony A58 Landscape photography advice
41
manual focus
rather wide (28mm)
screen size is good (3 inch)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
cannot change lenses (fixed lens mount)
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.3)
no manual control
sensor resolution low (12 megapixels)
tiny sensor (1/2.3")
has no RAW format
lack of Timelapse mode
70
has manual focus
swap lenses (Sony/Minolta Alpha mount)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
decent MP (20MP)
sensor size is nice (APS-C)
saves RAW files
great battery (690 CIPA)
screen is somewhat small (2.7 inches)
doesn't have Timelapse function
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Vlogging Comparison

Sony W290 Vlogging highlights
Sony A58 Vlogging highlights
28
rather wide (28mm)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.3)
screen isn't selfie friendly
low quality video (1280 x 720 pixels)
lack of microphone socket
35
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
supports face detect focus
high res video (1920 x 1080 resolution)
comes with microphone port
doesn't feature selfie friendly screen
Photography Glossary

Sony W290 vs Sony A58 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Sony W290 and Sony A58
 Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W290Sony SLT-A58
General Information
Company Sony Sony
Model Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W290 Sony SLT-A58
Class Small Sensor Compact Entry-Level DSLR
Launched 2009-02-17 2013-11-27
Body design Compact Compact SLR
Sensor Information
Sensor type CCD CMOS
Sensor size 1/2.3" APS-C
Sensor measurements 6.17 x 4.55mm 23.2 x 15.4mm
Sensor area 28.1mm² 357.3mm²
Sensor resolution 12MP 20MP
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 -
Maximum resolution 4000 x 3000 5456 x 3632
Maximum native ISO 3200 16000
Maximum boosted ISO - 25600
Min native ISO 80 100
RAW images
Autofocusing
Manual focus
Autofocus touch
Autofocus continuous
Autofocus single
Tracking autofocus
Autofocus selectice
Center weighted autofocus
Multi area autofocus
Live view autofocus
Face detection focus
Contract detection focus
Phase detection focus
Number of focus points 9 15
Cross focus points - 3
Lens
Lens mounting type fixed lens Sony/Minolta Alpha
Lens focal range 28-140mm (5.0x) -
Max aperture f/3.3-5.2 -
Macro focus distance 10cm -
Available lenses - 143
Crop factor 5.8 1.6
Screen
Screen type Fixed Type Tilting
Screen diagonal 3" 2.7"
Resolution of screen 230 thousand dot 460 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch functionality
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type None Electronic
Viewfinder resolution - 1,440 thousand dot
Viewfinder coverage - 100%
Viewfinder magnification - 0.65x
Features
Slowest shutter speed 2s 30s
Maximum shutter speed 1/1600s 1/4000s
Continuous shooting speed 2.0 frames per sec 8.0 frames per sec
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual exposure
Exposure compensation - Yes
Custom white balance
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash range 3.90 m 10.00 m (@ ISO 100)
Flash options Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye reduction, Slow Sync -
Hot shoe
AEB
WB bracketing
Maximum flash sync - 1/160s
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Video resolutions 1280 x 720 (30 fps) 640 x 480 (30 fps) 1920 x 1080
Maximum video resolution 1280x720 1920x1080
Video format MPEG-4 MPEG-4, AVCHD, H.264
Microphone jack
Headphone jack
Connectivity
Wireless None Eye-Fi Connected
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environment seal
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 167g (0.37 lbs) 492g (1.08 lbs)
Physical dimensions 98 x 57 x 23mm (3.9" x 2.2" x 0.9") 129 x 95 x 78mm (5.1" x 3.7" x 3.1")
DXO scores
DXO All around score not tested 74
DXO Color Depth score not tested 23.3
DXO Dynamic range score not tested 12.5
DXO Low light score not tested 753
Other
Battery life - 690 pictures
Battery form - Battery Pack
Battery model - NP-FM500H
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec) -
Time lapse feature
Type of storage Memory Stick Duo / Pro Duo, Internal SD/SDHC/SDXC/Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo
Storage slots Single Single
Launch price $230 $645