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Sony W690 vs Sony A37

Portability
95
Imaging
39
Features
32
Overall
36
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W690 front
 
Sony SLT-A37 front
Portability
67
Imaging
57
Features
65
Overall
60

Sony W690 vs Sony A37 Key Specs

Sony W690
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 80 - 3200
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 25-250mm (F3.3-5.9) lens
  • 142g - 94 x 56 x 22mm
  • Introduced February 2012
Sony A37
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 2.6" Tilting Screen
  • ISO 100 - 25600
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Sony/Minolta Alpha Mount
  • 506g - 124 x 92 x 85mm
  • Released May 2012
  • Previous Model is Sony A35
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Sony W690 vs Sony A37 Overview

The following is a thorough assessment of the Sony W690 versus Sony A37, former is a Small Sensor Compact while the latter is a Entry-Level DSLR and both of them are designed by Sony. The sensor resolution of the W690 (16MP) and the A37 (16MP) is pretty close but the W690 (1/2.3") and A37 (APS-C) come with totally different sensor dimensions.

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The W690 was manufactured 2 months prior to the A37 so they are of a similar age. Each of the cameras come with different body type with the Sony W690 being a Compact camera and the Sony A37 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before going straight into a in depth comparison, below is a concise highlight of how the W690 matches up vs the A37 when it comes to portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

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Reasons to pick Sony W690 over the Sony A37

 W690 A37 
Screen dimension3"2.6"Bigger screen (+0.4")

Reasons to pick Sony A37 over the Sony W690

 A37 W690 
Manual focus Dial accurate focusing
Screen typeTiltingFixed Tilting screen

Common features in the Sony W690 and Sony A37

 W690 A37 
ReleasedFebruary 2012May 2012Same age
Screen resolution230k230kEqual screen resolution
Selfie screen Lack of selfie screen
Touch friendly screen Neither has Touch friendly screen

Sony W690 vs Sony A37 Physical Comparison

For anybody who is aiming to travel with your camera frequently, you have to consider its weight and size. The Sony W690 has outer measurements of 94mm x 56mm x 22mm (3.7" x 2.2" x 0.9") with a weight of 142 grams (0.31 lbs) whilst the Sony A37 has specifications of 124mm x 92mm x 85mm (4.9" x 3.6" x 3.3") accompanied by a weight of 506 grams (1.12 lbs).

Take a look at the Sony W690 versus Sony A37 in our newest Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Remember, the weight of an ILC will change based on the lens you are working with at that moment. Below is the front view measurements comparison of the W690 versus the A37.

Sony W690 vs Sony A37 size comparison

Factoring in dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the W690 and A37 is 95 and 67 respectively.

Sony W690 vs Sony A37 top view buttons comparison

Sony W690 vs Sony A37 Sensor Comparison

Normally, it is tough to envision the gap in sensor dimensions just by viewing specs. The picture below should offer you a better sense of the sensor sizing in the W690 and A37.

All in all, both of those cameras have got the exact same megapixels albeit not the same sensor dimensions. The W690 contains the smaller sensor which will make obtaining shallow DOF tougher.

Sony W690 vs Sony A37 sensor size comparison

Sony W690 vs Sony A37 Screen and ViewFinder

Sony W690 vs Sony A37 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Portrait photography with Sony W690
Portrait photography with Sony A37
34
megapixel count good (16MP)
has face detect focusing
no manual focus
manual exposure not possible
external flash not possible
sensor size is small (1/2.3")
has no RAW format
74
has manual focus
megapixel count decent (16 megapixels)
sensor size is good (APS-C)
has face detect autofocus
supports RAW formats
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Street Comparison

Sony W690 as a Street photography camera
Sony A37 as a Street photography camera
57
has image stabilization (Optical)
no moving screen
sensor size is small (1/2.3")
has no RAW format
77
tilting screen
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is good (APS-C)
supports RAW formats
very good ISO range (25,600)
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Sports Comparison

Sony W690 as a Sports photography camera
Sony A37 as a Sports photography camera
40
has image stabilization (Optical)
megapixel count good (16 megapixels)
has tracking focus
painfully slow continuous shooting (1.0 frames/s)
no shutter priority
sensor size is small (1/2.3")
has no phase detect AF
61
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
megapixel count decent (16MP)
sensor size is good (APS-C)
comes with phase detect autofocus
slow fps (6.0 fps)
low battery pack (500 CIPA)
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Travel Comparison

Sony W690 as a Travel photography camera
Sony A37 as a Travel photography camera
68
megapixel count good (16 megapixels)
built-in flash
fairly wide (25mm)
very long zoom (250mm)
does not have Time Lapse mode
display isn't selfie friendly
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.3)
54
megapixel count decent (16MP)
flash built-in
doesn't have Timelapse mode
low battery pack (500 CIPA)
does not feature selfie friendly screen
Photography Glossary

Landscape Comparison

Sony W690 Landscape photography highlights
Sony A37 Landscape photography highlights
43
fairly wide (25mm)
screen is a good size (3 inches)
has image stabilization (Optical)
megapixel count good (16 megapixels)
no manual focus
cannot swap lens (fixed lens mount)
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.3)
manual exposure not possible
sensor size is small (1/2.3")
has no RAW format
does not have Time Lapse mode
64
has manual focus
change lenses (Sony/Minolta Alpha mount)
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
megapixel count decent (16 megapixels)
sensor size is good (APS-C)
very good ISO range (25,600)
supports RAW formats
screen is somewhat small (2.6")
low battery pack (500 shots)
doesn't have Timelapse mode
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Vlogging Comparison

Vlogging with Sony W690
Vlogging with Sony A37
31
fairly wide (25mm)
has image stabilization (Optical)
has face detect focusing
sluggish maximum aperture (f3.3)
display isn't selfie friendly
video res low (1280 x 720 pxls)
does not have mic jack
35
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
has face detect autofocus
good video quality (1920 x 1080 resolution)
does have microphone port
does not feature selfie friendly screen
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Sony W690 vs Sony A37 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Sony W690 and Sony A37
 Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W690Sony SLT-A37
General Information
Brand Name Sony Sony
Model type Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W690 Sony SLT-A37
Category Small Sensor Compact Entry-Level DSLR
Introduced 2012-02-28 2012-05-16
Body design Compact Compact SLR
Sensor Information
Processor Chip BIONZ -
Sensor type CCD CMOS
Sensor size 1/2.3" APS-C
Sensor measurements 6.17 x 4.55mm 23.5 x 15.6mm
Sensor area 28.1mm² 366.6mm²
Sensor resolution 16 megapixel 16 megapixel
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 and 16:9 3:2 and 16:9
Max resolution 4608 x 3456 4912 x 3264
Max native ISO 3200 25600
Minimum native ISO 80 100
RAW photos
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch to focus
Continuous autofocus
Autofocus single
Autofocus tracking
Selective autofocus
Center weighted autofocus
Autofocus multi area
Autofocus live view
Face detection autofocus
Contract detection autofocus
Phase detection autofocus
Total focus points - 15
Cross type focus points - 3
Lens
Lens mount type fixed lens Sony/Minolta Alpha
Lens zoom range 25-250mm (10.0x) -
Highest aperture f/3.3-5.9 -
Macro focusing distance 5cm -
Total lenses - 143
Crop factor 5.8 1.5
Screen
Screen type Fixed Type Tilting
Screen sizing 3 inches 2.6 inches
Screen resolution 230k dot 230k dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch operation
Screen tech ClearPhoto TFT LCD display -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type None Electronic
Viewfinder resolution - 1,440k dot
Viewfinder coverage - 100 percent
Viewfinder magnification - 0.73x
Features
Min shutter speed 30s 30s
Max shutter speed 1/1600s 1/4000s
Continuous shutter speed 1.0fps 6.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation - Yes
Set white balance
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash distance 3.30 m 12.00 m
Flash options Auto, On, Off, Slow Sync Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, High Speed Sync, Rear Curtain, Fill-in, Wireless
External flash
AEB
White balance bracketing
Max flash sync - 1/160s
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Video resolutions 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps) 1920 x 1080 (60, 29.97 fps), 1440 x 1080 (30fps), 640 x 424 (29.97 fps)
Max video resolution 1280x720 1920x1080
Video data 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 proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 142 gr (0.31 lb) 506 gr (1.12 lb)
Dimensions 94 x 56 x 22mm (3.7" x 2.2" x 0.9") 124 x 92 x 85mm (4.9" x 3.6" x 3.3")
DXO scores
DXO Overall rating not tested 75
DXO Color Depth rating not tested 23.3
DXO Dynamic range rating not tested 12.9
DXO Low light rating not tested 799
Other
Battery life 220 photographs 500 photographs
Battery form Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID NP-BN NP-FW50
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec, Portrait 1/2) Yes (2 or 10 sec, 10 sec 3 or 5 images)
Time lapse shooting
Type of storage SD/SDHC/SDXC/Memory Stick Duo/Memory Stick Pro Duo, Memory Stick Pro-HG Duo SD/SDHC/SDXC/Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo
Storage slots 1 1
Price at release $297 $522