Both Nikon D3300 and Sony a5100 have 24.0 MP resolution sensors but Nikon D3300's sensor is APS-C (23.5 x 15.6 mm ) and Sony a5100's sensor is APS-C (23.5 x 15.6 mm ).
Since Sony a5100's has a larger sensor area with the same resolution, this means that it also has a larger pixel area hence better light collecting capacity for a given aperture compared to Nikon D3300.
Another difference between these two cameras is that Nikon D3300's sensor lacks anti-alias (Low-Pass) filter. Removing anti-alias filter increases the sharpness and level of detail but at the same time, it increases the chance of moiré occurring in certain scenes.
Below you can see the D3300 and a5100 sensor size comparison.
Nikon D3300 and Sony a5100 have the same sensor sizes so they will provide same level of control over the depth of field when used with same focal length and aperture.
DxOMark Sensor Scores
Both Nikon D3300 and Sony a5100 sensors have been tested by DxoMark. DxoMark scores camera sensors for color depth (DXO Portrait), dynamic range (DXO Landscape) and low-light sensitivity (DXO Sports), and also gives them an overall score. Of the two cameras that we are comparing, D3300 has scored 82, 2 points higher than a5100.
Model |
Overall |
Color Depth |
Dynamic Range |
Low-light ISO |
Nikon D3300 |
82 |
24.3 bits |
12.8 Evs |
1385 ISO |
Sony a5100 |
80 |
23.8 bits |
12.7 Evs |
1347 ISO |