Both Sony a5100 and Nikon D5500 have APS-C sized 24.0 MP resolution sensors so sensor size and resolution is not a differentiator between these two cameras.
One other difference between these two cameras that is worth mentioning is that Nikon D5500's sensor doesn't have an 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 a5100 and D5500 sensor size comparison.
Sony a5100 and Nikon D5500 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
DxOMark is a benchmark that scientifically assesses image quality of camera sensors. It 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. Sony a5100 and Nikon D5500 sensors have been tested by DxO and the results show that D5500 has a better overall score of 84, 4 points higher compared to a5100's score of 80.
Model |
Overall |
Color Depth |
Dynamic Range |
Low-light ISO |
Sony a5100 |
80 |
23.8 bits |
12.7 Evs |
1347 ISO |
Nikon D5500 |
84 |
24.1 bits |
14.0 Evs |
1438 ISO |