Nikon D3 has a
12.0MP Full frame (36 x 23.9 mm ) sized CMOS sensor and features Expeed processor. On the other hand, Pentax K-7 has a
15.0MP APS-C (23.4 x 15.6 mm ) sized CMOS sensor and features Prime II processor.
Below you can see the D3 and K-7 sensor size comparison.
As seen above, Nikon D3 has a 2.4x Larger sensor area than Pentax K-7. Larger sensors give photographer more control on the depth of field and blurry background compared to smaller sensor when shot in same focal length and aperture.
DxOMark Sensor Scores
Both Nikon D3 and Pentax K-7 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, D3 has scored 81, 20 points higher than K-7.
Model |
Overall |
Color Depth |
Dynamic Range |
Low-light ISO |
Nikon D3 |
81 |
23.5 bits |
12.2 Evs |
2290 ISO |
Pentax K-7 |
61 |
22.6 bits |
10.6 Evs |
536 ISO |