Nikon D300 has a
12.0MP APS-C (23.6 x 15.8 mm ) sized CMOS sensor and features Expeed processor. On the other hand, Sony A100 has a
10.0MP APS-C (23.6 x 15.8 mm ) sized CCD sensor .
Below you can see the D300 and A100 sensor size comparison.
Nikon D300 and Sony A100 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. On the other hand, since Sony A100 has 21% larger pixel area (37.14µm2 vs 30.54µm2) compared to Nikon D300, it has larger pixel area to collect light hence potential to have less noise in low light / High ISO images.
DxOMark Sensor Scores
Both Nikon D300 and Sony A100 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, D300 has scored 67, 6 points higher than A100.
Model |
Overall |
Color Depth |
Dynamic Range |
Low-light ISO |
Nikon D300 |
67 |
22.1 bits |
12.0 Evs |
679 ISO |
Sony A100 |
61 |
22.0 bits |
11.2 Evs |
476 ISO |