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 A77 has a
24.0MP APS-C (23.5 x 15.6 mm ) sized CMOS sensor and features Bionz processor.
Sony A77's sensor provides 12MP more than Nikon D300's sensor, which gives a significant advantage in real life. You can print your images larger or crop more freely.
On the other hand, please keep in mind that Max sensor resolution is not the only determinant of resolving power. Factors such as the optical elements, low pass filter, pixel size and sensor technology also affects the final resolution of the captured image.
Below you can see the D300 and A77 sensor size comparison.
Nikon D300 and Sony A77 have almost the same sensor size, so neither of them has any significant advantage over the other in terms of providing control over depth of field when used with the 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. Nikon D300 and Sony A77 sensors have been tested by DxO and the results show that A77 has a better overall score of 78, 11 points higher compared to D300's score of 67.
Model |
Overall |
Color Depth |
Dynamic Range |
Low-light ISO |
Nikon D300 |
67 |
22.1 bits |
12.0 Evs |
679 ISO |
Sony A77 |
78 |
24.0 bits |
13.2 Evs |
801 ISO |