Nikon D3400 has a
24.0MP APS-C (23.5 x 15.6 mm ) sized CMOS sensor and features Expeed 4 processor. On the other hand, Sony A500 has a
12.0MP APS-C (23.5 x 15.6 mm ) sized CMOS sensor and features Bionz processor.
Nikon D3400's sensor provides 12MP more than Sony A500'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.
Another difference between these two cameras is that Nikon D3400'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 D3400 and A500 sensor size comparison.
Sensor Size and Resolution Comparison image of Nikon D3400 and Sony A500 Cameras
Nikon D3400 and Sony A500 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 A500 has 97% larger pixel area (30.12µm 2 vs 15.28µm 2 ) compared to Nikon D3400, 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 D3400 and Sony A500 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, D3400 has scored 86, 22 points higher than A500.
Model
Overall
Color Depth
Dynamic Range
Low-light ISO
Nikon D3400
86
24.8 bits
13.9 Evs
1192 ISO
Sony A500
64
21.8 bits
11.6 Evs
772 ISO
Sensor size sets the circle of confusion, so it drives how much depth of field each
of these bodies gives you at a given aperture. You can calculate it exactly for the
Nikon D3400
or the
Sony A500 ,
including hyperfocal distance.
