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Nikon D3400 vs Sony A57

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Nikon D3400

24 MP | APS-C (23.5 x 15.6 mm) CMOS Sensor

Nikon D3400
$646.95

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Sony A57

16 MP | APS-C (23.5 x 15.6 mm) CMOS Sensor

Sony A57
$999.99

CHECK TODAY's PRICE
Nikon D3400 vs Sony A57 Comparison Overview

In this review, we will be comparing D3400 and A57, two Entry-Level DSLR cameras from Nikon and Sony. Nikon D3400 was introduced to market in August 2016 and Sony A57 was launched in September 2012. As you can see, A57 is 4 years older than D3400. Let's see if this age difference between two cameras makes a big difference.

Both cameras have APS-C sensors but Nikon D3400 has a 24.0 MP and Sony A57 has a 16.0 MP resolution.

Let's have a brief look at the main features of Nikon D3400 and Sony A57 before getting into our more detailed comparison.

Nikon D3400 Key Specs

  • Announcement Date: 2016-08-17
  • 24MP - APS-C CMOS Sensor
  • No Anti-aliasing (AA) filter
  • ISO 100 - 25600
  • Nikon F Mount
  • 3" Fixed Type Screen
  • Optical (pentamirror) viewfinder
  • 5.0 fps continuous shooting
  • 1920 x 1080 video resolution
  • 395g. 124 x 98 x 76 mm
  • Replaced Nikon D3300 Compare

Sony A57 Key Specs

  • Announcement Date: 2012-09-13
  • 16MP - APS-C CMOS Sensor
  • ISO 100 - 16000 ( expands to 25600)
  • Sony/Minolta Alpha Mount
  • Sensor-shift Image Stabilization
  • 3" Fully Articulated Screen
  • 1440k dot Electronic viewfinder
  • 12 fps continuous shooting
  • 1920 x 1080 video resolution
  • 618g. 132 x 98 x 81 mm
  • Replaced Sony SLT-A55 Compare

Nikon D3400 was replaced by Nikon D3500. You may also be interested in these comparisons:
Nikon D3500 vs Nikon D3400
Nikon D3500 vs Sony SLT-A57

Sony A57 was replaced by Sony SLT-A58. You may also be interested in these comparisons:
Sony SLT-A58 vs Sony SLT-A57
Sony SLT-A58 vs Nikon D3400

Let's read on the following sections in order to better understand in detail how Nikon D3400 and Sony A57 compares and hopefully end up with enough arguments to decide which one is better for you.

Reasons to choose Nikon D3400 over Sony SLT-A57
Max Sensor Resolution 24 MP vs 16 MP 50% more pixels
Max ISO 25.600 vs 16.000 60% higher Max ISO
Battery Life 1200 shots vs 550 shots 650 more frames with a single charge
Weight 395 g vs 618 g 223 g lighter
Flash Coverage 12.0m vs 10.0m 2m longer range
Color Depth 24.8 vs 23.4 higher color depth
Dynamic Range 13.9 vs 13.0 higher dynamic range
Low Light ISO 1192 vs 785 better High ISO performance
Bluetooth Yes vs No Connect your camera to other devices via Blueetooth
Smartphone_remote control Yes vs No Remote control your camera with a smartphone
Reasons to choose Sony SLT-A57 over Nikon D3400
Built-in Image Stabilization Sensor-shift vs None All the lenses are stabilized
Articulating Screen Yes vs No Flexible shooting positions
Number of Focus Points 15 vs 11 4 more focus points
Viewfinder Coverage 100% vs 95% More accurate viewfinder
Continuous Shooting 12.0fps vs 5.0fps 7 fps faster
Microphone Port Yes vs No High quality audio recording option
Sensor Pixel Area 22.87µm2 vs 15.28µm2 49% larger pixel area
AE Bracketing Yes vs No Useful for tough lighting conditions and HDR
Common Strengths of Nikon D3400 and Sony SLT-A57
Built-in Flash Yes vs Yes Useful in low-light
External Flash Shoe Yes vs Yes Better for flash photography
Viewfinder Yes (Optical) vs Yes (Electronic) Better framing and control
RAW Support Yes vs Yes Better image quality
Face Detection Focus Yes vs Yes very handy for portraits
LCD Screen Resolution 921k dots vs 921k dots Higher resolution screens
Common Weaknesses of Nikon D3400 and Sony SLT-A57
Environmental Sealing No vs No not suitable for tough conditions
AF Micro Adjustment (Fine Tune) No vs No no option to fine tune Auto focus
Nikon D3400 vs Sony A57: Physical Specs and Body features Comparison

Size and weight is a big decision factor when you are trying to find the ideal camera for your needs. In this section, We are going to illustrate Nikon D3400 and Sony A57 side-by-side from the front, back and top in their relative dimensions.

Below you can see the front view size comparison of Nikon D3400 and Sony A57. Nikon D3400 is 8mm narrower and 5mm thinner than Nikon D3400 but they have the same height of 98mm.

Nikon D3400 vs Sony A57 Camera Size Comparison - Front View


Here is the back view size comparison of Nikon D3400 and Sony A57.


Now lets look at the top view comparison of Nikon D3400 and Sony A57.
Nikon D3400 vs Sony A57 Camera Size Comparison - Top View

Nikon D3400 vs Sony A57 Detailed Size Comparison

Weight is another important factor especially when deciding on a camera that you want to carry with you all day. Nikon D3400 is significantly lighter (223g ) than the Sony A57 which may become a big advantage especially on long walking trips.

Also keep in mind that body weight is not the only deciding factor when comparing two interchangeable camera bodies, you have to also take into account the lenses that you will be using with these bodies. Since both Nikon D3400 and Sony A57 have the same APS-C sized sensor, their lenses for a similar focal length and aperture will be similar in size and weight.

Weight Comparison

DSLR Cameras

D3400
A57
Min
Average
Max
Thickness Comparison

DSLR Cameras

D3400
A57
Min
Average
Max

Weather Sealing

Unfortunately neither Nikon D3400 nor Sony SLT-A57 provides any type of weather sealing in their body, so you have to give extra care especially when you are shooting outdoors. If weather sealing is a must-have feature for you, check these sections:
Top DSLR Cameras with Weather Sealing

LCD Screen Size and Features

Nikon D3400 and Sony A57's LCD screens has the same diagonal size of 3".

Nikon D3400 vs Sony A57: Sensor Comparison

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 A57 has a 16.0MP APS-C (23.5 x 15.6 mm ) sized CMOS sensor .

Nikon D3400's sensor provides 8MP more than Sony A57'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 moire occurring in certain scenes.

Below you can see the D3400 and A57 sensor size comparison.

Nikon D3400 vs Sony A57 Sensor Size Comparison


Nikon D3400 and Sony A57 have 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 A57 has 49% larger pixel area (22.87µm2 vs 15.28µm2) 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 A57 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, 11 points higher than A57.

What types of Photography are Nikon D3400 and Sony A57 Good for?
In this section, we rank and compare Nikon D3400 and Sony A57 for five different photography types in order to make your decision process easier in case you are specifically interested in one or more of these areas.

Nikon D3400 for Portrait Photography

AVERAGE

Sony A57 for Portrait Photography

GOOD
Large APS-C (23.5 x 15.6 mm) sensor
Very High Resolution Sensor: 24.0MP
Optical Built-in Viewfinder
Good Ergonomics&Handling
No Image Stabilization
Read the details
Large APS-C (23.5 x 15.6 mm) sensor
Image Stabilization
Electronic Built-in Viewfinder
Good Ergonomics&Handling
Average Resolution Sensor: 16.0MP
Read the details

Nikon D3400 for Street Photography

GOOD

Sony A57 for Street Photography

EXCELLENT
Large APS-C (23.5 x 15.6 mm) sensor
Optical Built-in Viewfinder
Live-view
Face-Detection Focusing
No Image Stabilization
Large Body
Read the details
Large APS-C (23.5 x 15.6 mm) sensor
Image Stabilization
Electronic Built-in Viewfinder
Live-view
Face-Detection Focusing
Fully Articulated LCD Screen
Large Body
Read the details

Nikon D3400 for Sports Photography

GOOD

Sony A57 for Sports Photography

EXCELLENT
Optical Built-in Viewfinder
Good Ergonomics&Handling
Fast Max shutter speed: 1/4000s
11 Focus Points
Good Battery Life: 1200 shots
Good Low Light ISO
Average Continuous Shooting: 5.0fps
No Image Stabilization
Environmental Sealings
Read the details
Image Stabilization
Electronic Built-in Viewfinder
Good Ergonomics&Handling
Fast Continuous Shooting: 12.0fps
Fast Max shutter speed: 1/4000s
3 Cross Type Focus sensors
15 Focus Points
Good Battery Life: 550 shots
Environmental Sealings
Read the details

Nikon D3400 for Daily Photography

GOOD

Sony A57 for Daily Photography

GOOD
Large APS-C (23.5 x 15.6 mm) sensor
Large Body
395g
Body Thickness 76mm
Read the details
Large APS-C (23.5 x 15.6 mm) sensor
Large Body
618g
Body Thickness 81mm
Read the details

Nikon D3400 for Landscape Photography

AVERAGE

Sony A57 for Landscape Photography

AVERAGE
Large APS-C (23.5 x 15.6 mm) sensor
Very High Resolution Sensor: 24.0MP
Live-view
No Environmental Sealings
Read the details
Large APS-C (23.5 x 15.6 mm) sensor
Live-view
Average Resolution Sensor: 16.0MP
No Environmental Sealings
Read the details


Sony A57 vs Nikon D3400 Comparison of Available Lenses
Which camera has more lenses?

Number of available lenses is a big decision factor while choosing your interchangeable lens camera. When we look at the available lenses for these two cameras, we see that Nikon D3400 has an advantage over Sony A57. There are 304 lenses for Nikon D3400's Nikon F mount, on the other hand there are only 143 lenses for Sony A57's Sony/Minolta Alpha lens mount.

Another important factor is the availability of image stabilization. Sony A57 has a big advantage in this regard because it has a sensor based image stabilization which means that all the lenses mounted to this body will be stabilized. On the other hand, Nikon D3400 doesn't have this feature so you have to buy a lens with optical stabilization feature. Currently there are 101 lenses for Nikon F mount with Optical Image Stabilization features.

Lens Type # of Nikon D3400 Lenses # of Sony A57 Lenses
Standard Zoom 33 20
Standard Prime 20 9
Wideangle Zoom 33 11
Wideangle Prime 47 18
Telephoto Zoom 53 26
Telephoto Prime 43 12
SuperZoom 30 19
Wideangle Fisheye Prime 8 4
Macro Prime 25 12
Perspective Control Prime 11 10
Telephoto Mirror Prime 1 2
TOTAL 304 143
Nikon D3400 vs Sony A57: OUR DECISION

You may have already made your decision about which camera suits better for your needs and your budget so far but in case you wonder how we rated Nikon D3400 and Sony A57, below you can find their scores in five different aspects. Our Decision Algorithm dynamically scores cameras using 63 different specs, current price and DxO Mark scores (where possible) in order to make a more objective and consistent comparison.

Here is a summary of how Nikon D3400 and Sony A57 scores compare:

Nikon D3400
Imaging
Features
Value
Portability
Overall
Ranked #32 out of 77 in Compact SLR cameras
Ranked #213 out of 1190 in all Cameras
Sony A57
Imaging
Features
Value
Portability
Overall
Ranked #9 out of 77 in Compact SLR cameras
Ranked #127 out of 1190 in all Cameras

Sony A57 has a higher Overall Score than the Nikon D3400 and would be our choice if we have to decide between these two cameras.

Nikon D3400
Nikon D3400
$646.95

Sony A57
Sony A57
$999.99

Sony A57 vs Nikon D3400 Specs Table
Detailed comparison of specifications
General Nikon D3400 Sony SLT-A57
Brand Nikon Sony
Announced 2016-08-17 2012-09-13
Body Type Compact SLR Compact SLR
Sensor
Type CMOS CMOS
Size APS-C APS-C
Dimensions 23.5 x 15.6 mm 23.5 x 15.6 mm
Area 366.60mm2 366.60mm2
Megapixels 24 megapixels 16 megapixels
Max Resolution 6000 x 4000 4912 x 3264
Max Native Light sensitivity 25,600 ISO 16,000 ISO
Max Boosted Light Sensitivity - 25600 ISO
Min Native Light sensitivity 100 ISO 100 ISO
RAW Support
Autofocus
AF Touch
AF Continuous
AF Single
AF Tracking
AF Selective
AF Center
AF Multi Area
AF Live View
AF Face Detection
AF Contrast Detection
AF Phase Detection
Number of Focus Points 11 15
Lens
Manual Focus
Lens Mount Nikon F Sony/Minolta Alpha
Number of Available Lenses 304 143
Screen
Type Fixed type Fully Articulated
Size 3" 3"
Resolution 921k dots 921k dots
Touch Screen
Viewfinder
Viewfinder Optical (pentamirror) Electronic
Viewfinder Resolution no electronic viewfinder 1,440k dots
Viewfinder Coverage 95% 100%
Viewfinder Magnification 0.56 0.7
Photography Features
Max Shutter Speed 1/4000s 1/4000s
Shutter Priority
Aperture Priority
Manual Exposure Mode
Custom White Balance
Image Stabilization No Sensor-shift
Built-in Flash
Flash Range 12.00 m (at ISO 100) 10.00 m (@ ISO 100)
Max Flash Sync 1/200s 1/160s
External Flash
Continuous Shooting 5.0 fps 12.0 fps
Multi-Segment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF-Area
Center Weighted
AE Bracketing
WB Bracketing
Video Features
Max Video Resolution 1920 x 1080 1920 x 1080
Video Formats MPEG-4, H.264 MPEG-4, AVCHD, H.264
Microphone Port
Headphone Port
Connectivity
Wireless Connectivity No Eye-Fi Connected
HDMI
Physical
Environmental Sealing
Weight 395g 618g
Dimensions 124 x 98 x 76mm 132 x 98 x 81mm
Battery Life 1200 shots 550 shots
Other Features
Timelapse Recording
GPS Optional None
DxO Sensor Scores
DxO Overall Score 86 75
DxO Color Depth 24.8 23.4
DxO Dynamic Range 13.9 13.0
DxO Low Light ISO 1192 785
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