Nikon D4 has a
16.0MP Full frame (36 x 23.9 mm ) sized CMOS sensor and features Expeed 3 processor. On the other hand, Nikon D3 has a
12.0MP Full frame (36 x 23.9 mm ) sized CMOS sensor and features Expeed processor.
Below you can see the D4 and D3 sensor size comparison.
Nikon D4 and Nikon D3 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 Nikon D3 has 34% larger pixel area (71.40µm2 vs 53.24µm2) compared to Nikon D4, 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 D4 and Nikon D3 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, D4 has scored 89, 8 points higher than D3.
Model |
Overall |
Color Depth |
Dynamic Range |
Low-light ISO |
Nikon D4 |
89 |
24.7 bits |
13.1 Evs |
2965 ISO |
Nikon D3 |
81 |
23.5 bits |
12.2 Evs |
2290 ISO |