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Nikon D40X vs Sony A57 Comparison

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Camera to replace
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Nikon D40X

10 MP | APS-C (23.7 x 15.6 mm) CCD Sensor

Nikon D40X
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Sony A57

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

Sony A57
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Nikon D40X vs Sony A57 Comparison Overview

In this review, we will be comparing D40X and A57, two Entry-Level DSLR cameras from Nikon and Sony. Nikon D40X was introduced to market in May 2007 and Sony A57 was launched in September 2012. As you can see, D40X is 5 years older than A57. Let's see if this age difference between two cameras makes a big difference.

Here is a brief look at the main features of Nikon D40X and Sony A57 before getting into our more detailed comparison.

Nikon D40X Key Specs

  • Announcement Date: 2007-05-27
  • 10MP - APS-C CCD Sensor
  • ISO 100 - 1600 ( expands to 3200)
  • Nikon F Mount
  • 2.50" Fixed Type Screen
  • Optical (pentamirror) viewfinder
  • 3.0fps continuous shooting
  • No Video Mode
  • 522g. 124 x 94 x 64 mm
  • Replaced Nikon D50 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
  • 3.00" Fully Articulated Screen
  • 1440k dot Electronic viewfinder
  • 12.0fps continuous shooting
  • Full HD - 1920 x 1080 video resolution
  • 618g. 132 x 98 x 81 mm
  • Replaced Sony SLT-A55 Compare

Nikon D40X was replaced by Nikon D60. You may also be interested in these comparisons:
Nikon D60 vs Nikon D40X
Nikon D60 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 D40X

Let's read on the following sections in order to better understand in detail how Nikon D40X and Sony A57 compares and hopefully end up with enough arguments to decide which one is better for you.


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**This post contains affiliate links and I will be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking through my links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Reasons to choose Nikon D40X over Sony SLT-A57
Weight
522 g vs 618 g 96 g lighter
Flash Coverage
17.0m vs 10.0m 7m longer range
Sensor Pixel Area
36.82µm2 vs 22.87µm2 60% larger pixel area
CHECK D40X PRICE


Reasons to choose Sony SLT-A57 over Nikon D40X
In-built Image Stabilization
Sensor-shift vs None Sharper images at longer focal lengths and slow shutter speeds
LCD Screen
Fully Articulated vs Fixed Type Flexible shooting positions
Viewfinder Magnification
0.7x vs 0.53x Larger Viewfinder
Face Detection Focus
Yes vs No very handy for portraits
Max Sensor Resolution
16 MP vs 10 MP 60% more pixels
Max ISO
16.000 vs 1.600 900% higher Max ISO
Number of Focus Points
15 vs 3 12 more focus points
LCD Screen Size
3" vs 2.5" 0.5 inches larger display
LCD Screen Resolution
921k dots vs 230k dots 300% higher resolution screen
Viewfinder Coverage
100% vs 95% More accurate viewfinder
Continuous Shooting
12.0fps vs 3.0fps 9 fps faster
Microphone Port
Yes vs No High quality audio recording option
Color Depth
23.4 vs 22.4 higher color depth
Dynamic Range
13.0 vs 11.4 higher dynamic range
Low Light ISO
785 vs 516 better High ISO performance
Max Video Resolution
1920 x 1080 vs None Higher Resolution Video
AE Bracketing
Yes vs No Useful for tough lighting conditions and HDR
Selfie & Vlogger Friendly LCD
Yes vs No Rotate LCD for taking Selfies
CHECK A57 PRICE

Common Strengths of Nikon D40X 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
Common Weaknesses of Nikon D40X and Sony SLT-A57
Environmental Sealing
No vs No not suitable for tough conditions
Nikon D40X 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 D40X and Sony A57 side-by-side from the front, back and top in their relative dimensions. Nikon D40X has external dimensions of 124 x 94 x 64 mm (4.88 x 3.7 x 2.52″) and weighs 522 g (1.15 lb / 18.41 oz) (including batteries). Sony A57 has external dimensions of 132 x 98 x 81 mm (5.2 x 3.86 x 3.19″) and weighs 618 g (1.36 lb / 21.80 oz) (including batteries).

Below you can see the front view size comparison of Nikon D40X and Sony A57. Nikon D40X is clearly the smaller of the two cameras. Its body is 8mm narrower, 4mm shorter and 17mm thinner than Sony A57.

Nikon D40X vs Sony A57 Camera Size Comparison - Front View
Comparison image of Nikon D40X and Sony A57 Size, Weight and External Dimensions - Front View

Now lets look at the top view comparison of Nikon D40X and Sony A57.
Nikon D40X vs Sony A57 Camera Size Comparison - Top View
Top View Comparison image of Nikon D40X and Sony A57 Size

Weight is another important factor especially when deciding on a camera that you want to carry with you all day. Nikon D40X is significantly lighter (96g ) 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 D40X 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

D40X
A57
Min
Average
Max
Thickness Comparison

DSLR Cameras

D40X
A57
Min
Average
Max

Weather Sealing

Unfortunately neither Nikon D40X 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

Sony A57's 3.00" LCD screen is slightly larger than Nikon D40X's 2.5" screen.

Moreover, Sony A57 sports a Fully Articulated screen which you can change the angle and position of the screen almost freely, making it possible to shoot from waist or over the head levels, and especially very useful for shooting selfies and video. On the other hand, Nikon D40X has a fixed type screen which provides almost no flexibility in shooting positions compared to A57.
Nikon D40X vs Sony A57: Sensor Comparison

Nikon D40X has a 10.0MP APS-C (23.7 x 15.6 mm ) sized CCD sensor and features Expeed processor. On the other hand, Sony A57 has a 16.0MP APS-C (23.5 x 15.6 mm ) sized CMOS sensor .

Sony A57's sensor provides 6MP more than Nikon D40X'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 D40X and A57 sensor size comparison.

Nikon D40X vs Sony A57 Sensor Size Comparison
Sensor Size and Resolution Comparison image of Nikon D40X and Sony A57 Cameras


Nikon D40X and Sony A57 have almost the same sensor size so none of them has any significant advantage over other in providing control over depth of field when used with 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 D40X and Sony A57 sensors have been tested by DxO and the results show that A57 has a better overall score of 75, 12 points higher compared to D40X's score of 63.

Model Overall Color Depth Dynamic Range Low-light ISO
Nikon D40X 63 22.4 bits 11.4 Evs 516 ISO
Sony A57 75 23.4 bits 13.0 Evs 785 ISO
Nikon D40X vs Sony A57 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 D40X has an advantage over Sony A57. There are 316 lenses for Nikon D40X'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 D40X doesn't have this feature so you have to buy a lens with optical stabilization feature. Currently there are 107 lenses for Nikon F mount with Optical Image Stabilization features.

Lens Type # of Nikon D40X Lenses # of Sony A57 Lenses
Standard Zoom 33 20
Standard Prime 22 9
Wideangle Zoom 33 11
Wideangle Prime 50 18
Telephoto Zoom 54 26
Telephoto Prime 46 13
SuperZoom 30 19
Wideangle Fisheye Prime 8 4
Macro Prime 26 12
Perspective Control Prime 11 9
Telephoto Mirror Prime 1 2
TOTAL 316 143


Now let's compare some sample lenses from each mount with typical Focal ranges for Nikon D40X and Sony A57 to see how these lenses compares:

Fast Standard Zoom Lenses
Model FF Equiv. Weight Weight w/ Cam Length Street Price
Nikon 17-55mm f2.8G ED-IF Lens Nikon 17-55mm f2.8G ED-IF
25.5 - 82.5mm 755gr 1277gr 111mm Amazon B&H Photo
Sony DT 16-50mm F2.8 SSM Lens Sony DT 16-50mm F2.8 SSM
24 - 75mm 577gr 1195gr 88mm Amazon B&H Photo
Fast Tele Zoom Equivalent Lenses
Model FF Equiv. Weight Weight w/ Cam Length Street Price
Sigma 50-150mm F2.8 EX DC OS HSM Lens Sigma 50-150mm F2.8 EX DC OS HSM
75 - 225mm 1350gr 1872gr 198mm Amazon B&H Photo
Sony DT 55-200mm F4-5.6 SAM Lens Sony DT 55-200mm F4-5.6 SAM
82.5 - 300mm 305gr 923gr 85mm Amazon B&H Photo
Fast Normal Prime Equivalent Lenses
Model FF Equiv. Weight Weight w/ Cam Length Street Price
Nikon 35mm f1.8G Lens Nikon 35mm f1.8G
52.5mm 200gr 722gr 53mm Amazon B&H Photo
Sony 35mm F1.4 G Lens Sony 35mm F1.4 G
35mm 510gr 1128gr 76mm Amazon B&H Photo
Fast Wideangle Zoom Equivalent Lenses
Model FF Equiv. Weight Weight w/ Cam Length Street Price
Nikon 10-24mm f3-5-4.5G ED Lens Nikon 10-24mm f3-5-4.5G ED
15 - 36mm 460gr 982gr 87mm Amazon B&H Photo
Tamron 10-24mm f3.5-4.5 II LD Lens Tamron 10-24mm f3.5-4.5 II LD
15 - 36mm 406gr 1024gr 84mm Amazon B&H Photo
24-105mm f4 Equivalent Lenses
Model FF Equiv. Weight Weight w/ Cam Length Street Price
Nikon DX 16-80mm F2.8-4E ED VR Lens Nikon DX 16-80mm F2.8-4E ED VR
24 - 120mm 480gr 1002gr 86mm Amazon B&H Photo
Sony DT 16-80mm F3.5-4.5 ZA Lens Sony DT 16-80mm F3.5-4.5 ZA
24 - 120mm 445gr 1063gr 83mm Amazon B&H Photo
Super-Tele Zoom Equivalent Lenses
Model FF Equiv. Weight Weight w/ Cam Length Street Price
Nikon 80-400mm f4.5-5.6G ED VR Lens Nikon 80-400mm f4.5-5.6G ED VR
80 - 400mm 1570gr 2092gr 203mm Amazon B&H Photo
Sony 70-400mm F4-5.6 G SSM II Lens Sony 70-400mm F4-5.6 G SSM II
70 - 400mm 1500gr 2118gr 196mm Amazon B&H Photo
What types of Photography are Nikon D40X and Sony A57 Good for?
In this section, we rank and compare Nikon D40X 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 D40X for Portrait Photography

AVERAGE

Sony A57 for Portrait Photography

GOOD
Large APS-C (23.7 x 15.6 mm) sensor
Optical Built-in Viewfinder
Good Ergonomics&Handling
Very Low Resolution Sensor: 10.0MP
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 D40X for Street Photography

AVERAGE

Sony A57 for Street Photography

EXCELLENT
Large APS-C (23.7 x 15.6 mm) sensor
Optical Built-in Viewfinder
No Image Stabilization
No Live-view
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 D40X for Sports Photography

GOOD

Sony A57 for Sports Photography

EXCELLENT
Optical Built-in Viewfinder
Good Ergonomics&Handling
Fast Max shutter speed: 1/4000s
No Image Stabilization
Slow Continuous Shooting: 3.0fps
Environmental Sealings
3 Focus Points
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 D40X for Daily Photography

AVERAGE

Sony A57 for Daily Photography

GOOD
Large APS-C (23.7 x 15.6 mm) sensor
Large Body
522g
Body Thickness 64mm
Read the details
Large APS-C (23.5 x 15.6 mm) sensor
Large Body
618g
Body Thickness 81mm
Read the details

Nikon D40X for Landscape Photography

POOR

Sony A57 for Landscape Photography

AVERAGE
Large APS-C (23.7 x 15.6 mm) sensor
Very Low Resolution Sensor: 10.0MP
No Environmental Sealings
No Live-view
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

Nikon D40X 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 D40X and Sony A57, below you can find their scores in five different aspects. Our Decision Algorithm dynamically scores cameras using 69 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 D40X and Sony A57 scores compare:

Nikon D40X
Imaging
Features
Value
Portability
Overall
Ranked #70 out of 79 in Compact SLR cameras
Ranked #593 out of 1244 in all Cameras
Sony A57
Imaging
Features
Value
Portability
Overall
Ranked #10 out of 79 in Compact SLR cameras
Ranked #166 out of 1244 in all Cameras

Sony A57 is the overall winner of this comparison. It has a higher Overall Score and beats Nikon D40X in all criteria except one: Portability.
If small size and light body is a big priority for you, choose Nikon D40X. Otherwise, Sony A57 is the better camera overall.

Nikon D40X
Nikon D40X
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Sony A57
Sony A57
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Sony A57 vs Nikon D40X Specs Table
Detailed comparison of specifications
General Nikon D40X Sony SLT-A57
Brand Nikon Sony
Announced 2007-05-27 2012-09-13
Body Type Compact SLR Compact SLR
Sensor
Type CCD CMOS
Size APS-C APS-C
Dimensions 23.7 x 15.6 mm 23.5 x 15.6 mm
Area 369.72mm2 366.60mm2
Megapixels 10 megapixels 16 megapixels
Max Resolution 3872 x 2592 4912 x 3264
Max Native Light sensitivity 1,600 ISO 16,000 ISO
Max Boosted Light Sensitivity 3200 ISO 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 3 15
Lens
Manual Focus
Lens Mount Nikon F Sony/Minolta Alpha
Number of Available Lenses 316 143
Screen
Type Fixed type Fully Articulated
Size 2.50" 3.00"
Resolution 230k dots 921k dots
Touch Screen
Viewfinder
Viewfinder Optical (pentamirror) Electronic
Viewfinder Resolution no electronic viewfinder 1,440k dots
Viewfinder Coverage 95% 100%
Viewfinder Magnification 0.53x 0.7x
Photography Features
Max Mechanical Shutter 1/4000s 1/4000s
Shutter Priority
Aperture Priority
Manual Exposure Mode
Custom White Balance
Built-in Image Stabilization No Sensor-shift
Built-in Flash
Flash Range 17.00 m 10.00 m (@ ISO 100)
Max Flash Sync 1/200s 1/160s
External Flash
Continuous Shooting 3.0 fps 12.0 fps
Multi-Segment Metering
Average Metering
Spot Metering
Partial Metering
AF-Area Metering
Center Weighted Metering
AE Bracketing
WB Bracketing
Video Features
Max Video Resolution None 1920 x 1080
Video Formats n/a MPEG-4, AVCHD, H.264
Microphone Port
Headphone Port
Connectivity
Wireless Connectivity None Eye-Fi Connected
HDMI
Physical
Environmental Sealing
Weight 522g 618g
Dimensions 124 x 94 x 64mm 132 x 98 x 81mm
Battery Life n/a 550 shots
Other Features
Timelapse Recording
GPS None None
DxO Sensor Scores
DxO Overall Score 63 75
DxO Color Depth 22.4 23.4
DxO Dynamic Range 11.4 13.0
DxO Low Light ISO 516 785
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