Nikon D5 has a
21.0MP Full frame (35.8 x 23.9 mm ) sized CMOS sensor and features Expeed 5 processor. On the other hand, Nikon D4s has a
16.0MP Full frame (36 x 23.9 mm ) sized CMOS sensor and features Expeed 4 processor.
Nikon D5's sensor provides 5MP more than Nikon D4s'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 D5 and D4s sensor size comparison.
Nikon D5 and Nikon D4s 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 D5 and Nikon D4s sensors have been tested by DxO and the results show that D4s has a better overall score of 89, 1 points higher compared to D5's score of 88.
Model |
Overall |
Color Depth |
Dynamic Range |
Low-light ISO |
Nikon D5 |
88 |
25.1 bits |
12.3 Evs |
2434 ISO |
Nikon D4s |
89 |
24.4 bits |
13.3 Evs |
3074 ISO |