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, Sony A9 has a
24.0MP Full frame (35.6 x 23.8 mm ) sized Stacked BSI-CMOS sensor and features BIONZ X processor.
Below you can see the D5 and A9 sensor size comparison.
Nikon D5 and Sony A9 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 Sony A9 sensors have been tested by DxO and the results show that A9 has a better overall score of 92, 4 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 |
Sony A9 |
92 |
24.9 bits |
13.3 Evs |
3517 ISO |