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 A500 has a
12.0MP APS-C (23.5 x 15.6 mm ) sized CMOS sensor and features Bionz processor.
Nikon D5's sensor provides 9MP more than Sony A500'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 A500 sensor size comparison.
Sensor Size and Resolution Comparison image of Nikon D5 and Sony A500 Cameras
As seen above, Nikon D5 has a 2.3x Larger sensor area than Sony A500. Larger sensors give photographer more control on the depth of field and blurry background compared to smaller sensor when shot in same focal length and aperture.
DxOMark Sensor Scores
Both Nikon D5 and Sony A500 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, D5 has scored 88, 24 points higher than A500.
Model
Overall
Color Depth
Dynamic Range
Low-light ISO
Nikon D5
88
25.1 bits
12.3 Evs
2434 ISO
Sony A500
64
21.8 bits
11.6 Evs
772 ISO
Sensor size sets the circle of confusion, so it drives how much depth of field each
of these bodies gives you at a given aperture. You can calculate it exactly for the
Nikon D5
or the
Sony A500 ,
including hyperfocal distance.
One thing to watch when comparing these two: they have different sensor sizes
(Full frame versus APS-C),
so compare them at the same framing rather than the same focal length.
Put the same focal length on the smaller sensor and it will show less depth of
field, not more, because it also crops tighter. The calculator shows the
full frame equivalent focal length for each body so you can match the framing.
