Nikon D500 has a
21.0MP APS-C (23.5 x 15.7 mm ) sized CMOS sensor and features Expeed 5 processor. On the other hand, Nikon D3200 has a
24.0MP APS-C (23.2 x 15.4 mm ) sized CMOS sensor and features Expeed 3 processor.
Another difference between these two cameras is that Nikon D500's sensor lacks anti-alias (Low-Pass) filter. Removing anti-alias filter increases the sharpness and level of detail but at the same time, it increases the chance of moiré occurring in certain scenes.
Below you can see the D500 and D3200 sensor size comparison.
Sensor Size and Resolution Comparison image of Nikon D500 and Nikon D3200 Cameras
Nikon D500 and Nikon D3200 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
Both Nikon D500 and Nikon D3200 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, D500 has scored 84, 3 points higher than D3200.
Model
Overall
Color Depth
Dynamic Range
Low-light ISO
Nikon D500
84
24.1 bits
14.0 Evs
1324 ISO
Nikon D3200
81
24.1 bits
13.2 Evs
1131 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 D500
or the
Nikon D3200 ,
including hyperfocal distance.
