Sony A7S vs Nikon 1 J3 Comparison

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Sony A7S

12 MP | Full frame (35.8 x 23.9 mm) CMOS Sensor

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Nikon 1 J3

14 MP | 1″ (13.2 x 8.8 mm) CMOS Sensor

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Sony A7S vs Nikon 1 J3 Comparison Overview

Here we are comparing two Mirrorless cameras from Sony and Nikon. Sony A7S was introduced to market in April 2014 and Nikon 1 J3 was launched in November 2013. There is only 4 months difference between A7S and 1 J3 so we are expecting this to be a fair comparison regarding age and technology level.

Sony A7S has a 12.0MP Full frame sensor whereas Nikon 1 J3 has a 14.0MP 1" sensor.

Let's have a brief look at the main features of Sony A7S and Nikon 1 J3 before getting into our more detailed comparison.

Sony A7S Key Specs

Announcement Date: 2014-04-06

12MP - Full frame CMOS Sensor

ISO 100 - 409600

Sony E Mount

3 Tilting Screen

2359k dot Electronic viewfinder

5 fps continuous shooting

4K (UHD) - 3840 x 2160 video resolution

120 fps High-Speed Video

Built-in Wireless

489g. 127 x 94 x 48 mm

Weather Sealed Body

Nikon 1 J3 Key Specs

Announcement Date: 2013-11-30

14MP - 1" CMOS Sensor

ISO 160 - 6400

Nikon 1 Mount

3" Fixed Type Screen

15 fps continuous shooting

Full HD - 1920 x 1080 video resolution

1,200 fps High-Speed Video

201g. 101 x 61 x 29 mm

Replaced Nikon 1 J2 Compare

Sony A7S was replaced by Sony Alpha 7S II. You may also be interested in these comparisons:
Sony Alpha 7S II vs Sony Alpha A7S
Sony Alpha 7S II vs Nikon 1 J3

Nikon 1 J3 was replaced by Nikon 1 J4. You may also be interested in these comparisons:
Nikon 1 J4 vs Nikon 1 J3
Nikon 1 J4 vs Sony Alpha A7S

Let's read on the following sections in order to better understand in detail how Sony A7S and Nikon 1 J3 compares and hopefully end up with enough arguments to decide which one is better for you.

Reasons to choose Sony Alpha A7S over Nikon 1 J3

Wireless Connection	Built-In vs Optional	Better connectivity
LCD Screen	Tilting vs Fixed Type	Flexible shooting positions
External Flash Shoe	Yes vs No	Better for flash photography
Viewfinder	Electronic vs None	Better framing and control
Face Detection Focus	Yes vs No	very handy for portraits
Max ISO	409.600 vs 6.400	6300% higher Max ISO
LCD Screen Resolution	1.230k dots vs 921k dots	33% higher resolution screen
Max Mech. Shutter	1/8000s vs 1/4000s	faster mechanical shutter
Battery Life	360 shots vs 220 shots	140 more frames with a single charge
Microphone Port	Yes vs No	High quality audio recording option
Headphone Port	Yes vs No	better video control
Environmental Sealing	Yes vs No	shoot at tough conditions
Color Depth	23.9 vs 20.4	higher color depth
Dynamic Range	13.2 vs 11.0	higher dynamic range
Low Light ISO	3702 vs 420	better High ISO performance
Sensor Pixel Area	71.24µm² vs 8.20µm²	768% larger pixel area
Max Video Resolution	3840 x 2160 vs 1920 x 1080	Higher Resolution Video
AE Bracketing	Yes vs No	Useful for tough lighting conditions and HDR
NFC Connection	Yes vs No	Easy wireless connectivity with compatible devices
Smartphone Remote	Yes vs No	Remote control your camera with a smartphone

Reasons to choose Nikon 1 J3 over Sony Alpha A7S

Built-in Flash	Yes vs No	Useful in low-light
Max Sensor Resolution	14 MP vs 12 MP	16% more pixels
Number of Focus Points	135 vs 25	110 more focus points
Continuous Shooting	15.0fps vs 5.0fps	10 fps faster
Weight	201 g vs 489 g	288 g lighter
Timelapse Recording	Yes vs With optional app	creative shooting

Common Strengths of Sony Alpha A7S and Nikon 1 J3

RAW Support	Yes vs Yes	Better image quality

Common Weaknesses of Sony Alpha A7S and Nikon 1 J3

In-body Image Stabilization	No vs No	No Built-in stabilization

Sony A7S vs Nikon 1 J3: 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 Sony A7S and Nikon 1 J3 side-by-side from the front, back and top in their relative dimensions. Sony A7S has external dimensions of 127 x 94 x 48 mm (5 x 3.7 x 1.89″) and weighs 489 g (1.08 lb / 17.25 oz) (including batteries). Nikon 1 J3 has external dimensions of 101 x 61 x 29 mm (3.98 x 2.4 x 1.14″) and weighs 201 g (0.44 lb / 7.09 oz) (including batteries).

Below you can see the front view size comparison of Sony A7S and Nikon 1 J3. Nikon 1 J3 is clearly the smaller of the two cameras. Its body is 26mm narrower, 33mm shorter and 19mm thinner than Sony A7S.

Comparison image of Sony A7S and Nikon 1 J3 Size, Weight and External Dimensions - Front View

Now lets look at the top view comparison of Sony A7S and Nikon 1 J3.

Top View Comparison image of Sony A7S and Nikon 1 J3 Size

Weight is another important factor especially when deciding on a camera that you want to carry with you all day. Nikon 1 J3 is significantly lighter (288g ) than the Sony A7S 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 Sony A7S has a Full frame sensor and Nikon 1 J3 has a smaller 1" sensor, Nikon 1 J3's lenses for a similar focal length and aperture will generally be lighter and smaller than the Sony A7S lenses.

Weight Comparison

Mirrorless Cameras

A7S

1 J3

Min

Average

Max

Thickness Comparison

Mirrorless Cameras

A7S

1 J3

Min

Average

Max

Weather Sealing

With its weather sealed body, we believe that A7S has a big advantage over 1 J3 which doesn't provide any kind of environmental sealing.

LCD Screen Size and Features

Sony A7S and Nikon 1 J3's LCD screens has the same diagonal size of 3.

On the other hand, Sony A7S features a Tilting screen where you can change the angle of the screen to make it easier to shoot from waist or over the head levels whereas the Nikon 1 J3 has a fixed type screen which provides less flexibility in shooting positions compared to A7S.

Sony A7S vs Nikon 1 J3: Sensor Comparison

Sony A7S has a 12.0MP Full frame (35.8 x 23.9 mm ) sized CMOS sensor and features Bionz X processor. On the other hand, Nikon 1 J3 has a 14.0MP 1" (13.2 x 8.8 mm ) sized CMOS sensor .

Below you can see the A7S and 1 J3 sensor size comparison.

Sensor Size and Resolution Comparison image of Sony A7S and Nikon 1 J3 Cameras

As seen above, Sony A7S has a 7.4x Larger sensor area than Nikon 1 J3. 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 Sony A7S and Nikon 1 J3 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, A7S has scored 87, 35 points higher than 1 J3.

Model	Overall	Color Depth	Dynamic Range	Low-light ISO
Sony A7S	87	23.9 bits	13.2 Evs	3702 ISO
Nikon 1 J3	52	20.4 bits	11.0 Evs	420 ISO

Sony A7S vs Nikon 1 J3 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 Sony A7S has an advantage over Nikon 1 J3. There are 122 lenses for Sony A7S's Sony E mount, on the other hand there are only 13 lenses for Nikon 1 J3's Nikon 1 lens mount.

Another important factor is the availability of image stabilization. None of these bodies have sensor based image stabilization so you have to buy lenses with Optical stabilization feature. Currently there are 30 lenses for Sony E mount and 7 lenses for Nikon 1 mount with IS.

Lens Type	# of Sony A7S Lenses	# of Nikon 1 J3 Lenses
Standard Zoom	11 (8 Full Frame)	4
Standard Prime	18 (9 Full Frame)	2
Wideangle Zoom	7 (6 Full Frame)	1
Wideangle Prime	39 (23 Full Frame)	2
Telephoto Zoom	9 (7 Full Frame)	2
Telephoto Prime	18 (14 Full Frame)	n/a
SuperZoom	8 (1 Full Frame)	2
Wideangle Fisheye Prime	2 (0 Full Frame)	n/a
Macro Prime	8 (7 Full Frame)	n/a
Perspective Control Prime	2 (2 Full Frame)	n/a
Telephoto Mirror Prime	n/a	n/a
TOTAL	122 (77 Full Frame)	13

What types of Photography are Sony A7S and Nikon 1 J3 Good for?

In this section, we rank and compare Sony A7S and Nikon 1 J3 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.

Sony A7S for Portrait Photography

GOOD

Nikon 1 J3 for Portrait Photography

POOR

Large Full frame (35.8 x 23.9 mm) sensor
Electronic Built-in Viewfinder
Good Ergonomics&Handling
Average Resolution Sensor: 12.0MP
No Image Stabilization
Read the details

Average sized 1″ (13.2 x 8.8 mm) sensor
Average Resolution Sensor: 14.0MP
Average Ergonomics&Handling
No Image Stabilization
No Built-in Viewfinder
Read the details

Sony A7S for Street Photography

GOOD

Nikon 1 J3 for Street Photography

AVERAGE

Large Full frame (35.8 x 23.9 mm) sensor
Electronic Built-in Viewfinder
Live-view
Face-Detection Focusing
Tilting LCD Screen
Medium sized Body
No Image Stabilization
Read the details

Live-view
Average sized 1″ (13.2 x 8.8 mm) sensor
Medium sized Body
No Image Stabilization
No Built-in Viewfinder
Read the details

Sony A7S for Sports Photography

GOOD

Nikon 1 J3 for Sports Photography

AVERAGE

Electronic Built-in Viewfinder
Good Ergonomics&Handling
Environmental Sealings
Fast Max shutter speed: 1/8000s
25 Focus Points
Good Low Light ISO
Wireless Connection
Average Continuous Shooting: 5.0fps
No Image Stabilization
Read the details

Fast Continuous Shooting: 15.0fps
Fast Max shutter speed: 1/4000s
41 Cross Type Focus sensors
135 Focus Points
Average Ergonomics&Handling
No Image Stabilization
No Built-in Viewfinder
Environmental Sealings
Poor Battery Life: 220 shots
Read the details

Sony A7S for Daily Photography

EXCELLENT

Nikon 1 J3 for Daily Photography

AVERAGE

Large Full frame (35.8 x 23.9 mm) sensor
Environmental Sealings
Medium size Body
489g
Body Thickness 48mm
Read the details

201g
Average sized 1″ (13.2 x 8.8 mm) sensor
Medium size Body
Read the details

Sony A7S for Landscape Photography

AVERAGE

Nikon 1 J3 for Landscape Photography

POOR

Large Full frame (35.8 x 23.9 mm) sensor
Environmental Sealings
Live-view
Average Resolution Sensor: 12.0MP
Read the details

Live-view
Average sized 1″ (13.2 x 8.8 mm) sensor
Average Resolution Sensor: 14.0MP
No Environmental Sealings
Read the details

Sony A7S vs Nikon 1 J3: 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 Sony A7S and Nikon 1 J3, below you can find their scores in five different aspects. Our Decision Algorithm dynamically scores cameras using 63 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 Sony A7S and Nikon 1 J3 scores compare:

Sony A7S

Imaging

Features

Value

Portability

Overall

Ranked #38 out of 85 in SLR-style mirrorless cameras
Ranked #70 out of 1218 in all Cameras

Nikon 1 J3

Imaging

Features

Value

Portability

Overall

Ranked #95 out of 126 in Rangefinder-style mirrorless cameras
Ranked #411 out of 1218 in all Cameras

Sony A7S is the overall winner of this comparison. It has a higher Overall Score and beats Nikon 1 J3 in all criteria except one: Portability. Nikon 1 J3 is significantly smaller than Sony A7S. If small size and light body is a big priority for you, choose Nikon 1 J3. Otherwise, Sony A7S is the better camera overall.

Nikon 1 J3 vs Sony A7S Specs Table

Detailed comparison of specifications

General	Sony Alpha A7S	Nikon 1 J3
Brand	Sony	Nikon
Announced	2014-04-06	2013-11-30
Body Type	SLR-style mirrorless	Rangefinder-style mirrorless
Sensor
Type	CMOS	CMOS
Size	Full frame	1"
Dimensions	35.8 x 23.9 mm	13.2 x 8.8 mm
Area	855.62mm²	116.16mm²
Megapixels	12 megapixels	14 megapixels
Max Resolution	4240 x 2832	4608 x 3072
Max Native Light sensitivity	409,600 ISO	6,400 ISO
Min Native Light sensitivity	100 ISO	160 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	25	135
Lens
Manual Focus
Lens Mount	Sony E	Nikon 1
Number of Available Lenses	122	13
Screen
Type	Tilting	Fixed type
Size	3	3"
Resolution	1,230k dots	921k dots
Touch Screen
Viewfinder
Viewfinder	Electronic	None
Viewfinder Resolution	2,359k dots	no electronic viewfinder
Viewfinder Coverage	100%	n/a
Viewfinder Magnification	0.71x	n/a
Photography Features
Max Mechanical Shutter	1/8000s	1/4000s
Max Electronic Shutter	n/a	1/16000s
Shutter Priority
Aperture Priority
Manual Exposure Mode
Custom White Balance
Image Stabilization	No	No
Built-in Flash
Flash Range	no built-in flash	5.00 m
Max Flash Sync	no built-in flash	1/60s
External Flash
Continuous Shooting	5.0 fps	15.0 fps
Multi-Segment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF-Area
Center Weighted
AE Bracketing
WB Bracketing
Video Features
Max Video Resolution	3840 x 2160	1920 x 1080
Video Formats	MPEG-4, AVCHD, XAVC	MPEG-4, H.264
Microphone Port
Headphone Port
Connectivity
Wireless Connectivity	Built-In	Optional
HDMI
Physical
Environmental Sealing
Weight	489g	201g
Dimensions	127 x 94 x 48mm	101 x 61 x 29mm
Battery Life	360 shots	220 shots
Other Features
Timelapse Recording	With Downloadable App
GPS	None	None
DxO Sensor Scores
DxO Overall Score	87	52
DxO Color Depth	23.9	20.4
DxO Dynamic Range	13.2	11.0
DxO Low Light ISO	3702	420
	Report a correction	Report a correction