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 A 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 A has external dimensions of 111 x 64 x 40 mm (4.37 x 2.52 x 1.57″) and weighs 299 g (0.66 lb / 10.55 oz) (including batteries).
Below you can see the front view size comparison of Sony A7S and Nikon A. Nikon A is clearly the smaller of the two cameras. Its body is 16mm narrower, 30mm shorter and 8mm thinner than Sony A7S. As you can tell, actually this is not a fair size comparison since Nikon A has a built-in lens but Sony A7S doesn't. Once you put a lens on A7S, its thickness will increase significantly.
![Sony A7S vs Nikon A Camera Size Comparison - Front View]()
Comparison image of Sony A7S and Nikon A Size, Weight and External Dimensions - Front View
Here is the back view size comparison of Sony A7S and Nikon A.
![Sony A7S vs Nikon A Camera Size Comparison - Back View]()
Comparison image of Sony A7S and Nikon A Size and Weight - Back View
Now lets look at the top view comparison of Sony A7S and Nikon A.
![Sony A7S vs Nikon A Camera Size Comparison - Top View]()
Top View Comparison image of Sony A7S and Nikon A Size
Weight is another important factor especially when deciding on a camera that you want to carry with you all day.
Nikon A is significantly lighter (190g ) than the Sony A7S which may become a big advantage especially on long walking trips.
Again, this comparison may not be very useful in real life as we are comparing the weight of a camera with a built-in lens to the body-only weight of an interchangeable lens camera. Once you put a lens on A7S, the total kit will weigh much higher.
Weather Sealing
With its weather sealed body, we believe that A7S has a big advantage over A which doesn't provide any kind of environmental sealing.
LCD Screen Size and Features
Sony A7S and Nikon A'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 A has a fixed type screen which provides less flexibility in shooting positions compared to A7S.
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 A has a 16.0MP APS-C (23.6 x 15.7 mm ) sized CMOS sensor .
Below you can see the A7S and A sensor size comparison.
![Sony A7S vs Nikon A Sensor Size Comparison]()
Sensor Size and Resolution Comparison image of Sony A7S and Nikon A Cameras
As seen above, Sony A7S has a 2.3x Larger sensor area than Nikon A. 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 A 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, 7 points higher than A.
| Model |
Overall |
Color Depth |
Dynamic Range |
Low-light ISO |
|
Sony A7S |
87 |
23.9 bits |
13.2 Evs |
3702 ISO |
|
Nikon A |
80 |
23.4 bits |
13.8 Evs |
1164 ISO |
In this section, we rank and compare Sony A7S and Nikon A 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
Nikon A for Portrait Photography
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
Large APS-C (23.6 x 15.7 mm) sensor
External Flash Shoe
Average Resolution Sensor: 16.0MP
Optional External Viewfinder
No Image Stabilization
Not so good Ergonomics&Handling
Read the details
Sony A7S for Street Photography
Nikon A for Street Photography
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
Large APS-C (23.6 x 15.7 mm) sensor
Small Body
Live-view
Face-Detection Focusing
Fast Lens at Wide: f2.80
28 mm - Good Wide Angle Coverage
Optional External Viewfinder
No Image Stabilization
Read the details
Sony A7S for Sports Photography
Nikon A for Sports Photography
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
External Flash Shoe
Good Low Light ISO
Optional External Viewfinder
Average Continuous Shooting: 4.0fps
Average Max shutter speed: 1/2000s
No Image Stabilization
Not so good Ergonomics&Handling
Environmental Sealings
Unknown Focus Points
Poor Battery Life: 230 shots
28 mm Tele Lens
Read the details
Sony A7S for Daily Photography
Nikon A for Daily Photography
Large Full frame (35.8 x 23.9 mm) sensor
Environmental Sealings
Medium size Body
489g
Body Thickness 48mm
Read the details
Large APS-C (23.6 x 15.7 mm) sensor
Compact Body
299g
Body Thickness 40mm
Read the details
Sony A7S for Landscape Photography
Nikon A for Landscape Photography
Large Full frame (35.8 x 23.9 mm) sensor
Environmental Sealings
Live-view
Average Resolution Sensor: 12.0MP
Read the details
Large APS-C (23.6 x 15.7 mm) sensor
28 mm - Good Wide Angle Coverage
Average Resolution Sensor: 16.0MP
No Environmental Sealings
Read the details
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 A, 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 A scores compare:
Sony A7S
Ranked
#39 out of 86 in SLR-style mirrorless cameras
Ranked
#71 out of 1220 in all Cameras
Nikon A
Ranked
#39 out of 61 in Large sensor compact cameras
Ranked
#359 out of 1220 in all Cameras
Sony A7S is the overall winner of this comparison. It has a higher Overall Score and beats Nikon A in all criteria except one: Portability. But the size difference between these cameras are negligible in real world so it is not a big disadvantage for Sony A7S.
| General |
Sony Alpha A7S |
Nikon Coolpix A |
| Brand |
Sony |
Nikon |
| Announced |
2014-04-06 |
2013-06-06 |
| Body Type |
SLR-style mirrorless |
Large sensor compact |
Sensor |
|
|
| Type |
CMOS |
CMOS |
| Size |
Full frame |
APS-C |
| Dimensions |
35.8 x 23.9 mm |
23.6 x 15.7 mm |
| Area |
855.62mm2 |
370.52mm2 |
| Megapixels |
12 megapixels |
16 megapixels |
| Max Resolution |
4240 x 2832 |
4928 x 3264 |
| Max Native Light sensitivity |
409,600 ISO |
6,400 ISO |
| Max Boosted Light Sensitivity |
- |
25600 ISO |
| Min Native Light sensitivity |
100 ISO |
100 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 |
n/a |
Lens |
|
|
| Manual Focus |
|
|
| Lens Mount |
Sony E |
fixed lens |
| Lens Focal Range |
no lens |
28 mm (1×) |
| Max Aperture |
no lens |
F2.8 |
| Macro Focus Range |
no lens |
10cm |
Screen |
|
|
| Type |
Tilting |
Fixed type |
| Size |
3 |
3" |
| Resolution |
1,230k dots |
921k dots |
| Touch Screen |
|
|
Viewfinder |
|
|
| Viewfinder |
Electronic |
Optical (optional) |
| 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 |
1/2000s |
| Shutter Priority |
|
|
| Aperture Priority |
|
|
| Manual Exposure Mode |
|
|
| Custom White Balance |
|
|
| Image Stabilization |
No |
No |
| Built-in Flash |
|
|
| Flash Range |
no built-in flash |
11.50 m |
| Max Flash Sync |
n/a |
1/2000s |
| External Flash |
|
|
| Continuous Shooting |
5.0 fps |
4.0 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 |
299g |
| Dimensions |
127 x 94 x 48mm |
111 x 64 x 40mm |
| Battery Life |
360 shots |
230 shots |
Other Features |
|
|
| Timelapse Recording |
With Downloadable App |
|
| GPS |
None |
Optional |
DxO Sensor Scores |
|
|
| DxO Overall Score |
87 |
80 |
| DxO Color Depth |
23.9 |
23.4 |
| DxO Dynamic Range |
13.2 |
13.8 |
| DxO Low Light ISO |
3702 |
1164 |
|
Report a correction |
Report a correction |