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Sony A7S vs Nikon D2Hs Comparison

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Sony A7S

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

Sony A7S
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Nikon D2Hs

4 MP | APS-C (23.7 x 15.5 mm) JFET Sensor

Nikon D2Hs
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Sony A7S vs Nikon D2Hs Comparison Overview

Here we are comparing two cameras with different body types: Sony A7S, which was introduced in April 2014 is a Pro Mirrorless camera with a 12.0MP Full frame sensor whereas Nikon D2Hs, which was introduced in February 2005 is a Pro DSLR camera with a 4.0MP APS-C sensor. As you can see, D2Hs is 9 years older than A7S. Let's see if this age difference between two cameras makes a big difference.

Despite some fundamental differences of these two body types, Mirrorless cameras are becoming serious alternatives to DSLR cameras thanks to their size/weight advantages and recent improvements in their focus speeds , which makes this comparison even more interesting.

Here is a brief look at the main features of Sony A7S and Nikon D2Hs 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 D2Hs Key Specs

  • Announcement Date: 2005-02-16
  • 4MP - APS-C JFET Sensor
  • ISO 200 - 1600
  • Nikon F Mount
  • 2.5" Fixed Type Screen
  • Optical (pentaprism) viewfinder
  • 8 fps continuous shooting
  • No Video Mode
  • 1200g. 158 x 150 x 86 mm
  • Weather Sealed Body
  • Replaced Nikon D2H 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 D2Hs

Let's read on the following sections in order to better understand in detail how Sony A7S and Nikon D2Hs compares and hopefully end up with enough arguments to decide which one is better for you.

Reasons to choose Sony Alpha A7S over Nikon D2Hs
Wireless Connection
Built-In vs None Better connectivity
LCD Screen
Tilting vs Fixed Type Flexible shooting positions
Viewfinder Magnification
0.71x vs 0.57x Larger Viewfinder
Face Detection Focus
Yes vs No very handy for portraits
Max Sensor Resolution
12 MP vs 4 MP 200% more pixels
Max ISO
409.600 vs 1.600 25500% higher Max ISO
LCD Screen Size
3 vs 2.5" 0.5 inches larger display
LCD Screen Resolution
1.230k dots vs 235k dots 423% higher resolution screen
Weight
489 g vs 1200 g 711 g lighter
Microphone Port
Yes vs No High quality audio recording option
Headphone Port
Yes vs No better video control
Max Video Resolution
3840 x 2160 vs None 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 D2Hs over Sony Alpha A7S
Continuous Shooting
8.0fps vs 5.0fps 3 fps faster
Timelapse Recording
Yes vs With optional app creative shooting
Sensor Pixel Area
91.38µm2 vs 71.24µm2 28% larger pixel area
Top LCD
Yes vs No Help viewing and changing settings easily
Flash Sync Port
Yes vs No Connect off-camera flash

Common Strengths of Sony Alpha A7S and Nikon D2Hs
External Flash Shoe
Yes vs Yes Better for flash photography
Viewfinder
Yes (Electronic) vs Yes (Optical) Better framing and control
RAW Support
Yes vs Yes Better image quality
Environmental Sealing
Yes vs Yes shoot at tough conditions
Common Weaknesses of Sony Alpha A7S and Nikon D2Hs
In-body Image Stabilization
No vs No No Built-in stabilization
Built-in Flash
No vs No Require external flash
LCD Screen Size
3 vs 2.5" Small display
Sony A7S vs Nikon D2Hs: 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 D2Hs 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 D2Hs has external dimensions of 158 x 150 x 86 mm (6.22 x 5.91 x 3.39″) and weighs 1200 g (2.65 lb / 42.33 oz) (including batteries).

Below you can see the front view size comparison of Sony A7S and Nikon D2Hs. Sony A7S is clearly the smaller of the two cameras. Its body is 31mm narrower, 56mm shorter and 38mm thinner than Nikon D2Hs.

Sony A7S vs Nikon D2Hs Camera Size Comparison - Front View
Comparison image of Sony A7S and Nikon D2Hs Size, Weight and External Dimensions - Front View

Here is the back view size comparison of Sony A7S and Nikon D2Hs.

Sony A7S vs Nikon D2Hs Camera Size Comparison - Back View
Comparison image of Sony A7S and Nikon D2Hs Size and Weight - Back View

Now lets look at the top view comparison of Sony A7S and Nikon D2Hs.
Sony A7S vs Nikon D2Hs Camera Size Comparison - Top View
Top View Comparison image of Sony A7S and Nikon D2Hs Size

Weight is another important factor especially when deciding on a camera that you want to carry with you all day. Sony A7S is significantly lighter (711g ) than the Nikon D2Hs 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 D2Hs has a smaller APS-C sensor, Nikon D2Hs's lenses for a similar focal length and aperture will generally be lighter and smaller than the Sony A7S lenses.

Weight Comparison

DSLR Cameras

A7S
D2Hs
Min
Average
Max
Thickness Comparison

DSLR Cameras

A7S
D2Hs
Min
Average
Max

Weather Sealing

Both A7S and D2Hs have weather sealings in their body, making them resistant to water and dust.

LCD Screen Size and Features

Sony A7S's 3 LCD screen is slightly larger than Nikon D2Hs's 2.5" screen.

In addition to the size advantage, Sony A7S LCD screen also has a Tilting feature where you can change the angle of the screen to make it easier to shoot from waist or over the head levels. On the other hand, Nikon D2Hs has a fixed type screen which provides less flexibility in shooting positions compared to A7S.
Sony A7S vs Nikon D2Hs: 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 D2Hs has a 4.0MP APS-C (23.7 x 15.5 mm ) sized JFET sensor .

Sony A7S's sensor provides 8MP more than Nikon D2Hs'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 A7S and D2Hs sensor size comparison.

Sony A7S vs Nikon D2Hs Sensor Size Comparison
Sensor Size and Resolution Comparison image of Sony A7S and Nikon D2Hs Cameras


As seen above, Sony A7S has a 2.3x Larger sensor area than Nikon D2Hs. 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.

Sony A7S vs Nikon D2Hs 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 Nikon D2Hs has an advantage over Sony A7S There are 309 lenses for Nikon D2Hs's Nikon F mount, on the other hand there are only 128 lenses for Sony A7S's Sony E 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 31 lenses for Sony E mount and 106 lenses for Nikon F mount with IS.

Lens Type # of Sony A7S Lenses # of Nikon D2Hs Lenses
Standard Zoom 12 (9 Full Frame) 33
Standard Prime 18 (9 Full Frame) 21
Wideangle Zoom 7 (6 Full Frame) 33
Wideangle Prime 42 (26 Full Frame) 48
Telephoto Zoom 9 (7 Full Frame) 53
Telephoto Prime 18 (14 Full Frame) 45
SuperZoom 8 (1 Full Frame) 30
Wideangle Fisheye Prime 2 (0 Full Frame) 8
Macro Prime 8 (7 Full Frame) 26
Perspective Control Prime 2 (2 Full Frame) 11
Telephoto Mirror Prime n/a 1
TOTAL 128 (81 Full Frame) 309


Now let's compare some sample lenses from each mount with typical Focal ranges for Sony A7S and Nikon D2Hs to see how these lenses compares:

Fast Standard Zoom Lenses
Model FF Equiv. Weight Weight w/ Cam Length Street Price
Sony FE 24-70mm F2.8 GM Lens Sony FE 24-70mm F2.8 GM
24 - 70mm 886gr 1375gr 136mm Amazon B&H Photo
Nikon 17-55mm f2.8G ED-IF Lens Nikon 17-55mm f2.8G ED-IF
25.5 - 82.5mm 755gr 1955gr 111mm Amazon B&H Photo
Fast Tele Zoom Equivalent Lenses
Model FF Equiv. Weight Weight w/ Cam Length Street Price
Sony FE 70-200mm F2.8 GM OSS Lens Sony FE 70-200mm F2.8 GM OSS
70 - 200mm 1480gr 1969gr 200mm Amazon B&H Photo
Sigma 50-150mm F2.8 EX DC OS HSM Lens Sigma 50-150mm F2.8 EX DC OS HSM
75 - 225mm 1350gr 2550gr 198mm Amazon B&H Photo
Fast Normal Prime Equivalent Lenses
Model FF Equiv. Weight Weight w/ Cam Length Street Price
Sony FE 50mm F1.4 Lens Sony FE 50mm F1.4
50mm 778gr 1267gr 108mm Amazon B&H Photo
Nikon 35mm f1.8G Lens Nikon 35mm f1.8G
52.5mm 210gr 1410gr 53mm Amazon B&H Photo
Fast Wideangle Zoom Equivalent Lenses
Model FF Equiv. Weight Weight w/ Cam Length Street Price
Sony FE 16-35mm F2.8 GM Lens Sony FE 16-35mm F2.8 GM
16 - 35mm 680gr 1169gr 122mm Amazon B&H Photo
Nikon 10-24mm f3-5-4.5G ED Lens Nikon 10-24mm f3-5-4.5G ED
15 - 36mm 460gr 1660gr 87mm Amazon B&H Photo
24-105mm f4 Equivalent Lenses
Model FF Equiv. Weight Weight w/ Cam Length Street Price
Sony FE 24-105mm F4 G OSS Lens Sony FE 24-105mm F4 G OSS
24 - 105mm 663gr 1152gr 113mm Amazon B&H Photo
Nikon DX 16-80mm F2.8-4E ED VR Lens Nikon DX 16-80mm F2.8-4E ED VR
24 - 120mm 480gr 1680gr 86mm Amazon B&H Photo
Super-Tele Zoom Equivalent Lenses
Model FF Equiv. Weight Weight w/ Cam Length Street Price
Sony FE 100-400mm F4.5-5.6 GM OSS Lens Sony FE 100-400mm F4.5-5.6 GM OSS
100 - 400mm 1395gr 1884gr 205mm Amazon B&H Photo
Nikon 80-400mm f4.5-5.6G ED VR Lens Nikon 80-400mm f4.5-5.6G ED VR
80 - 400mm 1570gr 2770gr 203mm Amazon B&H Photo
What types of Photography are Sony A7S and Nikon D2Hs Good for?
In this section, we rank and compare Sony A7S and Nikon D2Hs 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 D2Hs for Portrait Photography

AVERAGE
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 (23.7 x 15.5 mm) sensor
Optical Built-in Viewfinder
Good Ergonomics&Handling
Very Low Resolution Sensor: 4.0MP
No Image Stabilization
Read the details

Sony A7S for Street Photography

GOOD

Nikon D2Hs 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
Large APS-C (23.7 x 15.5 mm) sensor
Optical Built-in Viewfinder
No Image Stabilization
No Live-view
Large Body
Read the details

Sony A7S for Sports Photography

GOOD

Nikon D2Hs for Sports Photography

GOOD
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
Optical Built-in Viewfinder
Good Ergonomics&Handling
Fast Continuous Shooting: 8.0fps
Environmental Sealings
Fast Max shutter speed: 1/8000s
No Image Stabilization
Focus Points
Read the details

Sony A7S for Daily Photography

EXCELLENT

Nikon D2Hs 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
Large APS-C (23.7 x 15.5 mm) sensor
Environmental Sealings
Large Body
1200g
Body Thickness 86mm
Read the details

Sony A7S for Landscape Photography

AVERAGE

Nikon D2Hs 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
Large APS-C (23.7 x 15.5 mm) sensor
Environmental Sealings
Very Low Resolution Sensor: 4.0MP
No Live-view
Read the details

Sony A7S vs Nikon D2Hs: 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 D2Hs, 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 D2Hs scores compare:

Sony A7S
Imaging
Features
Value
Portability
Overall
Ranked #39 out of 88 in SLR-style mirrorless cameras
Ranked #71 out of 1223 in all Cameras
Nikon D2Hs
Imaging
Features
Value
Portability
Overall
Ranked #29 out of 36 in Large SLR cameras
Ranked #744 out of 1223 in all Cameras

Sony A7S is the clear winner of this comparison. It has a higher Overall Score and beats Nikon D2Hs in all criteria. It has better general image quality, more features, more compact body and offers more value for the money

Sony A7S
Sony A7S
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Nikon D2Hs
Nikon D2Hs
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Nikon D2Hs vs Sony A7S Specs Table
Detailed comparison of specifications
General Sony Alpha A7S Nikon D2Hs
Brand Sony Nikon
Announced 2014-04-06 2005-02-16
Body Type SLR-style mirrorless Large SLR
Sensor
Type CMOS JFET
Size Full frame APS-C
Dimensions 35.8 x 23.9 mm 23.7 x 15.5 mm
Area 855.62mm2 367.35mm2
Megapixels 12 megapixels 4 megapixels
Max Resolution 4240 x 2832 2464 x 1632
Max Native Light sensitivity 409,600 ISO 1,600 ISO
Min Native Light sensitivity 100 ISO 200 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 Nikon F
Number of Available Lenses 128 309
Screen
Type Tilting Fixed type
Size 3 2.5"
Resolution 1,230k dots 235k dots
Touch Screen
Viewfinder
Viewfinder Electronic Optical (pentaprism)
Viewfinder Resolution 2,359k dots no electronic viewfinder
Viewfinder Coverage 100% 100%
Viewfinder Magnification 0.71x 0.57x
Photography Features
Max Mechanical Shutter 1/8000s 1/8000s
Shutter Priority
Aperture Priority
Manual Exposure Mode
Custom White Balance
Image Stabilization No No
Built-in Flash
Max Flash Sync n/a 1/250s
External Flash
Continuous Shooting 5.0 fps 8.0 fps
Multi-Segment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF-Area
Center Weighted
AE Bracketing
WB Bracketing
Video Features
Max Video Resolution 3840 x 2160 None
Video Formats MPEG-4, AVCHD, XAVC n/a
Microphone Port
Headphone Port
Connectivity
Wireless Connectivity Built-In None
HDMI
Physical
Environmental Sealing
Weight 489g 1200g
Dimensions 127 x 94 x 48mm 158 x 150 x 86mm
Battery Life 360 shots n/a
Other Features
Timelapse Recording With Downloadable App
GPS None None
DxO Sensor Scores
DxO Overall Score 87 not tested
DxO Color Depth 23.9 not tested
DxO Dynamic Range 13.2 not tested
DxO Low Light ISO 3702 not tested
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