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 D3S 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 D3S has external dimensions of 160 x 157 x 88 mm (6.3 x 6.18 x 3.46″) and weighs 1240 g (2.73 lb / 43.74 oz) (including batteries).
Below you can see the front view size comparison of Sony A7S and Nikon D3S. Sony A7S is clearly the smaller of the two cameras. Its body is 33mm narrower, 63mm shorter and 40mm thinner than Nikon D3S.
![Sony A7S vs Nikon D3S Camera Size Comparison - Front View]()
Comparison image of Sony A7S and Nikon D3S Size, Weight and External Dimensions - Front View
Here is the back view size comparison of Sony A7S and Nikon D3S.
![Sony A7S vs Nikon D3S Camera Size Comparison - Back View]()
Comparison image of Sony A7S and Nikon D3S Size and Weight - Back View
Now lets look at the top view comparison of Sony A7S and Nikon D3S.
![Sony A7S vs Nikon D3S Camera Size Comparison - Top View]()
Top View Comparison image of Sony A7S and Nikon D3S 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 (751g ) than the Nikon D3S 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 both Sony A7S and Nikon D3S have the same Full frame sized sensor, their lenses for a similar focal length and aperture will be similar in size and weight.
Weight Comparison
DSLR Cameras
Thickness Comparison
DSLR Cameras
Weather Sealing
Both A7S and D3S have weather sealings in their body, making them resistant to water and dust.
LCD Screen Size and Features
Sony A7S and Nikon D3S'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 D3S has a fixed type screen which provides less flexibility in shooting positions compared to A7S.
Both Sony A7S and Nikon D3S have Full frame sized 12.0 MP resolution sensors so sensor size and resolution is not a differentiator between these two cameras.
Below you can see the A7S and D3S sensor size comparison.
![Sony A7S vs Nikon D3S Sensor Size Comparison]()
Sensor Size and Resolution Comparison image of Sony A7S and Nikon D3S Cameras
Sony A7S and Nikon D3S have almost the same sensor size so none of them has any significant advantage over other in providing control over depth of field when used with same focal length and aperture.
DxOMark Sensor Scores
Both Sony A7S and Nikon D3S 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, 5 points higher than D3S.
| Model |
Overall |
Color Depth |
Dynamic Range |
Low-light ISO |
|
Sony A7S |
87 |
23.9 bits |
13.2 Evs |
3702 ISO |
|
Nikon D3S |
82 |
23.5 bits |
12.0 Evs |
3253 ISO |
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 D3S has an advantage over Sony A7S There are 309 lenses for Nikon D3S'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 D3S Lenses |
| Standard Zoom |
12 (9 Full Frame) |
33 (17 Full Frame) |
| Standard Prime |
18 (9 Full Frame) |
21 (18 Full Frame) |
| Wideangle Zoom |
7 (6 Full Frame) |
33 (17 Full Frame) |
| Wideangle Prime |
42 (26 Full Frame) |
48 (46 Full Frame) |
| Telephoto Zoom |
9 (7 Full Frame) |
53 (43 Full Frame) |
| Telephoto Prime |
18 (14 Full Frame) |
45 (44 Full Frame) |
| SuperZoom |
8 (1 Full Frame) |
30 (6 Full Frame) |
| Wideangle Fisheye Prime |
2 (0 Full Frame) |
8 (3 Full Frame) |
| Macro Prime |
8 (7 Full Frame) |
26 (23 Full Frame) |
| Perspective Control Prime |
2 (2 Full Frame) |
11 (11 Full Frame) |
| Telephoto Mirror Prime |
n/a |
1 (0 Full Frame) |
| TOTAL |
128 (81 Full Frame) |
309 (228 Full Frame) |
Now let's compare some sample lenses from each mount with typical Focal ranges for Sony A7S and Nikon D3S to see how these lenses compares:
Fast Standard Zoom Lenses
Fast Tele Zoom Equivalent Lenses
Fast Normal Prime Equivalent Lenses
Fast Wideangle Zoom Equivalent Lenses
24-105mm f4 Equivalent Lenses
Super-Tele Zoom Equivalent Lenses
In this section, we rank and compare Sony A7S and Nikon D3S 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 D3S 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 Full frame (36 x 23.9 mm) sensor
Optical Built-in Viewfinder
Good Ergonomics&Handling
Average Resolution Sensor: 12.0MP
No Image Stabilization
Read the details
Sony A7S for Street Photography
Nikon D3S 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 Full frame (36 x 23.9 mm) sensor
Optical Built-in Viewfinder
Live-view
No Image Stabilization
Large Body
Read the details
Sony A7S for Sports Photography
Nikon D3S 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
Optical Built-in Viewfinder
Good Ergonomics&Handling
Fast Continuous Shooting: 11.0fps
Environmental Sealings
Fast Max shutter speed: 1/8000s
15 Cross Type Focus sensors
51 Focus Points
Good Battery Life: 4200 shots
Good Low Light ISO
No Image Stabilization
Read the details
Sony A7S for Daily Photography
Nikon D3S 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 Full frame (36 x 23.9 mm) sensor
Environmental Sealings
Large Body
1240g
Body Thickness 88mm
Read the details
Sony A7S for Landscape Photography
Nikon D3S 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 Full frame (36 x 23.9 mm) sensor
Environmental Sealings
Live-view
Average Resolution Sensor: 12.0MP
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 D3S, 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 D3S scores compare:
Sony A7S
Ranked
#39 out of 88 in SLR-style mirrorless cameras
Ranked
#71 out of 1223 in all Cameras
Nikon D3S
Ranked
#9 out of 36 in Large SLR cameras
Ranked
#230 out of 1223 in all Cameras
Sony A7S is the clear winner of this comparison. It has a higher Overall Score and beats Nikon D3S in all criteria. It has better general image quality, more features, more compact body and offers more value for the money
| General |
Sony Alpha A7S |
Nikon D3S |
| Brand |
Sony |
Nikon |
| Announced |
2014-04-06 |
2010-02-16 |
| Body Type |
SLR-style mirrorless |
Large SLR |
Sensor |
|
|
| Type |
CMOS |
CMOS |
| Size |
Full frame |
Full frame |
| Dimensions |
35.8 x 23.9 mm |
36 x 23.9 mm |
| Area |
855.62mm2 |
860.40mm2 |
| Megapixels |
12 megapixels |
12 megapixels |
| Max Resolution |
4240 x 2832 |
4256 x 2832 |
| Max Native Light sensitivity |
409,600 ISO |
12,800 ISO |
| Max Boosted Light Sensitivity |
- |
102400 ISO |
| Min Native Light sensitivity |
100 ISO |
200 ISO |
| Min Boosted Light Sensitivity |
- |
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 |
51 |
Lens |
|
|
| Manual Focus |
|
|
| Lens Mount |
Sony E |
Nikon F |
| Number of Available Lenses |
128 |
309 |
Screen |
|
|
| Type |
Tilting |
Fixed type |
| Size |
3 |
3" |
| Resolution |
1,230k dots |
921k dots |
| Touch Screen |
|
|
Viewfinder |
|
|
| Viewfinder |
Electronic |
Optical (pentaprism) |
| Viewfinder Resolution |
2,359k dots |
no electronic viewfinder |
| Viewfinder Coverage |
100% |
100% |
| Viewfinder Magnification |
0.71x |
0.7x |
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 |
11.0 fps |
| Multi-Segment |
|
|
| Average |
|
|
| Spot |
|
|
| Partial |
|
|
| AF-Area |
|
|
| Center Weighted |
|
|
| AE Bracketing |
|
|
| WB Bracketing |
|
|
Video Features |
|
|
| Max Video Resolution |
3840 x 2160 |
1280 x 720 |
| Video Formats |
MPEG-4, AVCHD, XAVC |
Motion JPEG |
| Microphone Port |
|
|
| Headphone Port |
|
|
Connectivity |
|
|
| Wireless Connectivity |
Built-In |
None |
| HDMI |
|
|
Physical |
|
|
| Environmental Sealing |
|
|
| Weight |
489g |
1240g |
| Dimensions |
127 x 94 x 48mm |
160 x 157 x 88mm |
| Battery Life |
360 shots |
4200 shots |
Other Features |
|
|
| Timelapse Recording |
With Downloadable App |
|
| GPS |
None |
Optional |
DxO Sensor Scores |
|
|
| DxO Overall Score |
87 |
82 |
| DxO Color Depth |
23.9 |
23.5 |
| DxO Dynamic Range |
13.2 |
12.0 |
| DxO Low Light ISO |
3702 |
3253 |
|
Report a correction |
Report a correction |