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Sony A7S vs Nikon D3X 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 D3X

25 MP | Full frame (35.9 x 24 mm) CMOS Sensor

Nikon D3X
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Sony A7S vs Nikon D3X 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 D3X, which was introduced in February 2009 is a Pro DSLR camera with a 25.0MP Full frame sensor. As you can see, D3X is 5 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 D3X 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 D3X Key Specs

  • Announcement Date: 2009-02-19
  • 25MP - Full frame CMOS Sensor
  • ISO 100 - 1600 ( expands to 50-6400)
  • Nikon F Mount
  • 3" Fixed Type Screen
  • Optical (pentaprism) viewfinder
  • 5 fps continuous shooting
  • No Video Mode
  • 1260g. 160 x 157 x 88 mm
  • Weather Sealed Body
  • Replaced Nikon D2Xs 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 D3X

Let's read on the following sections in order to better understand in detail how Sony A7S and Nikon D3X compares and hopefully end up with enough arguments to decide which one is better for you.

Reasons to choose Sony Alpha A7S over Nikon D3X
Wireless Connection
Built-In vs None Better connectivity
LCD Screen
Tilting vs Fixed Type Flexible shooting positions
Viewfinder Magnification
0.71x vs 0.7x Larger Viewfinder
Face Detection Focus
Yes vs No very handy for portraits
Max ISO
409.600 vs 1.600 25500% higher Max ISO
LCD Screen Resolution
1.230k dots vs 920k dots 33% higher resolution screen
Weight
489 g vs 1260 g 771 g lighter
Microphone Port
Yes vs No High quality audio recording option
Headphone Port
Yes vs No better video control
Low Light ISO
3702 vs 1992 better High ISO performance
Sensor Pixel Area
71.24µm2 vs 35.33µm2 101% larger pixel area
Max Video Resolution
3840 x 2160 vs None Higher Resolution Video
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 D3X over Sony Alpha A7S
Max Sensor Resolution
25 MP vs 12 MP 108% more pixels
Number of Focus Points
51 vs 25 26 more focus points
Battery Life
4400 shots vs 360 shots 4040 more frames with a single charge
Timelapse Recording
Yes vs With optional app creative shooting
Color Depth
24.7 vs 23.9 higher color depth
Dynamic Range
13.7 vs 13.2 higher dynamic range
Top LCD
Yes vs No Help viewing and changing settings easily
Flash Sync Port
Yes vs No Connect off-camera flash
Storage Slot
2 vs 1 Extra storage slot

Common Strengths of Sony Alpha A7S and Nikon D3X
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
AE Bracketing
Yes vs Yes Useful for tough lighting conditions and HDR
Common Weaknesses of Sony Alpha A7S and Nikon D3X
In-body Image Stabilization
No vs No No Built-in stabilization
Built-in Flash
No vs No Require external flash
Sony A7S vs Nikon D3X: 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 D3X 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 D3X has external dimensions of 160 x 157 x 88 mm (6.3 x 6.18 x 3.46″) and weighs 1260 g (2.78 lb / 44.45 oz) (including batteries).

Below you can see the front view size comparison of Sony A7S and Nikon D3X. Sony A7S is clearly the smaller of the two cameras. Its body is 33mm narrower, 63mm shorter and 40mm thinner than Nikon D3X.

Sony A7S vs Nikon D3X Camera Size Comparison - Front View
Comparison image of Sony A7S and Nikon D3X Size, Weight and External Dimensions - Front View

Here is the back view size comparison of Sony A7S and Nikon D3X.

Sony A7S vs Nikon D3X Camera Size Comparison - Back View
Comparison image of Sony A7S and Nikon D3X Size and Weight - Back View

Now lets look at the top view comparison of Sony A7S and Nikon D3X.
Sony A7S vs Nikon D3X Camera Size Comparison - Top View
Top View Comparison image of Sony A7S and Nikon D3X 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 (771g ) than the Nikon D3X 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 D3X 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

A7S
D3X
Min
Average
Max
Thickness Comparison

DSLR Cameras

A7S
D3X
Min
Average
Max

Weather Sealing

Both A7S and D3X have weather sealings in their body, making them resistant to water and dust.

LCD Screen Size and Features

Sony A7S and Nikon D3X'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 D3X has a fixed type screen which provides less flexibility in shooting positions compared to A7S.
Sony A7S vs Nikon D3X: 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 D3X has a 25.0MP Full frame (35.9 x 24 mm ) sized CMOS sensor and features Expeed processor.

Nikon D3X's sensor provides 13MP more than Sony A7S'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 D3X sensor size comparison.

Sony A7S vs Nikon D3X Sensor Size Comparison
Sensor Size and Resolution Comparison image of Sony A7S and Nikon D3X Cameras


Sony A7S and Nikon D3X 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

DxOMark is a benchmark that scientifically assesses image quality of camera sensors. It 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. Sony A7S and Nikon D3X sensors have been tested by DxO and the results show that D3X has a better overall score of 88, 1 points higher compared to A7S's score of 87.

Model Overall Color Depth Dynamic Range Low-light ISO
Sony A7S 87 23.9 bits 13.2 Evs 3702 ISO
Nikon D3X 88 24.7 bits 13.7 Evs 1992 ISO
Sony A7S vs Nikon D3X 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 D3X has an advantage over Sony A7S There are 309 lenses for Nikon D3X'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 D3X 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 D3X 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 24-70mm F2.8E ED VR Lens Nikon 24-70mm F2.8E ED VR
24 - 70mm 1070gr 2330gr 155mm 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
Nikon AF-S 70-200mm F2.8E FL ED VR Lens Nikon AF-S 70-200mm F2.8E FL ED VR
70 - 200mm 1430gr 2690gr 203mm 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 50mm f1.4G Lens Nikon 50mm f1.4G
50mm 290gr 1550gr 54mm 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 17-35mm f2.8D ED-IF Lens Nikon 17-35mm f2.8D ED-IF
17 - 35mm 745gr 2005gr 106mm 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 24-120mm f4G ED VR Lens Nikon 24-120mm f4G ED VR
24 - 120mm 710gr 1970gr 104mm 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
Sigma 150-600mm F5-6.3 DG OS HSM C Lens Sigma 150-600mm F5-6.3 DG OS HSM C
150 - 600mm 1930gr 3190gr 290mm Amazon B&H Photo
What types of Photography are Sony A7S and Nikon D3X Good for?
In this section, we rank and compare Sony A7S and Nikon D3X 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 D3X for Portrait Photography

GOOD
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 (35.9 x 24 mm) sensor
Very High Resolution Sensor: 25.0MP
Optical Built-in Viewfinder
Good Ergonomics&Handling
No Image Stabilization
Read the details

Sony A7S for Street Photography

GOOD

Nikon D3X 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 Full frame (35.9 x 24 mm) sensor
Optical Built-in Viewfinder
Live-view
No Image Stabilization
Large Body
Read the details

Sony A7S for Sports Photography

GOOD

Nikon D3X for Sports Photography

EXCELLENT
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
Environmental Sealings
Fast Max shutter speed: 1/8000s
51 Focus Points
Good Battery Life: 4400 shots
Good Low Light ISO
Average Continuous Shooting: 5.0fps
No Image Stabilization
Read the details

Sony A7S for Daily Photography

EXCELLENT

Nikon D3X for Daily Photography

GOOD
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 (35.9 x 24 mm) sensor
Environmental Sealings
Large Body
1260g
Body Thickness 88mm
Read the details

Sony A7S for Landscape Photography

AVERAGE

Nikon D3X for Landscape Photography

AVERAGE
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 (35.9 x 24 mm) sensor
Very High Resolution Sensor: 25.0MP
Environmental Sealings
Live-view
Read the details

Sony A7S vs Nikon D3X: 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 D3X, 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 D3X scores compare:

Sony A7S
Imaging
Features
Value
Portability
Overall
Ranked #39 out of 87 in SLR-style mirrorless cameras
Ranked #71 out of 1221 in all Cameras
Nikon D3X
Imaging
Features
Value
Portability
Overall
Ranked #10 out of 36 in Large SLR cameras
Ranked #239 out of 1221 in all Cameras

Sony A7S is the clear winner of this comparison. It has a higher Overall Score and beats Nikon D3X 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 D3X
Nikon D3X
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Nikon D3X vs Sony A7S Specs Table
Detailed comparison of specifications
General Sony Alpha A7S Nikon D3X
Brand Sony Nikon
Announced 2014-04-06 2009-02-19
Body Type SLR-style mirrorless Large SLR
Sensor
Type CMOS CMOS
Size Full frame Full frame
Dimensions 35.8 x 23.9 mm 35.9 x 24 mm
Area 855.62mm2 861.60mm2
Megapixels 12 megapixels 25 megapixels
Max Resolution 4240 x 2832 6048 x 4032
Max Native Light sensitivity 409,600 ISO 1,600 ISO
Max Boosted Light Sensitivity - 6400 ISO
Min Native Light sensitivity 100 ISO 100 ISO
Min Boosted Light Sensitivity - 50 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 920k 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 5.0 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 1260g
Dimensions 127 x 94 x 48mm 160 x 157 x 88mm
Battery Life 360 shots 4400 shots
Other Features
Timelapse Recording With Downloadable App
GPS None Optional
DxO Sensor Scores
DxO Overall Score 87 88
DxO Color Depth 23.9 24.7
DxO Dynamic Range 13.2 13.7
DxO Low Light ISO 3702 1992
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