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Sony A7S vs Nikon D7100 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 D7100

24 MP | APS-C (23.5 x 15.6 mm) CMOS Sensor

Nikon D7100
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Sony A7S vs Nikon D7100 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 D7100, which was introduced in April 2013 is a Advanced DSLR camera with a 24.0MP APS-C sensor. There is only 11 months difference between A7S and D7100 so we are expecting this to be a fair comparison regarding age and technology level.

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 D7100 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 D7100 Key Specs

  • Announcement Date: 2013-04-25
  • 24MP - APS-C CMOS Sensor
  • No Anti-aliasing (AA) filter
  • ISO 100 - 6400 ( expands to 50-25600)
  • Nikon F Mount
  • 3.2" Fixed Type Screen
  • Optical (pentaprism) viewfinder
  • 6 fps continuous shooting
  • Full HD - 1920 x 1080 video resolution
  • 765g. 136 x 107 x 76 mm
  • Weather Sealed Body
  • Replaced Nikon D7000 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 D7100

Nikon D7100 was replaced by Nikon D7200. You may also be interested in these comparisons:
Nikon D7200 vs Nikon D7100
Nikon D7200 vs Sony Alpha A7S

Let's read on the following sections in order to better understand in detail how Sony A7S and Nikon D7100 compares and hopefully end up with enough arguments to decide which one is better for you.

Reasons to choose Sony Alpha A7S over Nikon D7100
Wireless Connection
Built-In vs Optional Better connectivity
LCD Screen
Tilting vs Fixed Type Flexible shooting positions
Viewfinder Magnification
0.71x vs 0.63x Larger Viewfinder
Max ISO
409.600 vs 6.400 6300% higher Max ISO
Weight
489 g vs 765 g 276 g lighter
Low Light ISO
3702 vs 1256 better High ISO performance
Sensor Pixel Area
71.24µm2 vs 15.28µm2 366% larger pixel area
Max Video Resolution
3840 x 2160 vs 1920 x 1080 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 D7100 over Sony Alpha A7S
Built-in Flash
Yes vs No Useful in low-light
Max Sensor Resolution
24 MP vs 12 MP 100% more pixels
Number of Focus Points
51 vs 25 26 more focus points
LCD Screen Size
3.2" vs 3 0.2 inches larger display
Continuous Shooting
6.0fps vs 5.0fps 1 fps faster
Battery Life
950 shots vs 360 shots 590 more frames with a single charge
Timelapse Recording
Yes vs With optional app creative shooting
Color Depth
24.2 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
Storage Slot
2 vs 1 Extra storage slot
Autofocus at f/8 aperture
Center point vs none Autofocus with teleconverters
UHS Card Support
UHS-I vs none Read/Write in Ultra High Speeds

Common Strengths of Sony Alpha A7S and Nikon D7100
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
Face Detection Focus
Yes vs Yes very handy for portraits
LCD Screen Size
3 vs 3.2" Large display
LCD Screen Resolution
1.230k dots vs 1.229k dots High resolution screens
Continuous Shooting
5.0fps vs 6.0fps Fast shooting speeds
Microphone Port
Yes vs Yes High quality audio recording option
Headphone Port
Yes vs Yes better video control
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 D7100
In-body Image Stabilization
No vs No No Built-in stabilization
Sony A7S vs Nikon D7100: 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 D7100 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 D7100 has external dimensions of 136 x 107 x 76 mm (5.35 x 4.21 x 2.99″) and weighs 765 g (1.69 lb / 26.98 oz) (including batteries).

Below you can see the front view size comparison of Sony A7S and Nikon D7100. Sony A7S is clearly the smaller of the two cameras. Its body is 9mm narrower, 13mm shorter and 28mm thinner than Nikon D7100.

Sony A7S vs Nikon D7100 Camera Size Comparison - Front View
Comparison image of Sony A7S and Nikon D7100 Size, Weight and External Dimensions - Front View

Here is the back view size comparison of Sony A7S and Nikon D7100.

Sony A7S vs Nikon D7100 Camera Size Comparison - Back View
Comparison image of Sony A7S and Nikon D7100 Size and Weight - Back View

Now lets look at the top view comparison of Sony A7S and Nikon D7100.
Sony A7S vs Nikon D7100 Camera Size Comparison - Top View
Top View Comparison image of Sony A7S and Nikon D7100 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 (276g ) than the Nikon D7100 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 D7100 has a smaller APS-C sensor, Nikon D7100'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
D7100
Min
Average
Max
Thickness Comparison

DSLR Cameras

A7S
D7100
Min
Average
Max

Weather Sealing

Both A7S and D7100 have weather sealings in their body, making them resistant to water and dust.

LCD Screen Size and Features

Nikon D7100's 3.2" LCD screen is slightly larger than Sony A7S's 3 screen.

On the other hand, Sony A7S LCD screen 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 D7100 has a fixed type screen which provides less flexibility in shooting positions compared to A7S.
Sony A7S vs Nikon D7100: 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 D7100 has a 24.0MP APS-C (23.5 x 15.6 mm ) sized CMOS sensor .

Nikon D7100's sensor provides 12MP 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.

One other difference between these two cameras that is worth mentioning is that Nikon D7100's sensor doesn't have an anti-alias (Low-Pass) filter. Removing anti-alias filter increases the sharpness and level of detail but at the same time, it increases the chance of moire occurring in certain scenes.

Below you can see the A7S and D7100 sensor size comparison.

Sony A7S vs Nikon D7100 Sensor Size Comparison
Sensor Size and Resolution Comparison image of Sony A7S and Nikon D7100 Cameras


As seen above, Sony A7S has a 2.3x Larger sensor area than Nikon D7100. 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 D7100 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, 4 points higher than D7100.

Model Overall Color Depth Dynamic Range Low-light ISO
Sony A7S 87 23.9 bits 13.2 Evs 3702 ISO
Nikon D7100 83 24.2 bits 13.7 Evs 1256 ISO
Sony A7S vs Nikon D7100 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 D7100 has an advantage over Sony A7S There are 309 lenses for Nikon D7100'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 D7100 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 D7100 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 1520gr 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 2115gr 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 975gr 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 1225gr 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 1245gr 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 2335gr 203mm Amazon B&H Photo
What types of Photography are Sony A7S and Nikon D7100 Good for?
In this section, we rank and compare Sony A7S and Nikon D7100 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 D7100 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 (23.5 x 15.6 mm) sensor
Very High Resolution Sensor: 24.0MP
Optical Built-in Viewfinder
Good Ergonomics&Handling
No Image Stabilization
Read the details

Sony A7S for Street Photography

GOOD

Nikon D7100 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 (23.5 x 15.6 mm) sensor
Optical Built-in Viewfinder
Live-view
Face-Detection Focusing
No Image Stabilization
Large Body
Read the details

Sony A7S for Sports Photography

GOOD

Nikon D7100 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
15 Cross Type Focus sensors
51 Focus Points
Good Battery Life: 950 shots
Good Low Light ISO
Average Continuous Shooting: 6.0fps
No Image Stabilization
Read the details

Sony A7S for Daily Photography

EXCELLENT

Nikon D7100 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 APS-C (23.5 x 15.6 mm) sensor
Environmental Sealings
Large Body
765g
Body Thickness 76mm
Read the details

Sony A7S for Landscape Photography

AVERAGE

Nikon D7100 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 APS-C (23.5 x 15.6 mm) sensor
Very High Resolution Sensor: 24.0MP
Environmental Sealings
Live-view
Read the details

Sony A7S vs Nikon D7100: 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 D7100, 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 D7100 scores compare:

Sony A7S
Imaging
Features
Value
Portability
Overall
Ranked #39 out of 86 in SLR-style mirrorless cameras
Ranked #71 out of 1220 in all Cameras
Nikon D7100
Imaging
Features
Value
Portability
Overall
Ranked #30 out of 94 in Mid-size SLR cameras
Ranked #118 out of 1220 in all Cameras

Sony A7S has a higher Overall Score than the Nikon D7100 and would be our choice if we have to decide between these two cameras.

Sony A7S
Sony A7S
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Nikon D7100
Nikon D7100
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Nikon D7100 vs Sony A7S Specs Table
Detailed comparison of specifications
General Sony Alpha A7S Nikon D7100
Brand Sony Nikon
Announced 2014-04-06 2013-04-25
Body Type SLR-style mirrorless Mid-size SLR
Sensor
Type CMOS CMOS
Size Full frame APS-C
Dimensions 35.8 x 23.9 mm 23.5 x 15.6 mm
Area 855.62mm2 366.60mm2
Megapixels 12 megapixels 24 megapixels
Max Resolution 4240 x 2832 6000 x 4000
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 51
Lens
Manual Focus
Lens Mount Sony E Nikon F
Number of Available Lenses 128 309
Screen
Type Tilting Fixed type
Size 3 3.2"
Resolution 1,230k dots 1,229k dots
Touch Screen
Viewfinder
Viewfinder Electronic Optical (pentaprism)
Viewfinder Resolution 2,359k dots no electronic viewfinder
Viewfinder Coverage 100% 100%
Viewfinder Magnification 0.71x 0.63x
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
Flash Range no built-in flash 12.00 m (at ISO 100)
Max Flash Sync n/a 1/250s
External Flash
Continuous Shooting 5.0 fps 6.0 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 765g
Dimensions 127 x 94 x 48mm 136 x 107 x 76mm
Battery Life 360 shots 950 shots
Other Features
Timelapse Recording With Downloadable App
GPS None Optional
DxO Sensor Scores
DxO Overall Score 87 83
DxO Color Depth 23.9 24.2
DxO Dynamic Range 13.2 13.7
DxO Low Light ISO 3702 1256
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