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, Sony NEX-7 has a 24.0MP APS-C (23.5 x 15.6 mm ) sized CMOS sensor and features Bionz processor.
Sony NEX-7'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.
Below you can see the A7S and NEX-7 sensor size comparison.
Sensor Size and Resolution Comparison image of Sony A7S and Sony NEX-7 Cameras
As seen above, Sony A7S has a 2.3x Larger sensor area than Sony NEX-7. 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 Sony NEX-7 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, 6 points higher than NEX-7.
Model |
Overall |
Color Depth |
Dynamic Range |
Low-light ISO |
Sony A7S |
87 |
23.9 bits |
13.2 Evs |
3702 ISO |
Sony NEX-7 |
81 |
24.1 bits |
13.4 Evs |
1016 ISO |