Sony A7R III has a 42.0MP Full frame (35.9 x 24 mm ) sized BSI-CMOS sensor and features Bionz X processor. On the other hand, Nikon D3 has a 12.0MP Full frame (36 x 23.9 mm ) sized CMOS sensor and features Expeed processor.
Sony A7R III's sensor provides 30MP more than Nikon D3'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.
Another difference between these two cameras is that Sony A7R III's sensor lacks 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 moiré occurring in certain scenes.
Below you can see the A7R III and D3 sensor size comparison.
Sensor Size and Resolution Comparison image of Sony A7R III and Nikon D3 Cameras
Sony A7R III and Nikon D3 have almost the same sensor size, so neither of them has any significant advantage over the other in terms of providing control over depth of field when used with the same focal length and aperture.
DxOMark Sensor Scores
Both Sony A7R III and Nikon D3 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, A7R III has scored 100, 19 points higher than D3.
| Model |
Overall |
Color Depth |
Dynamic Range |
Low-light ISO |
|
Sony A7R III |
100 |
26.0 bits |
14.7 Evs |
3523 ISO |
|
Nikon D3 |
81 |
23.5 bits |
12.2 Evs |
2290 ISO |