Sony A290 has a
14.0MP APS-C (23.5 x 15.7 mm ) sized CCD sensor and features Bionz processor. On the other hand, Nikon D300S has a
12.0MP APS-C (23.6 x 15.8 mm ) sized CMOS sensor and features Expeed processor.
Below you can see the A290 and D300S sensor size comparison.
Sensor Size and Resolution Comparison image of Sony A290 and Nikon D300S Cameras
Sony A290 and Nikon D300S 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
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 A290 and Nikon D300S sensors have been tested by DxO and the results show that D300S has a better overall score of 70, 4 points higher compared to A290's score of 66.
Model
Overall
Color Depth
Dynamic Range
Low-light ISO
Sony A290
66
22.6 bits
11.5 Evs
615 ISO
Nikon D300S
70
22.5 bits
12.2 Evs
787 ISO
Sensor size sets the circle of confusion, so it drives how much depth of field each
of these bodies gives you at a given aperture. You can calculate it exactly for the
Sony A290
or the
Nikon D300S ,
including hyperfocal distance.
