Sony A580 has a
16.0MP APS-C (23.5 x 15.6 mm ) sized CMOS sensor and features Bionz processor. On the other hand, Nikon D7200 has a
24.0MP APS-C (23.5 x 15.6 mm ) sized CMOS sensor and features Expeed 4 processor.
Nikon D7200's sensor provides 8MP more than Sony A580'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 D7200'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 moiré occurring in certain scenes.
Below you can see the A580 and D7200 sensor size comparison.
Sensor Size and Resolution Comparison image of Sony A580 and Nikon D7200 Cameras
Sony A580 and Nikon D7200 have the same sensor sizes so they will provide same level of control over the depth of field when used with same focal length and aperture. On the other hand, since Sony A580 has 49% larger pixel area compared to Nikon D7200, it has potential to collect more light on pixel level hence have less noise in low light / High ISO images.
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 A580 and Nikon D7200 sensors have been tested by DxO and the results show that D7200 has a better overall score of 87, 7 points higher compared to A580's score of 80.
Model
Overall
Color Depth
Dynamic Range
Low-light ISO
Sony A580
80
23.8 bits
13.3 Evs
1121 ISO
Nikon D7200
87
24.5 bits
14.6 Evs
1333 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 A580
or the
Nikon D7200 ,
including hyperfocal distance.
