Sony A900 has a
25.0MP Full frame (35.9 x 24 mm ) sized CMOS sensor and features Bionz processor. On the other hand, Nikon D5200 has a
24.0MP APS-C (23.5 x 15.6 mm ) sized CMOS sensor and features Expeed 3 processor.
Below you can see the A900 and D5200 sensor size comparison.
Sensor Size and Resolution Comparison image of Sony A900 and Nikon D5200 Cameras
As seen above, Sony A900 has a 2.4x Larger sensor area than Nikon D5200. 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
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 A900 and Nikon D5200 sensors have been tested by DxO and the results show that D5200 has a better overall score of 84, 5 points higher compared to A900's score of 79.
Model
Overall
Color Depth
Dynamic Range
Low-light ISO
Sony A900
79
23.7 bits
12.3 Evs
1431 ISO
Nikon D5200
84
24.2 bits
13.9 Evs
1284 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 A900
or the
Nikon D5200 ,
including hyperfocal distance.
One thing to watch when comparing these two: they have different sensor sizes
(Full frame versus APS-C),
so compare them at the same framing rather than the same focal length.
Put the same focal length on the smaller sensor and it will show less depth of
field, not more, because it also crops tighter. The calculator shows the
full frame equivalent focal length for each body so you can match the framing.
