Sony A77 II has a
24.0MP APS-C (23.5 x 15.6 mm ) sized CMOS sensor and features Bionz X processor. On the other hand, Nikon D3000 has a
10.0MP APS-C (23.6 x 15.8 mm ) sized CCD sensor and features Expeed processor.
Sony A77 II's sensor provides 14MP more than Nikon D3000'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 A77 II and D3000 sensor size comparison.
Sensor Size and Resolution Comparison image of Sony A77 II and Nikon D3000 Cameras
Sony A77 II and Nikon D3000 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 A77 II and Nikon D3000 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, A77 II has scored 82, 20 points higher than D3000.
Model
Overall
Color Depth
Dynamic Range
Low-light ISO
Sony A77 II
82
24.4 bits
13.4 Evs
1013 ISO
Nikon D3000
62
22.3 bits
11.1 Evs
563 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 A77 II
or the
Nikon D3000 ,
including hyperfocal distance.
