Nikon D300S vs Sony DSLR-A580

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Nikon D300S vs Sony DSLR-A580

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APS-C 372.9mm²
12.3 megapixels
ISO 200 - 3200

Go in depth with our full Nikon D300S Review.
See real-world photos taken with the D300S.

APS-C 369.7mm²
16.2 megapixels
ISO 100 - 12,800

Go in depth with our full Sony DSLR-A580 Review.
See real-world photos taken with the DSLR-A580.

Succeeded by the Nikon D500
Compare D300S vs D500
Compare Nikon D500 vs Sony DSLR-A580

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Differences

Nikon D300S advantages over Sony DSLR-A580

Lens selection
Excellent vs Good
Better lens selection gives you more options
Fast startup
~0.30 vs 0.8 sec
Faster startup lets you catch the moment
Top deck display
Yes vs No
Check settings with a screen on top of the camera
External Mic Jack
Jack vs No jack
Improved sound fidelity when shooting video
More cross-type AF points
15 vs 3
Cross-type AF points improve autofocus performance
Higher max flash sync
1/250 vs 1/160 sec
Reduce the effect of ambient light in flash shots
Pentaprism viewfinder
Pentaprism vs Pentamirror
Much better viewfinder picture fidelity
Shoots 24p video
Yes vs No
Gives your movies a big-screen feel
More viewfinder magnification
0.63x vs 0.53x
Get a bigger view of the scene through the eye-level viewfinder
Dual card slots
Yes vs No
Gives you more storage flexibility
More AF points
51 vs 15
More AF points improve autofocus
Faster shutter
1/8000 vs 1/4000 sec
Shoot wide open in bright light

Sony DSLR-A580 advantages over Nikon D300S

In-Camera Image Stabilization
Yes vs No
Reduces the effects of camera shake at slower shutter speeds
In-camera panoramas
Yes vs No
Stitches multiple shots into a panoramic photo
Tiltable Screen
Tiltable vs Fixed
Tilt the screen for shooting flexbility
Higher effective ISO

Higher effective ISO

Maximum effective ISO is an estimate of the highest sensitivity at which a camera can capture excellent quality photos.

Cameras with higher effective ISO will be better choices for indoor photography, night shooting, and indoor sports photography, especially if you intend to make large prints.

You can learn more at our glossary entry.

Maximum effective ISO test data courtesy of DxO Mark.
DSLR-A580 test data on DxO Mark D300S test data on DxO Mark

1,123 vs 787 iso
Take photos in low light with less noise
Lighter weight
694g vs 951g
Lighter weight
More pixels
16.2 vs 12.3 megapixels
Higher resolution photos
Higher extended ISO
25600 vs 6400 ISO
Higher extended ISO can give more low-light flexibility

Similarities

Common Strengths

Eye-level viewfinder
Both provide
You'll be able to frame photos even when the sun is out
Internal flash
Both provide
Useful in a pinch for fill flash
HDMI out
Both provide
Use HDMI output to monitor or review video
Hot shoe
Both provide
Off-camera flashes open new possibilities
Bulb shutter
Both provide
Hold the shutter open manually for long exposures

Common Weaknesses

Focus peaking
Neither provide
Your camera will highlight what's in focus
Touchscreen
Neither provide
Interact with your camera just like your smartphone
Built-in Wi-Fi
Neither provide
Share your photos wirelessly
Built-in Bluetooth
Neither provide
Always-on wireless connectivity
Built-in GPS
Neither provide
Geotag your photos
On-sensor phase detect
Neither provide
Usually improves live view and video AF performance
Headphone jack
Neither provide
Monitor audio recording while you shoot video
Slow-motion videos
Neither provide
Shoot slow-motion videos

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Kit with 18-200mm Lens

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Buy the Sony DSLR-A580

Review Excerpt

Rugged construction; 51-point AF system capable of sophisticated AF tracking; Large, bright optical viewfinder; 7 fps JPEG or 12-bit RAW burst mode; HD Video capture.
14-bit RAW mode slows continuous shooting from 7 fps to 2.7 fps; Somewhat slow AF for a camera at this level, especially in 51-point auto-area mode; Video capture tops out at 720p24.
Read our Nikon D300S Full Review

Read our Sony DSLR-A580 Full Review

The Competition

Compared to Nikon D90

Nikon D300S

Nikon D90

$1697
APS-C

External Mic Jack
More cross-type AF points

$1300
APS-C

Higher effective ISO
Bigger JPEG buffer

Compare Nikon D300S vs Nikon D90

Sony DSLR-A580

Nikon D90

$900
APS-C

Less expensive
In-Camera Image Stabilization

$1300
APS-C

Lens selection
Fast startup

Compare Sony DSLR-A580 vs Nikon D90

Compared to Canon 50D

Nikon D300S

Canon 50D

$1697
APS-C

Higher effective ISO
Longer stills battery life

$1000
APS-C

Less shutter lag
More pixels

Compare Nikon D300S vs Canon 50D

Sony DSLR-A580

Canon 50D

$900
APS-C

Less expensive
In-Camera Image Stabilization

$1000
APS-C

Lens selection
Fast startup

Compare Sony DSLR-A580 vs Canon 50D

Compared to Sony DSLR-A550

Nikon D300S

Sony DSLR-A550

$1697
APS-C

Lens selection
Fast startup

$859
APS-C

In-Camera Image Stabilization
Tiltable Screen

Compare Nikon D300S vs Sony DSLR-A550

Sony DSLR-A580

Sony DSLR-A550

$900
APS-C

Less expensive
In-camera panoramas

$859
APS-C

Fast startup
Less shutter lag

Compare Sony DSLR-A580 vs Sony DSLR-A550

Compared to Sony A33

Nikon D300S

Sony A33

$1697
APS-C

Lens selection
Fast startup

$540
APS-C

In-Camera Image Stabilization
In-camera panoramas

Compare Nikon D300S vs Sony A33

Sony DSLR-A580

Sony A33

$900
APS-C

Higher effective ISO
Longer stills battery life

$540
APS-C

Less expensive
External Mic Jack

Compare Sony DSLR-A580 vs Sony A33

Compared to Sony A35

Nikon D300S

Sony A35

$1697
APS-C

Lens selection
Bigger pixels

$567
APS-C

In-Camera Image Stabilization
In-camera panoramas

Compare Nikon D300S vs Sony A35

Sony DSLR-A580

Sony A35

$900
APS-C

Tiltable Screen
Higher effective ISO

$567
APS-C

Less expensive
External Mic Jack

Compare Sony DSLR-A580 vs Sony A35

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