Nikon D3100 vs Sony A7 III

Sony A7 III advantages over Nikon D3100

• Focus peaking
  Peaker vs Non-peaker
  Your camera will highlight what's in focus
• Larger sensor
  35mm vs APS-C
  More sensor area. Bigger is (generally) better.
• In-Camera Image Stabilization
  Yes vs No
  Reduces the effects of camera shake at slower shutter speeds
• Bigger pixels
  ~ 5.93 vs 5.01 microns
  Better low-light and dynamic range (all else equal)
• Shoot 4K video
  4K (UHD) vs 1080p
  Make sure you have a fast computer
• Touchscreen
  Touch vs No touch
  Interact with your camera just like your smartphone
• Tiltable Screen
  Tiltable vs Fixed
  Tilt the screen for shooting flexbility
• Built-in Wi-Fi
  Wi-Fi vs None
  Share your photos wirelessly
• NFC
  Yes vs No
  Simplifies pairing your camera with supported phones
• Built-in Bluetooth
  Yes vs No
  Always-on wireless connectivity
• Better color depth

  Better color depth

  Color depth refers to the number of unique colors that a sensor can faithfully capture. Cameras with better color depth will demonstrate smoother transitions from one color to the next, and avoid "banding" in areas with subtle shading. (Blue skies are an example of where you might see color banding.)

  More color depth is generally better, but you'll struggle to notice a difference between two cameras with less than 1 bit of difference. Color depth above 22 bits is considered excellent.

  Want to learn more? Head over to our full glossary entry on color depth

  Color depth test data courtesy of DxO Mark.

  A7 III test data on DxO Mark D3100 test data on DxO Mark
  25.0 vs 22.5 bits
  Capture richer, more accurate colors
• 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.

  A7 III test data on DxO Mark D3100 test data on DxO Mark
  3,730 vs 919 iso
  Take photos in low light with less noise
• More dynamic range

  More dynamic range

  Cameras with more dynamic range allow you to take photos with dramatic differences in highlight and shadow areas while retaining detail in both.

  Think of a brilliant sunset on a rocky beach: Bright sunset in the background, with dark rocks in the foreground. High dynamic range means more of the extremes will be faithfully reproduced.

  Dynamic range test data courtesy of DxO Mark.

  A7 III test data on DxO Mark D3100 test data on DxO Mark
  14.7 vs 11.2 evs
  Retain detail in highlight and shadows
• On-sensor phase detect
  Yes vs No
  Usually improves live view and video AF performance
• Longer stills battery life
  More info

  Longer stills battery life

  Cameras with longer battery life can take more photos before exhausting their batteries.

  Special note: The measurement standard for battery life stipulates that if a camera has an internal flash, it must be used for 50% of photos taken. For this reason, comparisons of one camera with an internal flash to another without will not be comparable

  710 vs 550 shots
  Capture more photos
• External Mic Jack
  Jack vs No jack
  Improved sound fidelity when shooting video
• Newer
  7 years vs 14 years old
  Newer cameras often support more advanced features
• More dots on screen
  922k vs 230k dots
  Can mean greater resolution or a brighter screen
• Less shutter lag
  0.20 vs 0.28 sec
  Focus and take a photo quickly (wide angle)
• More viewfinder magnification
  0.78x vs 0.53x
  Get a bigger view of the scene through the eye-level viewfinder
• More pixels
  24.2 vs 14.2 megapixels
  Higher resolution photos
• Shoots 60p video
  Yes vs No
  A faster framerate can give you more editing options
• Dual card slots
  Yes vs No
  Gives you more storage flexibility
• Headphone jack
  Yes vs No
  Monitor audio recording while you shoot video
• Faster JPEG shooting
  9.9 fps vs 2.9 fps
  Faster JPEG shooting (burst mode)
• Bigger JPEG buffer
  163 vs 100 shots
  Take more JPEG shots before waiting (burst mode)
• Slow-motion videos
  Yes vs No
  Shoot slow-motion videos
• Faster shutter
  1/8000 vs 1/4000 sec
  Shoot wide open in bright light
• Higher extended ISO
  204800 vs 12800 ISO
  Higher extended ISO can give more low-light flexibility