Nikon D3S vs Sony A5000

Nikon D3S advantages over Sony A5000

• Lens selection
  Excellent vs Good
  Better lens selection gives you more options
• Larger sensor
  35mm vs APS-C
  More sensor area. Bigger is (generally) better.
• Eye-level viewfinder
  Eye-level vs Rear display only
  You'll be able to frame photos even when the sun is out
• Bigger pixels
  ~ 8.46 vs 4.25 microns
  Better low-light and dynamic range (all else equal)
• Fast startup
  ~0.30 vs 2.0 sec
  Faster startup lets you catch the moment
• 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.

  D3S test data on DxO Mark A5000 test data on DxO Mark
  3,253 vs 1,089 iso
  Take photos in low light with less noise
• 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

  4200 vs 420 shots
  Capture more photos
• Top deck display
  Yes vs No
  Check settings with a screen on top of the camera
• Higher max flash sync
  1/250 vs 1/160 sec
  Reduce the effect of ambient light in flash shots
• More dots on screen
  920k vs 461k dots
  Can mean greater resolution or a brighter screen
• Hot shoe
  Hot shoe vs None
  Off-camera flashes open new possibilities
• Less shutter lag
  0.20 vs 0.30 sec
  Focus and take a photo quickly (wide angle)
• Dual card slots
  Yes vs No
  Gives you more storage flexibility
• Faster JPEG shooting
  9.0 fps vs 3.3 fps
  Faster JPEG shooting (burst mode)
• Bigger JPEG buffer
  90 vs 15 shots
  Take more JPEG shots before waiting (burst mode)
• Faster RAW shooting
  9.1 fps vs 2.5 fps
  Faster RAW shooting in burst mode
• Bigger RAW buffer
  41 vs 9 shots
  Larger buffer for RAW shots (burst mode)
• Faster shutter
  1/8000 vs 1/4000 sec
  Shoot wide open in bright light
• Higher extended ISO
  102400 vs 16000 ISO
  Higher extended ISO can give more low-light flexibility