Sony A55 vs Nikon D5

Nikon D5 advantages over Sony A55

• 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.
• Bigger pixels
  ~ 6.45 vs 4.82 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
• Fast startup
  ~0.40 vs 0.9 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.

  D5 test data on DxO Mark A55 test data on DxO Mark
  2,343 vs 818 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

  3780 vs 330 shots
  Capture more photos
• Top deck display
  Yes vs No
  Check settings with a screen on top of the camera
• More cross-type AF points
  99 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
• Newer
  9 years vs 14 years old
  Newer cameras often support more advanced features
• Shoots 24p video
  Yes vs No
  Gives your movies a big-screen feel
• More dots on screen
  2359k vs 922k dots
  Can mean greater resolution or a brighter screen
• Shoots 1080p video
  Yes vs No
  You'll want this if you shoot video
• Less shutter lag
  0.13 vs 0.22 sec
  Focus and take a photo quickly (wide angle)
• More pixels
  20.8 vs 16.2 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
• More AF points
  153 vs 15
  More AF points improve autofocus
• Headphone jack
  Yes vs No
  Monitor audio recording while you shoot video
• Faster JPEG shooting
  12.1 fps vs 9.0 fps
  Faster JPEG shooting (burst mode)
• Bigger JPEG buffer
  200 vs 32 shots
  Take more JPEG shots before waiting (burst mode)
• Faster shutter
  1/8000 vs 1/4000 sec
  Shoot wide open in bright light
• Higher extended ISO
  3276800 vs 25600 ISO
  Higher extended ISO can give more low-light flexibility