Nikon D5100 vs Sony Alpha 7S

In this comparison, we will evaluate the Nikon D5100 and the Sony Alpha 7S, highlighting the advantages of each over the other, discussing their pros and cons, shared strengths and weaknesses, and providing a rating based on their available features and specifications to assist you in choosing the one that best suits your needs.

Nikon D5100 was introduced in April 2011 and Sony Alpha 7S was introduced in April 2014. Let us first list highlights of the models.

Now that we've looked at the most essential specifications and gained a basic understanding of these cameras, we can delve into more details and see the differences between them.

This section shows those features and specifications which are the reason to choose Nikon D5100 over Sony Alpha 7S.

This section shows those features and specifications which are the reason to choose Sony Alpha 7S over Nikon D5100.

We already listed pros and cons of each model. However, you may also find useful to look at their common strengths and weaknesses shown side-by-side.

Screen

Nikon D5100 and Sony Alpha 7S have 3.0" screens with 921k dot and 1,230k dot resolutions respectively. Nikon D5100 has a Fully Articulated screen which makes it selfie and vlogger friendly and generally very useful for video shooting. Sony Alpha 7S has a Tilting screen which makes it very useful for photography purposes but not so useful for video shooting.

Viewfinder

Nikon D5100 has a built-in Optical (pentamirror) viewfinderSony Alpha 7S has a built-in Electronic viewfinder with 2,359k dot resolution. Nikon D5100 has 95% coverage with 0.78x (0.52x 35mm equivalent) magnification and Sony Alpha 7S has 100% coverage with 0.71x magnification.

Nikon D5100 features a 16.2 megapixel APS-C CMOS sensor with dimensions of 23.6 x 15.6 mm and a total area of 368.2 mm². Its native ISO range is 100 - 6,400 and expands to 100 - 25,600 in boosted mode. Sony Alpha 7S features a 12.2 megapixel Full Frame CMOS sensor with dimensions of 35.8 x 23.9 mm and a total area of 571.2 mm². Its native ISO range is 100 - 409,600.

Here is a sensor size comparison chart where you can see how different sensors compare with each other:

Sensor size chart

	Sensor	Dimensions	Area	Aspect Ratio	Crop Factor
	Medium Format	44 x 33 mm	1452 mm2	4:3	0.79x
	Full Frame	36 x 24 mm	864 mm2	3:2	1x
	APS-H	27 x 18 mm	486 mm2	3:2	1.3x
	APS-C	23.6 x 15.6 mm	368.2 mm2	3:2	1.5x
	APS-C (Canon)	22.3 x 14.9 mm	332.3 mm2	3:2	1.6x
	Micro Four Thirds	17.4 x 13 mm	226.2 mm2	4:3	2x
	1-inch	13.2 x 8.8 mm	116.2 mm2	3:2	2.7x
	1/1.7-inch	7.44 x 5.58 mm	41.5 mm2	4:3	4.7x
	1/2.3-inch	6.17 x 4.55 mm	28.1 mm2	4:3	5.6x

Nikon D5100 is equipped with EXPEED 2 processor and can take pictures up to 4928 x 3264 resolution. It can also take pictures with lower resolution like 3696 x 2448, 2464 x 1632 with 3:2 aspect ratios. Sony Alpha 7S is equipped with BIONZ X processor and can take pictures up to 4240 x 2832 resolution. It can also take pictures with lower resolution like 4240 x 2384, 2768 x 1848, 2768 x 1560, 2128 x 1416, 2128 x 1200, 1376 x 920, 1376 x 776 with 3:2, 16:9 aspect ratios.

Lens Mount

Nikon D5100 has Nikon F lens mount and Sony Alpha 7S has Sony E lens mount. Due to APS-C sensor in Nikon D5100 its crop factor is equal to 1.5x, this means that a 35mm equivalent focal length of the mounted lens will be equal to its actual focal length times 1.5. Due to Full Frame sensor in Sony Alpha 7S its crop factor is equal to 1x, this means that a 35mm equivalent focal length of the mounted lens will be equal to its actual focal length.

No Image Stabilization

The cameras do not have image stabilization. On Nikon D5100 it means that you need lenses with optical image stabilization for vibration reduction. As for Sony Alpha 7S nothing can be done. On Sony Alpha 7S it means that you need lenses with optical image stabilization for vibration reduction. As for Nikon D5100 nothing can be done.

Built-in Wi-Fi on Sony Alpha 7S

Sony Alpha 7S has a built-in Wi-Fi which allows to easily transfer photos and videos from the camera to other Wi-Fi-enabled devices, such as smartphones, tablets, printers, or computers. This eliminates the need for cables and allows for quick and convenient media sharing and social media integration. It gives you the ability to control your camera remotely using a smartphone or tablet. This is particularly useful for taking self-portraits, group shots, or capturing images in challenging conditions without having to touch the camera. Firmware updates can also be downloaded and installed wirelessly.
  Check out the cameras in our database that have built-in WiFi.

NFC on Sony Alpha 7S

Sony Alpha 7S has Near Field Communication (NFC) technology which simplifies the process of pairing it with other NFC-enabled devices like smartphones or tablets. It allows to quickly transfer photos and videos or remotely control the camera from compatible device. NFC can also be used for authentication and security purposes. It can verify your identity before accessing certain features or transferring sensitive data. It can be used with NFC-enabled accessories as well, such as lenses, flashes and GPS devices.

USB Inputs and HDMI Outputs

Both models have USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) inputs for data transfer. Nikon D5100 has a Mini Type C HDMI and Sony Alpha 7S has a Micro HDMI connector for video signal output.

Battery

Nikon D5100 comes with EN-EL14 battery pack with battery life of 660 shots and Sony Alpha 7S comes with NP-FW50 battery pack with battery life of 360 shots.

External Storage Slots

Nikon D5100 has a single SD/SDHC/SDXC card slot. Sony Alpha 7S has a single SD/SDHC/SDXC/Memory Stick Duo Hybrid (UHS-I) card slot.

Shutter

Nikon D5100 has Electronically controlled vertical-travel focal-plane shutter. Sony Alpha 7S has Electronically controlled Vertical-traverse Focal-plane shutter. Shutter speed can go up to 1/4000 sec on Nikon D5100, and up to 1/8000 sec on Sony Alpha 7S. Nikon D5100 can shoot continuously up to 4.0 fps. Sony Alpha 7S can shoot continuously up to 5.0 fps.

Focusing

Nikon D5100 has 11 (1 cross-type) focusing points and Sony Alpha 7S has Contrast-detection AF system with 25 focusing points. Nikon D5100 has detection range from -1 to +19 EV and Sony Alpha 7S has detection range from -4 to +20 EV.

Exposure

Exposure meterings of Nikon D5100 and Sony Alpha 7S range from 0 to +20 EV and +3 to +20 EV respectively and you can set the exposure compensation within the ±5 EV range. You can also do exposure lock, exposure bracketing and manual exposure adjustment on Nikon D5100 and exposure lock, exposure bracketing and manual exposure adjustment on Sony Alpha 7S.

Flash

Nikon D5100 has a built-in flash with maximum range of 12.00 m at ISO 100 and also accepts external flash which can be connected via Hot Shoe. Sony Alpha 7S has no built-in flash but an external flash may be connected via Hot Shoe or Proprietary. The fastest flash synchronization speed is 1/200 sec on Nikon D5100 and 1/250 sec on Sony Alpha 7S.

Nikon D5100 body has dimensions of 128 x 97 x 79 mm (5.04 x 3.82 x 3.11") and Sony Alpha 7S body has dimensions of 127 x 94 x 48 mm (5 x 3.7 x 1.89"). Nikon D5100 weighs 560 g (1.23 lb / 19.75 oz) and Sony Alpha 7S weighs 489 g (1.08 lb / 17.25 oz).

Nikon D5100

Sony Alpha 7S

128 mm

97 mm

127 mm

94 mm

97 mm

94 mm

79 mm

48 mm