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Nikon P300 vs Sony A7

Portability
92
Imaging
36
Features
44
Overall
39
Nikon Coolpix P300 front
 
Sony Alpha A7 front
Portability
78
Imaging
71
Features
80
Overall
74

Nikon P300 vs Sony A7 Key Specs

Nikon P300
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 160 - 3200
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 24-100mm (F1.8-4.9) lens
  • 189g - 103 x 58 x 32mm
  • Revealed May 2011
  • Successor is Nikon P310
Sony A7
(Full Review)
  • 24MP - Full frame Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Screen
  • ISO 50 - 25600
  • 1/8000s Max Shutter
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Sony E Mount
  • 474g - 127 x 94 x 48mm
  • Announced January 2014
  • Newer Model is Sony A7 II
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Nikon P300 vs Sony A7 Overview

Here, we will be looking at the Nikon P300 and Sony A7, one being a Small Sensor Compact and the latter is a Pro Mirrorless by competitors Nikon and Sony. There is a significant difference among the sensor resolutions of the P300 (12MP) and A7 (24MP) and the P300 (1/2.3") and A7 (Full frame) offer totally different sensor dimensions.

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The P300 was unveiled 3 years prior to the A7 and that is a fairly sizable gap as far as camera tech is concerned. Both of these cameras feature different body design with the Nikon P300 being a Compact camera and the Sony A7 being a SLR-style mirrorless camera.

Before diving right into a detailed comparison, here is a quick highlight of how the P300 grades versus the A7 in relation to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

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Reasons to pick Nikon P300 over the Sony A7

 P300 A7 

Reasons to pick Sony A7 over the Nikon P300

 A7 P300 
AnnouncedJanuary 2014May 2011More recent by 32 months
Manually focus Dial exact focus
Screen typeTiltingFixed Tilting screen
Screen resolution1230k922kClearer screen (+308k dot)

Common features in the Nikon P300 and Sony A7

 P300 A7 
Screen size3"3"Same screen sizing
Selfie screen No selfie screen
Touch friendly screen Neither provides Touch friendly screen

Nikon P300 vs Sony A7 Physical Comparison

When you are looking to lug around your camera, you'll need to think about its weight and measurements. The Nikon P300 provides outer dimensions of 103mm x 58mm x 32mm (4.1" x 2.3" x 1.3") and a weight of 189 grams (0.42 lbs) while the Sony A7 has proportions of 127mm x 94mm x 48mm (5.0" x 3.7" x 1.9") accompanied by a weight of 474 grams (1.04 lbs).

Check out the Nikon P300 and Sony A7 in the new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Always remember, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary dependant on the lens you are using at that time. Here is a front view size comparison of the P300 compared to the A7.

Nikon P300 vs Sony A7 size comparison

Taking into consideration size and weight, the portability grade of the P300 and A7 is 92 and 78 respectively.

Nikon P300 vs Sony A7 top view buttons comparison

Nikon P300 vs Sony A7 Sensor Comparison

Oftentimes, it is very tough to see the contrast in sensor measurements purely by going through specs. The visual below will help give you a more clear sense of the sensor sizes in the P300 and A7.

All in all, both the cameras come with different megapixels and different sensor measurements. The P300 with its smaller sensor will make getting shallow depth of field harder and the Sony A7 will produce more detail having an extra 12MP. Higher resolution will also allow you to crop photographs a good deal more aggressively. The older P300 will be disadvantaged when it comes to sensor technology.

Nikon P300 vs Sony A7 sensor size comparison

Nikon P300 vs Sony A7 Screen and ViewFinder

Nikon P300 vs Sony A7 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Nikon P300 Portrait photography information
Sony A7 Portrait photography information
28
provides face detect autofocus
lack of manual focus
no external flash support
megapixel count low (12MP)
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
lack of RAW format
82
manual focus
megapixel count decent (24 megapixels)
great sensor size (Full frame)
supports face detect autofocus
delivers RAW formats
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Street Comparison

Nikon P300 Street photography advice
Sony A7 Street photography advice
56
image stabilization (Optical)
screen does not articulate
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
lack of RAW format
79
screen tilts up and down
great sensor size (Full frame)
delivers RAW formats
weather sealing
lighter than competition in class (474 grams)
great ISO range (25,600)
does not have image stabilization
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Sports Comparison

Nikon P300 Sports photography details
Sony A7 Sports photography details
38
image stabilization (Optical)
provides tracking focus
megapixel count low (12 megapixels)
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
lack of phase detect autofocus
66
high shutter speed (1/8,000s)
megapixel count decent (24 megapixels)
great sensor size (Full frame)
weather sealing
comes with phase detect autofocus
low fps (5.0 frames/s)
does not have image stabilization
terrible battery life (340 CIPA)
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Travel Comparison

Travel photography with Nikon P300
Travel photography with Sony A7
64
has built in flash
quite wide (24mm)
great max aperture (f1.8)
does not have Time Lapse function
megapixel count low (12MP)
display isn't selfie friendly
69
lighter than competition in class (474 grams)
weather sealing
megapixel count decent (24MP)
terrible battery life (340 CIPA)
does not have a selfie friendly screen
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Landscape Comparison

Landscape photography with Nikon P300
Landscape photography with Sony A7
43
quite wide (24mm)
great max aperture (f1.8)
screen size is good (3")
image stabilization (Optical)
lack of manual focus
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
megapixel count low (12 megapixels)
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
lack of RAW format
does not have Time Lapse function
76
manual focus
change lenses (Sony E mount)
screen is a decent size (3 inch)
megapixel count decent (24 megapixels)
great sensor size (Full frame)
great ISO range (25,600)
delivers RAW formats
weather sealing
does not have image stabilization
terrible battery life (340 CIPA)
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Vlogging Comparison

Nikon P300 Vlogging factors
Sony A7 Vlogging factors
36
quite wide (24mm)
great max aperture (f1.8)
image stabilization (Optical)
provides face detect autofocus
good video quality (1920 x 1080 pixels)
display isn't selfie friendly
does not have mic support
36
supports face detect autofocus
high res video (1920 x 1080 resolution)
does have mic support
lighter than competition in class (474g)
does not have a selfie friendly screen
does not have image stabilization
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Nikon P300 vs Sony A7 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Nikon P300 and Sony A7
 Nikon Coolpix P300Sony Alpha A7
General Information
Brand Name Nikon Sony
Model type Nikon Coolpix P300 Sony Alpha A7
Type Small Sensor Compact Pro Mirrorless
Revealed 2011-05-31 2014-01-22
Physical type Compact SLR-style mirrorless
Sensor Information
Processor Expeed C2 Bionz X
Sensor type BSI-CMOS CMOS
Sensor size 1/2.3" Full frame
Sensor dimensions 6.17 x 4.55mm 35.8 x 23.9mm
Sensor surface area 28.1mm² 855.6mm²
Sensor resolution 12 megapixels 24 megapixels
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 and 16:9 3:2 and 16:9
Max resolution 4000 x 3000 6000 x 4000
Max native ISO 3200 25600
Lowest native ISO 160 50
RAW pictures
Autofocusing
Manual focusing
Touch to focus
Autofocus continuous
Autofocus single
Tracking autofocus
Autofocus selectice
Autofocus center weighted
Multi area autofocus
Live view autofocus
Face detection focus
Contract detection focus
Phase detection focus
Total focus points 9 117
Cross type focus points - 25
Lens
Lens support fixed lens Sony E
Lens zoom range 24-100mm (4.2x) -
Largest aperture f/1.8-4.9 -
Macro focusing range 3cm -
Available lenses - 121
Crop factor 5.8 1
Screen
Screen type Fixed Type Tilting
Screen size 3" 3"
Screen resolution 922 thousand dots 1,230 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch friendly
Screen technology TFT-LCD with anti-reflection coating Xtra Fine LCD
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type None Electronic
Viewfinder resolution - 2,359 thousand dots
Viewfinder coverage - 100%
Viewfinder magnification - 0.71x
Features
Minimum shutter speed 8 secs 30 secs
Fastest shutter speed 1/2000 secs 1/8000 secs
Continuous shutter rate 7.0 frames/s 5.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Set white balance
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash distance 6.50 m no built-in flash
Flash options Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye no built-in flash
External flash
AE bracketing
WB bracketing
Fastest flash synchronize - 1/250 secs
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Supported video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (15, 30fps), 1280 x 720p (15, 30, 60 fps), 640 x 480 (30, 120 fps) 1920 x 1080 (60p, 60i, 24p), 1440 x 1080 (30p), 640 x 480 (30p)
Max video resolution 1920x1080 1920x1080
Video format H.264, Motion JPEG MPEG-4, AVCHD
Mic support
Headphone support
Connectivity
Wireless None Built-In
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environment sealing
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 189g (0.42 lbs) 474g (1.04 lbs)
Physical dimensions 103 x 58 x 32mm (4.1" x 2.3" x 1.3") 127 x 94 x 48mm (5.0" x 3.7" x 1.9")
DXO scores
DXO Overall rating not tested 90
DXO Color Depth rating not tested 24.8
DXO Dynamic range rating not tested 14.2
DXO Low light rating not tested 2248
Other
Battery life 240 pictures 340 pictures
Battery style Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID EN-EL12 NP-FW50
Self timer Yes (10 or 2 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec; continuous (3 or 5 exposures))
Time lapse feature With downloadable app
Storage type SD/SDHC/SDXC SD/SDHC/SDXC, Memory Stick Duo/Pro Duo/Pro-HG Duo
Card slots Single Single
Launch pricing $500 $798