Nikon D3 vs Nikon D7100

Its time to look much closer at the Nikon D3 vs Nikon D7100, one being a Pro DSLR and the latter is a Advanced DSLR and they are both created by Nikon. There is a significant difference between the resolutions of the D3 (12MP) and D7100 (24MP) and the D3 (Full frame) and D7100 (APS-C) use different sensor measurements.

Photography Glossary

The D3 was launched 6 years before the D7100 and that is quite a sizable gap as far as tech is concerned. The two cameras offer different body type with the Nikon D3 being a Large SLR camera and the Nikon D7100 being a Mid-size SLR camera.

Before delving straight into a full comparison, below is a short summation of how the D3 grades against the D7100 with regard to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

Below is a preview of the gallery images for Nikon D3 and Nikon D7100. The complete galleries are provided at Nikon D3 Gallery and Nikon D7100 Gallery.

If you're planning to carry your camera regularly, you will need to think about its weight and volume. The Nikon D3 comes with exterior dimensions of 160mm x 157mm x 88mm (6.3" x 6.2" x 3.5") accompanied by a weight of 1300 grams (2.87 lbs) whilst the Nikon D7100 has sizing of 136mm x 107mm x 76mm (5.4" x 4.2" x 3.0") accompanied by a weight of 765 grams (1.69 lbs).

Take a look at the Nikon D3 vs Nikon D7100 in the new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Take into consideration, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ depending on the lens you have attached at the time. Here is the front view measurements comparison of the D3 versus the D7100.

Considering size and weight, the portability grade of the D3 and D7100 is 50 and 59 respectively.

In many cases, it's hard to imagine the gap between sensor sizing purely by reading through specifications. The visual below will give you a far better sense of the sensor dimensions in the D3 and D7100.

To sum up, both of these cameras enjoy different resolutions and different sensor sizing. The D3 due to its bigger sensor is going to make getting shallower depth of field less difficult and the Nikon D7100 will give greater detail utilizing its extra 12MP. Higher resolution can also let you crop photographs far more aggressively. The older D3 is going to be disadvantaged with regard to sensor innovation.