Nikon D5300 vs Sony A57
68 Imaging
65 Features
81 Overall
71


64 Imaging
57 Features
85 Overall
68
Nikon D5300 vs Sony A57 Key Specs
(Full Review)
- 24MP - APS-C Sensor
- 3.2" Fully Articulated Display
- ISO 100 - 12800 (Bump to 25600)
- No Anti-Alias Filter
- 1920 x 1080 video
- Nikon F Mount
- 480g - 125 x 98 x 76mm
- Introduced February 2014
- Previous Model is Nikon D5200
- Renewed by Nikon D5500
(Full Review)

Nikon D5300 vs Sony A57 Overview
Below is a extended overview of the Nikon D5300 and Sony A57, both Entry-Level DSLR cameras by competitors Nikon and Sony. There is a substantial difference among the sensor resolutions of the D5300 (24MP) and A57 (16MP) but both cameras posses the same sensor measurements (APS-C).

The D5300 was announced 18 months later than the A57 making them a generation apart from each other. Both the cameras have the same body design (Compact SLR).
Before going right into a step-by-step comparison, here is a short introduction of how the D5300 scores vs the A57 with respect to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Nikon D5300 vs Sony A57 Gallery
Below is a sample of the gallery pictures for Nikon D5300 & Sony SLT-A57. The whole galleries are viewable at Nikon D5300 Gallery & Sony A57 Gallery.
Reasons to pick Nikon D5300 over the Sony A57
D5300 | A57 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Launched | February 2014 | ![]() | September 2012 | More recent by 18 months |
Display dimensions | 3.2" | ![]() | 3" | Larger display (+0.2") |
Display resolution | 1037k | ![]() | 921k | Clearer display (+116k dot) |
Reasons to pick Sony A57 over the Nikon D5300
A57 | D5300 |
---|
Common features in the Nikon D5300 and Sony A57
D5300 | A57 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Manually focus | ![]() | Very exact focus | ||
Display type | Fully Articulated | ![]() | Fully Articulated | Fully Articulated display |
Selfie screen | ![]() | Both are selfie friendly | ||
Touch display | ![]() | Missing Touch display |
Nikon D5300 vs Sony A57 Physical Comparison
In case you're intending to lug around your camera often, you need to take into account its weight and dimensions. The Nikon D5300 features external dimensions of 125mm x 98mm x 76mm (4.9" x 3.9" x 3.0") with a weight of 480 grams (1.06 lbs) whilst the Sony A57 has dimensions of 132mm x 98mm x 81mm (5.2" x 3.9" x 3.2") with a weight of 618 grams (1.36 lbs).
Take a look at the Nikon D5300 and Sony A57 in our brand new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.
Remember that, the weight of an ILC will change based on the lens you choose at that time. The following is a front view measurement comparison of the D5300 versus the A57.

Taking into account size and weight, the portability grade of the D5300 and A57 is 68 and 64 respectively.

Nikon D5300 vs Sony A57 Sensor Comparison
Generally, it's hard to see the contrast in sensor measurements just by researching technical specs. The visual below might give you a clearer sense of the sensor sizes in the D5300 and A57.
As you can tell, each of the cameras provide the same sensor dimensions but not the same MP. You can anticipate the Nikon D5300 to render greater detail with its extra 8 Megapixels. Greater resolution will help you crop images more aggressively. The fresher D5300 will have an advantage with regard to sensor innovation.

Nikon D5300 vs Sony A57 Screen and ViewFinder


Photography Type Scores
Portrait Comparison

Street Comparison

Sports Comparison

Travel Comparison

Landscape Comparison

Vlogging Comparison

Nikon D5300 vs Sony A57 Specifications
Nikon D5300 | Sony SLT-A57 | |
---|---|---|
General Information | ||
Company | Nikon | Sony |
Model | Nikon D5300 | Sony SLT-A57 |
Category | Entry-Level DSLR | Entry-Level DSLR |
Introduced | 2014-02-12 | 2012-09-13 |
Physical type | Compact SLR | Compact SLR |
Sensor Information | ||
Powered by | Expeed 4 | - |
Sensor type | CMOS | CMOS |
Sensor size | APS-C | APS-C |
Sensor measurements | 23.5 x 15.6mm | 23.5 x 15.6mm |
Sensor surface area | 366.6mm² | 366.6mm² |
Sensor resolution | 24 megapixels | 16 megapixels |
Anti aliasing filter | ||
Aspect ratio | 3:2 | 3:2 and 16:9 |
Maximum resolution | 6000 x 4000 | 4912 x 3264 |
Maximum native ISO | 12800 | 16000 |
Maximum boosted ISO | 25600 | 25600 |
Min native ISO | 100 | 100 |
RAW photos | ||
Autofocusing | ||
Focus manually | ||
AF touch | ||
Continuous AF | ||
AF single | ||
Tracking AF | ||
AF selectice | ||
AF center weighted | ||
AF multi area | ||
Live view AF | ||
Face detect AF | ||
Contract detect AF | ||
Phase detect AF | ||
Number of focus points | 39 | 15 |
Cross focus points | 9 | 3 |
Lens | ||
Lens mount | Nikon F | Sony/Minolta Alpha |
Number of lenses | 309 | 143 |
Crop factor | 1.5 | 1.5 |
Screen | ||
Type of display | Fully Articulated | Fully Articulated |
Display diagonal | 3.2" | 3" |
Resolution of display | 1,037 thousand dots | 921 thousand dots |
Selfie friendly | ||
Liveview | ||
Touch display | ||
Display tech | TFT LCD monitor | Xtra Fine TFT drive with TruBlack technology |
Viewfinder Information | ||
Viewfinder type | Optical (pentamirror) | Electronic |
Viewfinder resolution | - | 1,440 thousand dots |
Viewfinder coverage | 95% | 100% |
Viewfinder magnification | 0.55x | 0.7x |
Features | ||
Slowest shutter speed | 30 secs | 30 secs |
Maximum shutter speed | 1/4000 secs | 1/4000 secs |
Continuous shooting rate | 5.0 frames/s | 12.0 frames/s |
Shutter priority | ||
Aperture priority | ||
Manual mode | ||
Exposure compensation | Yes | Yes |
Custom WB | ||
Image stabilization | ||
Integrated flash | ||
Flash range | 12.00 m (at ISO 100) | 10.00 m (@ ISO 100) |
Flash modes | Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Slow sync, Rear curtain | Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, High Speed Sync, Rear Curtain, Fill-in, Wireless |
Hot shoe | ||
AEB | ||
White balance bracketing | ||
Maximum flash synchronize | 1/200 secs | 1/160 secs |
Exposure | ||
Multisegment metering | ||
Average metering | ||
Spot metering | ||
Partial metering | ||
AF area metering | ||
Center weighted metering | ||
Video features | ||
Supported video resolutions | 1920 x 1080 (60, 50, 30, 25, 24 fps), 1280 x 720 (60, 50 fps), 640 x 424 (30, 25 fps) | 1920 x 1080 (60p, 24p), 1440 x 1080 (30p), 640 x 480 (30 fps) |
Maximum video resolution | 1920x1080 | 1920x1080 |
Video format | MPEG-4, H.264 | MPEG-4, AVCHD, H.264 |
Microphone port | ||
Headphone port | ||
Connectivity | ||
Wireless | Built-In | Eye-Fi Connected |
Bluetooth | ||
NFC | ||
HDMI | ||
USB | USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) | USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) |
GPS | BuiltIn | None |
Physical | ||
Environment sealing | ||
Water proof | ||
Dust proof | ||
Shock proof | ||
Crush proof | ||
Freeze proof | ||
Weight | 480 grams (1.06 lb) | 618 grams (1.36 lb) |
Physical dimensions | 125 x 98 x 76mm (4.9" x 3.9" x 3.0") | 132 x 98 x 81mm (5.2" x 3.9" x 3.2") |
DXO scores | ||
DXO All around score | 83 | 75 |
DXO Color Depth score | 24.0 | 23.4 |
DXO Dynamic range score | 13.9 | 13.0 |
DXO Low light score | 1338 | 785 |
Other | ||
Battery life | 600 pictures | 550 pictures |
Battery type | Battery Pack | Battery Pack |
Battery model | EN-EL14,EN-EL14a | NP-FM500H |
Self timer | Yes (2, 5, 10 or 20 sec) | Yes (2 or 10 sec) |
Time lapse feature | ||
Storage type | SD/SDHC/SDXC | SD/SDHC/SDXC/Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo |
Card slots | 1 | 1 |
Cost at launch | $429 | $1,000 |