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Nikon D780 vs Sony A57

Portability
57
Imaging
75
Features
89
Overall
80
Nikon D780 front
 
Sony SLT-A57 front
Portability
64
Imaging
57
Features
85
Overall
68

Nikon D780 vs Sony A57 Key Specs

Nikon D780
(Full Review)
  • 25MP - Full frame Sensor
  • 3.2" Tilting Display
  • ISO 100 - 51200 (Boost to 204800)
  • 1/8000s Max Shutter
  • 3840 x 2160 video
  • Nikon F Mount
  • 840g - 144 x 116 x 76mm
  • Announced January 2020
  • Succeeded the Nikon D750
Sony A57
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3" Fully Articulated Screen
  • ISO 100 - 16000 (Increase to 25600)
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Sony/Minolta Alpha Mount
  • 618g - 132 x 98 x 81mm
  • Launched September 2012
  • Older Model is Sony A55
  • Updated by Sony A58
Photography Glossary

Nikon D780 vs Sony A57 Overview

Lets look a bit more closely at the Nikon D780 versus Sony A57, former being a Advanced DSLR while the latter is a Entry-Level DSLR by brands Nikon and Sony. There is a substantial difference between the image resolutions of the D780 (25MP) and A57 (16MP) and the D780 (Full frame) and A57 (APS-C) boast different sensor sizing.

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The D780 was brought out 7 years later than the A57 and that is quite a big difference as far as tech is concerned. The two cameras have different body design with the Nikon D780 being a Mid-size SLR camera and the Sony A57 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before going into a in depth comparison, here is a quick highlight of how the D780 scores against the A57 for portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

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Reasons to pick Nikon D780 over the Sony A57

 D780 A57 
LaunchedJanuary 2020September 2012Fresher by 90 months
Screen dimensions3.2"3"Bigger screen (+0.2")
Screen resolution2359k921kClearer screen (+1438k dot)
Touch screen Quickly navigate

Reasons to pick Sony A57 over the Nikon D780

 A57 D780 
Screen typeFully ArticulatedTiltingFully Articulating screen
Selfie screen Take selfies

Common features in the Nikon D780 and Sony A57

 D780 A57 
Manual focus Very precise focusing

Nikon D780 vs Sony A57 Physical Comparison

If you're aiming to carry your camera regularly, you have to factor in its weight and proportions. The Nikon D780 has got physical measurements of 144mm x 116mm x 76mm (5.7" x 4.6" x 3.0") along with a weight of 840 grams (1.85 lbs) whilst the Sony A57 has measurements of 132mm x 98mm x 81mm (5.2" x 3.9" x 3.2") having a weight of 618 grams (1.36 lbs).

Compare the Nikon D780 versus Sony A57 in our completely new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Take into consideration, the weight of an ILC will change based on the lens you are working with at the time. The following is a front view overall size comparison of the D780 vs the A57.

Nikon D780 vs Sony A57 size comparison

Looking at size and weight, the portability rating of the D780 and A57 is 57 and 64 respectively.

Nikon D780 vs Sony A57 top view buttons comparison

Nikon D780 vs Sony A57 Sensor Comparison

Often, it is hard to imagine the gap between sensor sizing merely by checking technical specs. The photograph below should provide you a greater sense of the sensor measurements in the D780 and A57.

As you can tell, both of the cameras provide different resolutions and different sensor sizing. The D780 due to its bigger sensor is going to make achieving shallow depth of field easier and the Nikon D780 will resolve more detail having its extra 9 Megapixels. Higher resolution will also let you crop shots more aggressively. The fresher D780 should have an edge with regard to sensor innovation.

Nikon D780 vs Sony A57 sensor size comparison

Nikon D780 vs Sony A57 Screen and ViewFinder

Nikon D780 vs Sony A57 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Nikon D780 Portrait photography factors
Sony A57 Portrait photography factors
85
manual focus
resolution is great (25MP)
sensor size is large (Full frame)
comes with face detect focusing
delivers RAW files
74
focusing manually
good megapixels (16MP)
sensor size is good (APS-C)
has face detect focusing
exports RAW formats
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Street Comparison

Street photography with Nikon D780
Street photography with Sony A57
71
screen tilts up and down
sensor size is large (Full frame)
delivers RAW files
supports touch to focus
weather sealing
above average ISO range (51,200)
no image stabilization
75
screen articulates
image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is good (APS-C)
exports RAW formats
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Sports Comparison

Nikon D780 as a Sports photography camera
Sony A57 as a Sports photography camera
81
high shutter speed (1/8,000s)
resolution is great (25MP)
sensor size is large (Full frame)
comes with tracking focus
weather sealing
good battery life (2,260 per charge)
supports phase detect AF
no image stabilization
78
image stabilization (Sensor based)
good megapixels (16 megapixels)
sensor size is good (APS-C)
has tracking focus
sensor has phase detect AF
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Travel Comparison

Nikon D780 Travel photography features
Sony A57 Travel photography features
71
good battery life (2,260 per charge)
weather sealing
connects via bluetooth
supports touch to focus
resolution is great (25 megapixels)
does not have a selfie friendly display
67
good megapixels (16MP)
has built in flash
selfie friendly display
missing Time Lapse mode
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Landscape Comparison

Nikon D780 Landscape photography factors
Sony A57 Landscape photography factors
81
manual focus
switch lenses (Nikon F mount)
screen size is good (3.2 inches)
resolution is great (25 megapixels)
sensor size is large (Full frame)
above average ISO range (51,200)
delivers RAW files
weather sealing
good battery life (2,260 shots)
two card slots
no image stabilization
72
focusing manually
interchangeable lenses (Sony/Minolta Alpha mount)
nice screen size (3")
image stabilization (Sensor based)
good megapixels (16MP)
sensor size is good (APS-C)
exports RAW formats
missing Time Lapse mode
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Vlogging Comparison

Vlogging with Nikon D780
Vlogging with Sony A57
32
screen is touchscreen
comes with face detect focusing
high quality video (3840 x 2160 pixels)
comes with microphone socket
does not have a selfie friendly display
no image stabilization
77
selfie friendly display
image stabilization (Sensor based)
has face detect focusing
high res video (1920 x 1080 pixels)
includes mic port
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Nikon D780 vs Sony A57 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Nikon D780 and Sony A57
 Nikon D780Sony SLT-A57
General Information
Make Nikon Sony
Model type Nikon D780 Sony SLT-A57
Category Advanced DSLR Entry-Level DSLR
Announced 2020-01-07 2012-09-13
Body design Mid-size SLR Compact SLR
Sensor Information
Processor Expeed 6 -
Sensor type BSI-CMOS CMOS
Sensor size Full frame APS-C
Sensor dimensions 35.9 x 23.9mm 23.5 x 15.6mm
Sensor surface area 858.0mm² 366.6mm²
Sensor resolution 25MP 16MP
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 3:2 and 16:9 3:2 and 16:9
Highest resolution 6048 x 4024 4912 x 3264
Highest native ISO 51200 16000
Highest boosted ISO 204800 25600
Lowest native ISO 100 100
RAW format
Lowest boosted ISO 50 -
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch focus
Autofocus continuous
Single autofocus
Autofocus tracking
Autofocus selectice
Autofocus center weighted
Multi area autofocus
Live view autofocus
Face detect focus
Contract detect focus
Phase detect focus
Total focus points 51 15
Cross type focus points 15 3
Lens
Lens support Nikon F Sony/Minolta Alpha
Available lenses 309 143
Crop factor 1 1.5
Screen
Range of display Tilting Fully Articulated
Display size 3.2 inch 3 inch
Resolution of display 2,359 thousand dot 921 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch operation
Display technology - Xtra Fine TFT drive with TruBlack technology
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Optical (pentaprism) Electronic
Viewfinder resolution - 1,440 thousand dot
Viewfinder coverage 100% 100%
Viewfinder magnification 0.7x 0.7x
Features
Lowest shutter speed 900s 30s
Highest shutter speed 1/8000s 1/4000s
Continuous shooting speed 7.0 frames per sec 12.0 frames per sec
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Set white balance
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash distance no built-in flash 10.00 m (@ ISO 100)
Flash settings no built-in flash Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, High Speed Sync, Rear Curtain, Fill-in, Wireless
Hot shoe
Auto exposure bracketing
White balance bracketing
Highest flash sync - 1/160s
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Video resolutions 3840 x 2160 @ 30p, MP4, H.264, Linear PCM3840 x 2160 @ 25p, MP4, H.264, Linear PCM3840 x 2160 @ 24p, MP4, H.264, Linear PCM1920 x 1080 @ 120p, MP4, H.264, Linear PCM1920 x 1080 @ 100p, MP4, H.264, Linear PCM1920 x 1080 @ 60p, MP4, H.264, Linear PCM1920 x 1080 @ 50p, MP4, H.264, Linear PCM1920 x 1080 @ 30p, MP4, H.264, Linear PCM1920 x 1080 @ 25p, MP4, H.264, Linear PCM1920 x 1080 @ 24p, MP4, H.264, Linear PCM 1920 x 1080 (60p, 24p), 1440 x 1080 (30p), 640 x 480 (30 fps)
Highest video resolution 3840x2160 1920x1080
Video file format MPEG-4, H.264 MPEG-4, AVCHD, H.264
Mic jack
Headphone jack
Connectivity
Wireless Built-In Eye-Fi Connected
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB Yes USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environment seal
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 840 gr (1.85 lbs) 618 gr (1.36 lbs)
Physical dimensions 144 x 116 x 76mm (5.7" x 4.6" x 3.0") 132 x 98 x 81mm (5.2" x 3.9" x 3.2")
DXO scores
DXO All around rating not tested 75
DXO Color Depth rating not tested 23.4
DXO Dynamic range rating not tested 13.0
DXO Low light rating not tested 785
Other
Battery life 2260 shots 550 shots
Battery form Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID EN-EL15b NP-FM500H
Self timer Yes Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse feature
Type of storage Dual SD/SDHC/SDXC slots (UHS-II compatible) SD/SDHC/SDXC/Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo
Storage slots 2 Single
Cost at launch $2,297 $1,000