Updated (June, 2011): Compare the Nikon D7000 vs Sony SLT A35

Nikon D90
Winner
Nikon D90

70

vs
Sony SLT-A33

53

Sony SLT-A33
Runner-up
 
 
 
 

Reasons to buy the Nikon D90

Viewfinder size
 Large viewfinder
0.63x
Sensor size
 Large sensor
APS-C 23.6x15.8mm
Viewfinder
 Great viewfinder
Pentaprism
Shutter lag
 Barely any delay taking photos
208 ms shutter lag
 

Reasons to buy the Sony SLT-A33

Movie format
 Full HD
1080p @ 30fps
Image stabilization
 Image stabilization
Sensor shift
Light sensitivity
 High ISO
12,800 ISO
Continuous shooting
 Rapid fire
7 fps
 
Differences | Recommendations | Similarities | Competitors | Appearance | Discussion

differences

Advantages of the Nikon D90
Low light performance Significantly lower noise at high ISO 977 ISO vs 591 ISO
Help
 The D90 has a slight edge (0.7 f-stops) in low noise, high ISO performance
Battery life Much longer battery life 850 shots vs 270 shots
Help
 More than 3x more shots per battery charge
Viewfinder Has an optical viewfinder Pentaprism vs Digital
Help
 Optical viewfinders save battery life and are more detailed
Supports 24p Supports 24p Yes vs No
Help
 Get that real film feel
Lens availability Much more lenses available 169 lenses vs 92 lenses
Help
 More than 80% more lenses available
Overall image quality Better image quality 73.0 vs 70.0
Help
 Almost the same
Startup delay Less startup delay 300 ms vs 800 ms
Help
 2.7x less delay when turning on
Sensor size Larger sensor APS-C 23.6x15.8mm vs APS-C 23.5x15.6mm
Help
 Almost the same
Thickness Significantly thinner 3" vs 3.3"
Help
 Around 10% thinner
Nikon D90 Learn more about
the Nikon D90

Advantages of the Sony SLT-A33
Movie format Higher resolution movies 1080p @ 30fps vs 720p @ 24fps
Help
 Shoots higher resolution Full HD (1080p) video at a higher frame rate
Autofocus Video autofocus Phase detection vs None
Help
 Automatically focuses shooting video
Image stabilization Image stabilization Sensor shift vs None
Help
 Helps eliminate blur caused by small camera movements
External mic jack Has an external mic jack Yes vs No
Help
 Record high quality audio with an external microphone
HDR Has in-camera HDR Yes vs No
Help
 Combines multiple exposures to capture high dynamic range
3D Takes 3D photos Yes vs No
Help
 Combines multiple photos into a 3D image
Panorama Can create panoramas in-camera Yes vs No
Help
 Stitches together multiple photos for a wide perspective
Screen flips out Has a flip-out screen Yes vs No
Help
 Flip-out screens can be helpful when composing tricky shots or taking movies
Continuous shooting Shoots faster 7 fps vs 4.5 fps
Help
 Around 60% faster continuous shooting
Light sensitivity Better maximum light sensitivity 12,800 ISO vs 3,200 ISO
Help
 The SLT-A33's maximum light sensitivity is 2 f-stops better
Light sensitivity (boost) Better boost ISO 25,600 ISO vs 6,400 ISO
Help
 The SLT-A33's boost ISO is 2 f-stops better
True resolution Higher true resolution 14 MP vs 12.2 MP
Help
 Capture more than 10% more detail in your photos
Size Smaller 124x92x85 mm vs 132x103x77 mm
Help
 Around 10% smaller
Cross type focus points More cross-type focus points 3 vs 1
Help
 Grab focus in difficult situations
Weight Significantly lighter 500 g vs 703 g
Help
 Around 30% lighter
Focus points More focus points 15 vs 11
Help
 Set focus accurately within the frame
Sony SLT-A33 Learn more about
the Sony SLT-A33
vs

recommendations

Relative to the best recent entry-level DSLRs, and ignoring price

Nikon D90 Nikon D90
70 vs 53
Explain scores
Sony SLT-A33 Sony SLT-A33
Green arrow Snapsort recommends the Nikon D90.

similarities

Compared to recent entry-level DSLRs

Common Strengths Common Weaknesses
Sensor size Large sensors Help
D90:APS-C 23.6x15.8mm
SLT-A33:APS-C 23.5x15.6mm
Fastest shutter speed Slow max shutter speed Help
1/4000 of a second
True resolution Capture low resolution images Help
D90:12.2 MP
SLT-A33:14 MP
Weather sealed Neither is weather sealed Help
Need to shelter it from weather

dxomark

DXOMark

competitors

Shared Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages
Nikon D5100

Nikon D5100

Entry-level DSLR

$497 body only

$595 - $805 with 18-55mm lens
Low light performance Is slightly less noisy at high ISO
Overall image quality Has slightly better image quality
Weight Is slightly heavier
Lens focus motor Doesn't have a built-in focus motor
Compare the D5100 vs the D90
Compare the D5100 vs the SLT-A33
Nikon D5200

Nikon D5200

Entry-level DSLR

$697 body only

$797 with 18-55mm lens
Low light performance Is significantly less noisy at high ISO
Overall image quality Has significantly better image quality
Weight Is slightly heavier
Lens focus motor Doesn't have a built-in focus motor
Compare the D5200 vs the D90
Compare the D5200 vs the SLT-A33
Canon EOS 60D

Canon EOS 60D

Pro DSLR

$649 - $968 body only

$949 - $1,182 with 18-135mm lens
True resolution Takes slightly higher resolution photos
Weather sealed Has a weather sealed body
Weight Is much heavier
Size Is much larger
Compare the EOS 60D vs the D90
Compare the EOS 60D vs the SLT-A33
Nikon D3200

Nikon D3200

Entry-level DSLR

$547 with 18-55mm lens
Low light performance Is slightly less noisy at high ISO
Overall image quality Has slightly better image quality
Lens focus motor Doesn't have a built-in focus motor
Sensor size Has a marginally smaller sensor
Compare the D3200 vs the D90
Compare the D3200 vs the SLT-A33
Nikon D3100

Nikon D3100

Entry-level DSLR

$447 - $740 with 18-55mm lens
Size Is slightly smaller
Lowest price Is slightly less expensive
Lens focus motor Doesn't have a built-in focus motor
Sensor size Has a marginally smaller sensor
Compare the D3100 vs the D90
Compare the D3100 vs the SLT-A33
Canon Rebel T3i

Canon Rebel T3i

Entry-level DSLR

$549 body only

$595 - $599 with 18-55mm lens
True resolution Takes slightly higher resolution photos
Thickness Is thicker
Weight Is slightly heavier
Compare the Rebel T3i vs the D90
Compare the Rebel T3i vs the SLT-A33
Canon Rebel T4i

Canon Rebel T4i

Entry-level DSLR

$580 - $799 body only

$740 - $899 with 18-55mm lens
True resolution Takes slightly higher resolution photos
Touch screen Has a touch screen
Weight Is slightly heavier
Size Is slightly larger
Compare the Rebel T4i vs the D90
Compare the Rebel T4i vs the SLT-A33

Nikon D90 Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages
Nikon D7000

Nikon D7000

Entry-level DSLR

$897 body only

$997 with 18-105mm lens
Movie format Higher resolution movies
Low light performance Lower noise at high ISO
Shutter lag More shutter lag
Lowest price Significantly more expensive
Compare the D7000 vs the D90
Nikon D7100

Nikon D7100

Entry-level DSLR

$1,197 body only

$1,497 with 18-105mm lens
Movie format Higher resolution movies
Low light performance Significantly lower noise at high ISO
Shutter lag More shutter lag
Lowest price Much more expensive
Compare the D7100 vs the D90

Sony SLT-A33 Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages
Sony SLT-A37

Sony SLT-A37

Entry-level DSLR

$449 with 18-55mm lens
Low light performance Lower noise at high ISO
Supports 24p Supports 24p
Screen size Much smaller screen
Screen resolution Much lower resolution screen
Compare the SLT-A37 vs the SLT-A33
Sony SLT A35

Sony SLT A35

Entry-level DSLR

$446 with 18-55mm lens
Low light performance Lower noise at high ISO
Overall image quality Better image quality
Screen flips out Screen does not flip out
Continuous shooting Shoots slower
Compare the SLT A35 vs the SLT-A33
Sony SLT-A55

Sony SLT-A55

Entry-level DSLR

$1,098 body only

$1,193 with 18-55mm lens
Low light performance Lower noise at high ISO
GPS Has a GPS
Dynamic range Less dynamic range
Startup delay Slightly more startup delay
Compare the SLT-A55 vs the SLT-A33
Sony SLT A57

Sony SLT A57

Entry-level DSLR

$499 body only

$598 with 18-55mm lens
Low light performance Lower noise at high ISO
Continuous shooting Shoots much faster
Size Larger
Weight Heavier
Compare the SLT A57 vs the SLT-A33
Sony SLT-A77

Sony SLT A77

Pro DSLR

$898 body only

$1,498 - $1,930 with 16-50mm lens
Low light performance Lower noise at high ISO
Overall image quality Better image quality
Startup delay Much more startup delay
Size Much larger
Compare the SLT A77 vs the SLT-A33

appearance

Nikon D90 Sony SLT-A33
Nikon D90 Sony SLT-A33
Nikon D90 Sony SLT-A33

discussion

Showing 3 comments

zack (9:49 AM, November 30, 2011)
sony a33 give me unbelievable result!
 
Claudio (3:17 PM, November 18, 2011)
pretty weird. the d90 is def the better camera... way higher level. the a33 is an entry level camera but still great focusing but quite bad iso cause of the translucent mirror...
 
Florinconstanta73 (6:09 AM, November 17, 2011)
Why so many votes for a33 and d90 is the winner???