Sony a7S II vs Nikon D5500

This is a full comparison between the cameras Sony a7S II and Nikon D5500. We compare them by looking at the categories you see below.

Sony a7S II

Nikon D5500

Manufacturing

Sony a7S II is manufacturered by Sony but Nikon D5500 is from Nikon. Both Sony and Nikon are well known brands though.

These two camera models were both released 2015.

Camera	Released
Sony a7S II	2015
Nikon D5500	2015

Type of camera

Sony a7S II is a Mirrorless camera while Nikon D5500 is a DSLR camera. More information about their differences will come soon.

Sensors / crop factor

These cameras have different sensors. Sony a7S II has a "Sony Full Frame"-sensor while Nikon D5500 has a "Nikon DX"-sensor, and their difference in sensors will also affect the crop factor and experience focal length. See the table below.

Camera	Focal length, 50mm f/1.8 **
Sony a7S II	50 mm Full-frame sensor No crop factor/focal length multiplier
Nikon D5500	75 mm Nikon DX sensor Crop factor/focal length multiplier by * 1.5

** Experienced focal length when using a lens such as a common "50mm f/1.8"

Learn more about crop factor and focal length multiplier here:
Camera selection can affect the focal length (Sony)
Camera selection can affect the focal length (Nikon)

Resolution

Sony a7S II has a 12 MP (Megapixels) resolution while Nikon D5500 has 24 MP. If we break down this in more detail this is the data behind the numbers:

Camera	Megapixels
Sony a7S II	12 MP 12007680 pixels 4240 x 2832
Nikon D5500	24 MP 24000000 pixels 6000 x 4000

Nikon D5500 has a 100 % larger resolution than Sony a7S II. This could give you more details in the picture but also a possibility to crop more in the pictures, afterward while editing the pictures, if needed that is.

ISO range

Sony a7S II has a larger ISO-range than Nikon D5500. Sony a7S II has an ISO range that stretches from 100 to 102400 while Nikon D5500 has 100 to 25600.

Camera	ISO Range
Sony a7S II	100-102400
Nikon D5500	100-25600

Autofocus and lens compatibility

There is a big difference between these two cameras. Sony a7S II has a built-in autofocus motor but Nikon D5500 does not. If you want to be able to use autofocus on Nikon D5500 there is a need for having an autofocus motor inside the lens. We really encourage you to look closely at our lens compatibility charts at the links below.

Here is a complete overview of which lenses work with each camera:
Lens compatibility chart for Sony a7S II
Lens compatibility chart for Nikon D5500

Pictures per second

Depending on what you are shooting the FPS, or frames/pictures per second, can definitely be of interest. Sony a7S II can shoot up to 5 pictures per seconds and Nikon D5500 can shoot up to 5 pictures per seconds.

Camera	FPS (Frames per second)
Sony a7S II	5
Nikon D5500	5

Ability to record movies

It is becoming more and more popular to record movies with digital cameras.

In this case, both Sony a7S II and Nikon D5500 can shoot movies.

Weight

The weight of the camera can be an extremely important factor, especially if the camera is about to be used, or carried around, for several hours at a time.

Sony a7S II weighs 627 gr (equal to 1.38 lb) which is 49% heavier than Nikon D5500 and its 420 gr (or 0.93 lb).

Camera	Weight
Sony a7S II	627 gr 1.38 lb
Nikon D5500	420 gr 0.93 lb