Nikon D3S vs Sony Alpha 900
Side-by-side used price and spec comparison. Lowest current prices pulled daily from the major used-gear sites.
Used prices have been rising recently. Prices are up 23.1% over the last 30 days. The 90-day low was $324, $76 below today. Currently 8% of the $5,199 MSRP.
Lowest price we've ever observed. This at $425 matches the lowest we've ever recorded for this body. That's 14% of the $2,999 MSRP. Prices are down 5.6% over the last 30 days.
Specs side by side
| Nikon D3S | Sony Alpha 900 | |
|---|---|---|
| Brand | Nikon | Sony |
| Family | Nikon D-series Pro | Sony Alpha (A-mount) |
| Category | body | body |
| Body type | DSLR | DSLR |
| Mount | Nikon F | Sony A |
| Sensor | Full Frame | Full Frame |
| Sensor family | Nikon FX 12MP CMOS (D3S) · 12.1MP full-frame CMOS | Sony FF 24.6MP CMOS (A850/A900) · 24.6MP full-frame CMOS |
| Megapixels | 12.1 MP | 24.6 MP |
| Autofocus | Phase Detection | Phase Detection |
| IBIS | — | — |
| Weather sealed | — | — |
| Max video | — | — |
| Max native ISO | — | — |
| Body weight | — | — |
| Dimensions | — | — |
| Body material | — | — |
| Released | 2009-10-14 | 2008-10-22 |
| Discontinued | — | — |
| Status | discontinued | discontinued |
| MSRP | $5,199 | $2,999 |
| Current low | $400 | $425 |
| vs MSRP | -92% | -86% |
Dynamic range, head to head
Both sensors plotted on one chart, across the full ISO range. The higher line holds more shadow-to-highlight latitude at that ISO.
Overlay both curves on Photons to PhotosMeasurements by William J. Claff. We link rather than reprint them.
Both cameras appear in
Curated best-under lists where both of these qualify today.
The verdicts above describe price timing. They don't tell you which camera fits your shooting style. See /methods for how we normalize seller conditions and compute the deal score.