Sony a68 Vs Nikon D7100 – Detailed Comparison

Broadly, this article could be looked at as a comparison between two DSLR cameras. However, more specifically, this is a Sony a68 vs Nikon D7100 in-depth comparison.

What this means is that, from the information we’ve provided in this article, you get to decide for yourself which camera is better suited to meet your needs. This is why we’ve made a compilation of the important features of each camera; comparing one camera’s features with those of the other.

However, if you are in a bit of a haste, we’ve still got you covered. We have two whole section; comparison overview and comparison table, dedicated to you. The basic information in this article has been compressed into those two sections for you to quickly peruse.

Nonetheless, we suggest that you go through the entire article to get all the information you can.

Comparison Overview — Sony a68 Vs Nikon D7100

Now for a quick rundown:

Overall Rating Of The Sony a68 Vs Nikon D7100

It is our opinion that whichever of these cameras you decide to go for will be right for you, really. Both cameras can take really good pictures and record decent videos too.

There are areas where the Sony a68 does better than the Nikon D7100. However, there are also areas where the Nikon D7100 does better than the Sony a68.

Rating Of The Features Of The Sony a68 Vs Nikon D7100

Both the Sony a68 and the Nikon D7100 are DSLRs but despite this, they do not have many DSLR related features in common. The only DSLR related similarity they share is the optical viewfinder and of course the mirror.

Nonetheless, they share quite a number of similarities. They both have an inbuilt flash and an external flash port, a microphone port, the top level LCD screen and they both take decent pictures.

There are of course areas where one camera one ups the other. For the Sony a68, its chief advantage over the Nikon D7100 is its in built image stabilization feature. Others include its articulating screen which will allow you take creative pictures and its wide ISO range too.

On the part of the Nikon D7100, you get a weather sealed camera, a better screen resolution (1229k dots as against 461k dots, time lapse recording, a better shutter speed (1/8000s as against 1/4000s) and even a headphone port.

Finally, while the cameras share some positive similarities, they also share some negatives like the absence of a wireless connection and the inability to record 4k videos.

Which has the better price-value ratio: a68 or D7100?

Both the Sony a68 and the Nikon D7100 will be giving you about the same value for your money. The Sony camera is slightly more affordable while the Nikon one is slightly more functional, so, you see, it balances out. Your decision, therefore, will have to be based on what you need a camera for.

About The Brands

Sony

Sony is a Japanese conglomerate that has been around for quite a while. It has its hands in a number of different ventures including entertainment, electronics, gaming and even finance.

While Sony might be the most popular for its entertainment ventures, its electronic products also create quite a buzz. The cameras especially have become quite popular among photographers because of the quality they always come with.

Nikon

Nikon is also a Japanese company, however, its products are within the imaging and optics industry. Whether or not you have ever owned a camera, you have most probably heard about this brand. Nikon cameras are really popular and their reputation of quality precedes.

Comparison Table — Sony a68 Vs Nikon D7100

	Sony a68	Nikon D7100
Weight	1.3 pounds	1.7 pounds
Dimensions	5.6 by 4.1 by 3.2 inches	5.4 by 4.2 by 2.99 inches
Wireless Connection	None	None
Viewfinder	Electronic	Optical
Screen Resolution	461k dots	1229k dots
Screen Size	2.7 inches	3.2 inches
Screen Type	Yes	No
Weather Sealing	No	Yes
Continuous Shooting	8 frames per shot	6 frames per shot
Image Stabilization	Sensor shift	None
Battery Life	510 shots per charge	950 shots per charge
Headphone Port	No	Yes
Time Lapse Record	No	Yes
Number of Storage Slots	1	2
ISO Range	100 to 25600	100 to 6400 and can be expanded to 50 to 25600

Which Is Better For What — Sony a68 Vs Nikon D7100?

Sony a68	Nikon D7100
The Sony a68 has an in body image stabilization feature. So, you won’t need to get image stabilization lenses.	On the other hand, this camera is kinda more flexible because it is weather sealed.
Also, this camera is the more affordable of the two cameras.	Also, it has the longer battery life.

Common Features — Sony a68 Vs Nikon D7100

The major similarity between the Sony a68 and the Nikon D7100 is that they are both DSLR cameras. Now, what are DSLR cameras?

DSLR Cameras

To properly understand what a DSLR camera is, we’ll have to compare it to the mirrorless camera. The basic difference between a mirrorless and a DSLR camera is the absence/presence of a mirror/an optical viewfinder. The mirror is there to reflect light into the viewfinder.

So, because a mirrorless camera doesn’t have that mirror, hence the name, it does not need the optical viewfinder.

Here is how things work. With a DSLR, light passes through the lens and hits the mirror. The mirror then bounces off light to the optical viewfinder and the Autofocus sensor. That light that is reflected to the optical viewfinder allows you see your subject the way your eye sees.

On the other hand, since a mirrorless camera doesn’t have that mirror, light passes through the lens and hits the sensor straight up. The sensor then sends a digital image to the electronic viewfinder or the LCD screen, as the case may be.

Hence, instead of images appearing the way they appear to the naked eye, they appear like they would on a screen. Now, because of the presence of this mirror, DSLRs tend to be heavier than mirrorless cameras.

Here are other things the Sony a68 and the Nikon D7100 have in common:

i. Viewfinder

ii. Built-in flash

iii. External microphone jack

iv. No wireless connection

v. 24 mega pixel APS-C CMOS sensor

vi. Top level LCD

vii. Continuous shooting

viii. ISO range

ix. RAW support

x. Face detection focus

We will now look at each of them individually:

Viewfinder

Seeing as both the Sony a68 and the Nikon D7100 are DSLRs, it isn’t surprising to see that they both have a viewfinder. Now, a viewfinder is that little screen that you look through when you take your pictures.

The idea of the viewfinder is for you to get a kind of preview of what the photos will look like when they’ve been shot. Looking through your viewfinder, you’ll be able to make adjustments to the positioning of your camera and other settings where necessary.

There are basically two kinds of viewfinders: the optical which you’ll find in a DSLR and the electronic which you’ll find in a mirrorless camera.

That said, the basic difference between an optical viewfinder and an electronic viewfinder is that while the optical viewfinder is kinda like a mirror, the electronic viewfinder is basically a small LCD screen.

What this means is that an optical viewfinder shows you your images the way your eyes see them, while an electronic viewfinder shows you a digital representation of images which is the way your sensor sees them.

The one advantage that the optical viewfinder has over the electronic viewfinder is that it is battery saving as it can be used without battery consumption. It is kinda like a pair of binoculars or a window.

Built-In Flash

You might not get to appreciate the role of a flash in photography until you have to take shots in a dark or almost dark place and cannot find any source of light. The inbuilt flash is a kind of quick solution for your bad light situation.

Now, we are not saying that the inbuilt flash will solve all of your lighting problems but it is sure something and both cameras come with it. However, if the inbuilt flash isn’t up to task, you can just get an external flash. But of course, your camera has to have a flash shoe for that to be useful to you.

The external flash is definitely a step up from the inbuilt flash and will be of more use. In addition to that, an external flash could really come in handy if you have to take flash photography.

Microphone Port

Now, while the main purpose of a camera is to shoot stills, a good number of them also double as video cameras. This is why you’ll find that some cameras have an inbuilt microphone that will capture the audio aspect of the videos.

However, those inbuilt microphones have not had a very good rating. They tend to pick up a lot of noise and generally record poor quality audio. This is the reason some cameras have a microphone port.

Some people can actually do with the quality that the inbuilt microphone affords. However, if you feel you need better quality, you can get an external microphone as both the Sony a68 and the Nikon D7100 have a microphone port.

Wireless Connection

We have to point out that this is one feature that neither the Sony a68 nor the Nikon D7100 comes with. We’ve put this here because we believe it is something you’ll want to be informed about.

Now, there are a good number of cameras that have an inbuilt wireless connection and the basic idea behind this is for, well wireless connectivity. The wireless connection will afford the camera access to the internet and also enable it transfer files to an off camera, wirelessly.

There is also something called the Near Field Communication connection. This is also kinda like a wireless connectivity. We say this because a camera that is NFC enabled can be connected and transfer files to another device that is NFC enabled, wirelessly.

One more thing is the Bluetooth feature. We all know how files can be transferred via Bluetooth, so no need going over the whole thing.

Now, seeing as neither camera comes with any of these wireless connectivity features, it becomes practically impossible to do a wireless transfer of files from your camera to an off camera device. To transfer your files, you’ll either have to do it via a USB wire or remove the memory card altogether.

Sensor Resolution

This one is more concerned with the actual quality of the photos, that is, how the photos actually look. So basically, the higher the resolution in megapixels, the better it is for everyone involved.

Well, more specifically, a high sensor resolution tells us how detailed the pictures will look, how much cropping can be done (if anything) and how large the photos can be printed.

That said, both cameras have an impressive sensor resolution. With 24 megapixels, you can crop your photos, expect them to be really detailed and print them large.

Top Level LCD

The top level LCD is a small LCD screen which you will find a top the camera. Well, not all cameras have this extra feature but both the Sony a68 and the Nikon D7100 do. The function of that small LCD screen is for you to quickly change settings on your camera.

Continuous Shooting

If a camera is set to the continuous shooting mode, it is able to take more than one shot in one second and with one click of the shutter. This is a good mode for when you have to shoot subjects that tend to move around a lot like sports people and of course, toddlers.

Because the camera is in the continuous shooting mode, you are able to take as many shots as possible within a short time frame. A good number of those pictures have to be be just right.

Having known this, you’ll agree with us that the higher the continuous shooting rate, the better for us all, especially if you are a sports photographer.

That said, while the Sony a68 has an 8 frames per second continuous shooting rate, the Nikon D7100 has a 6 frames per second continuous shooting rate. And while neither camera might be your first option for sports photography, they’ll come in handy sometimes when you need speed.

ISO Range

How sensitive is a camera to light? Or how much light can the camera take in? These are the questions that the ISO answers.

If you need your camera to let in as much light as possible, preferably because you are in a dark or kinda dark place, you’ll need to use a high ISO. In this setting, the camera tries to make up for the lack of light by opening up and letting in as much light as the camera allows.

In fact, if the ISO is high enough, you could even do without the flash. However, be careful to note that the higher the ISO, the higher the probability of having grainy pictures.

On the other hand, a low ISO is preferable for places where there is just too much light like out in the sun. If you use a high ISO in this situation, you’ll be getting all light and no image. However, the low ISO counters things by taking in only as much light as is necessary.

Now, having seen that both sides of the light sensitivity spectrum have their uses, you’ll agree with us that a wide ISO is relevant. That said, the Sony a68 does have a wider ISO than the Nikon D7100. However, we’ve added this to our common features because with the Nikon D7100, there is room for expansion.

The Sony a68’s ISO range is between 100 and 25600 while that of the Nikon D7100 is between 100 and 6400. You might think that of the Nikon D7100 isn’t very impressive until you know that it can be expanded to between 50 and 25600.

RAW Support

We’ve talked about the quality of the photos as per sensor resolution. However, something else that can affect the quality of photos is the format they are stored.

There are basically two formats; jpeg and RAW. With jpeg, you get pictures that have had their quality dumbed down but do not take up so much space. On the other hand, RAW gives you photos which take up a bit of space but maintain their quality.

Both the Sony a68 and the Nikon D7100 support the use of both formats. So, you can basically choose your poison. People doing more professional shooting tend to go for the RAW though, because they are obviously more interested in quality than quantity.

Face Detection Focus

This is basically about a camera’s ability to detect and focus on faces as you get ready to a shot. This reduces blur and makes both the Sony a68 and the Nikon D7100 good cameras for taking portraits.

A Sony a68 Demonstration Video

Unique Features — Sony a68 Vs Nikon D7100

Which weighs less: a68 or D7100?

Despite the fact that both cameras are DSLRs, the Nikon D7100 is significantly heavier than the Sony a68. However, seeing as the Sony a68 weighs just 1.3 pounds and the Nikon D7100 weighs 1.7 pounds, you’ll agree with us that neither camera is particularly heavy.

However, there is more to talking about the weight of a camera than just considering the weight of the body. Lenses will have to be attached to the camera for it to be of any use. Hence, their weight have to be factored.

Now, we need not go checking the weight of each individual lens. The comparative size of the sensors will tell us all we need to know. The camera with the bigger sensor will generally need bigger and heavier lenses which will definitely contribute to its comparative weight.

That said, both cameras have the same APS-C size sensor. What this means is that for the same focal length and aperture, both cameras will require lenses that are similar in size and weight too. Hence, the lenses cannot be that thing that tips the scales in either direction as regards weight.

Which is better for flexible shooting: a68 or D7100?

The Sony a68 has an articulating screen — a tilting screen to be precise — while the Nikon D7100 has a fixed screen. So, if you would like to get real flexible with your shooting, then the Sony camera is the one to go for. An articulating screen is that kind of screen that can be moved in certain directions without moving the camera body. This kind of screen allows you to conveniently take shots of your subject from different interesting angles.

Articulating screens are basically of two kinds. The tilting screen can just be moved upward (to different degrees though, depending on the camera) and back down again. On the other hand, the rotating screen can be swiveled such that it can even be used to take shots and record videos of oneself by oneself.

Further on the LCD screens, both cameras do not have the same screen size. While the Nikon D7100 has a 3.2 inch screen, the Sony a68 has a 2.7 inch screen. And trust us when we say that you will notice that difference. However, seeing as it doesn’t exactly affect the quality of the photos, that might not be a deal breaker.

As a matter of fact, the only things the screens of the Sony a68 and the Nikon D7100 have in common is that they are both Liquid Crystal Displays and they are both not touch sensitive.

Which has the better screen resolution: a68 or D7100?

The Nikon D7100 has a better screen resolution than the Sony a68 — 1.229k dots vs 461k dots. This is a huge difference, and it will be a large disparity in shooting experience with either camera. The D7100 has a staggering 166 percent higher resolution than the a68. Wow!

Which has the longer lasting battery: a68 or D7100?

With the Nikon D7100, you get to take 950 shots before it needs to be charged. On the other hand, while the Sony a68 does have a better battery life than a good number of its Sony contemporaries, its 510 shots per full charge is obviously still short of what the Nikon D7100 offers.

Which is weather sealed: a68 or D7100?

Of the two cameras (Sony a68 vs Nikon D7100), only the Nikon D7100 is weather sealed. Usually that could mean that the camera is dustproof, water resistant, waterproof, a combination of two or a combination of all three. In this case, it is a water resistance-dustproof combination. What this means is that the Sony a68 doesn’t have any form of protection against the elements and you’ll have to be careful using it.

On the other hand, the Nikon D7100 does have protection but it is not exactly full protection. So, while you won’t have issues with dust and the occasional water splashes, you don’t want to attempt using this camera when you go diving or even swimming.

Which can you use headphones with: a68 or D7100?

Only the Nikon D7100 has a headphone jack, which means it is the only one of the two with which you can use headphones to monitor your audio while you record.

Which can record time-lapse videos: a68 or D7100?

If you set your camera to time lapse record, the camera records videos in a lower frequency than it usually does. However, when it is played back, the videos runs faster than a regular video. This feature is available with the Nikon D7100 but not the Sony a68.

Which comes with image stabilization: a68 or D7100?

The Sony a68 has an in body image stabilization feature. What this means is that the sensor is always balanced such that, even if the camera is jostled, pictures do not come out looking blurry. This also means that with the Nikon D7100, since this feature is absent, there are chances that you will take blurry photos.

Which has more available lenses: a68 or D7100?

The Nikon D7100 has the upper hand here as it has 302 lenses available to it while the Sony a68 has only 148. Furthermore, because the Nikon D7100 doesn’t have the in body image stabilization feature, it also has optical stabilization lenses; 88 of them to be exact. These lenses will make up for that.

A Nikon D7100 Demonstration Video

Unique Pros — Sony a68 Vs Nikon D7100

Pros Of The Sony a68

• First off, this camera has an in body image stabilization feature and as a result, photos will not come out looking blurry.
• Furthermore, the Sony a68 has a tilting screen that allows for flexible shooting.
• Also, this camera has a slightly faster continuous shooting rate.
• The Sony a68 actually has the wider ISO range.
• Furthermore, the Sony a68 is considerably lighter than the Nikon D7100.
• Also, this camera can be controlled using a smartphone. You basically just need to download the right app, make the right connection and take your shots.
• Finally, this camera is the more affordable of the two cameras.

Pros Of The Nikon D7100

• First off, the Nikon D7100 has the longer battery life.
• Furthermore, this camera has the larger LCD screen.
• Also, the Nikon D7100 has the better screen resolution of the two cameras.
• The Nikon D7100 can time lapse record.
• Furthermore, this camera has two storage slots.
• Also, this camera has a headphone port.
• The Nikon D7100 is both dustproof and water resistant.
• Finally, this camera has more lenses available to it than the Sony a68.

Unique Cons — Sony a68 Vs Nikon D7100

Cons Of The Sony a68

• First off, this camera is not weather sealed. So, one will have to be careful when and where one uses the camera.
• Also, the Sony a68 does not have a very impressive screen resolution.

Cons Of The Nikon D7100

• First off, this camera does not have an articulating screen.
• Also, this camera does not have an in body image stabilization feature. However, this can be taken care of by getting optical stabilization lenses.

Check out these other articles:

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• Sony a7R Vs Sony a6000 – Here’s The One You Should Go For
• Sony a7 Vs D800 – Detailed Comparison
• Sony a7S Vs D750 – Detailed Comparison
• Sony a7RII Vs Leica M240 – Detailed Comparison
• Sony a7 vs Nikon D5500 – A Detailed Comparison

Common Pros — Sony a68 Vs Nikon D7100

	Sony a68	Nikon D7100
Viewfinder	The Sony a68 has an electronic viewfinder which helps with focusing your camera to take shots.	Same as the Sony a68. However, that of the Nikon D7100 is an optical viewfinder.
Flash	Furthermore, this camera has an inbuilt flash that’ll help take care of a few low light situations you might encounter. An external flash can also be attached to it which will help take care of even more low light situations and even with flash photography.	Same as the Sony a68.
Sensor Resolution	This camera has a decent sensor resolution. So, you can expect good quality pictures.	Same as the Sony a68.
RAW Support	Furthermore, with the Sony a68, there is a possibility of having your photos saved in the RAW format which retains the quality of the pictures.	Same as the Sony a68.
Microphone Port	An external microphone can be attached to this camera. And that external microphone will do a better job of recording good quality audio than the inbuilt microphone.	Same as the Sony a68.
Top Level LCD	Finally, this camera has a top level LCD screen on which you can make quick settings changes.	Same as the Sony a68.

Common Cons — Sony a68 Vs Nikon D7100

	Sony a68	Nikon D7100
Wireless Connection	First off, this camera does not have an inbuilt Wi-Fi and as a result, it can’t be connected to the internet. Furthermore, the Sony a68 does not have a Near Field Communication connection. It also does not have the Bluetooth feature. Because of these two factors, it is practically impossible to transfer files from the camera to an off camera device wirelessly.	Same as the Sony a68.
4K Videos	The Sony a68 cannot record 4k videos. It has a video resolution of 1920 by 1080.	Same as the Sony a68.

What People Think About Both — Sony a68 vs Nikon D7100

Sony a68	Nikon D7100
First off, people seem to like this camera for the ergonomics. Apparently, the camera isn’t just the right size but also the right fit. Also, the battery life of this camera happens to be an improvement on some earlier and Sony cameras and people seem really excited about this. Of course a good number of people are raving about the quality of the pictures that this camera can take. And people also like that this camera is compatible with a wide range of lenses.	People like that the camera has 2 memory cards. This is because if you are taken continuous shots in the RAW format, the buffer fills up pretty fast. So, having one card and one backup card where photos can be written too kinda takes care of things. Something else that people rave about is the price of the camera. Apparently a good number of people believe that the camera does a lot for the price. Like the fact that the camera takes really good pictures and is also weather sealed.
However, there have been a few complaints concerning the lack of weather sealing. Nonetheless, some people seem to have found their way around that.	However, a number of people have complained about the lack of an in body image stabilization feature. Nonetheless, some people have found a way to work around this.

Our Take — Sony a68 Vs Nikon D7100

Sony a68	Nikon D7100
We like the Sony a68 and for generally the same reasons that customers like it. The picture quality is good, the weight and size of the thing are just right and the tilting screen just sparks creativity. We definitely also like the in body image stabilization feature. You can be sure that pictures you take with this camera will not be blurry and this is possible without any outside help.	We also like the Nikon D7100 and what’s there to not like. The camera is both dustproof and weather resistant, it has a decent battery life, a decent screen resolution and 2 storage slots. We also like it for its ability to take good pictures as demonstrated by its sensor resolution. Plus, there is the fact that you can time lapse record using this camera.
There are somethings that we are not excited about this camera.	However apparently, there are a number of things not to like about this camera as we have already pointed out.

Sony a68 Vs Nikon D7100 – FAQs

Is the Nikon D7100 a professional camera?

The Nikon D7100 is not a professional camera but this is one camera that many professional photographers won’t mind having as a back up camera, and that is simply because of how very functional it is.

It is under a thousand dollars, but it has a good battery, is pretty decent for video, and it has a weather sealed body. So, of course, the D7100 is not one for the pros, but it is not one for beginners either. So, perhaps you can call this one a semi-professional camera.

Which is better: Nikon D7100 or D7200?

The Nikon D7200 is a better camera than the D7100, and this is surely how Nikon intended it seeing as the earlier is a successor of the latter in the same series. Both these cameras are very similar even down to the weight and dimension, but the D7200 saw massive improvements in some areas.

The D7200 has a better battery, better low light performance, wireless connectivity (which the D7100 does not have), and a lot more. This why it comes as a bit of a surprise that, in some places, the D7200 is more affordable than the D7100.

Which is better: Nikon D7000 or D7100?

The Nikon D7000 and the D7100 are very similar cameras, and this does not come as a surprise as they both belong in the same series. But the D7100 is clearly the better camera; this also should not be surprising as it was released as an improvement from the D7000.

Although they both have many common features, the D7100 is the one with the better screen and sensor resolutions, better focusing, larger screen, and it is even the lighter one. The only significant thing the D7000 has over the D71000 is a longer lasting battery, and well, as expected, it is less expensive.

Is the Nikon D7100 a good beginner camera?

Although this camera is not exactly designed for amateur photographers, it is not exactly a bad camera to get for a beginner. It does not have a touch screen, but it is not very difficult to find your way around this camera. And on top of that, for a DSLR camera, the D7100 is not very bulky, so, carrying this one around won’t be much stress.

More so, the Nikon D7100 is not so expensive. So, with this one, you get a user-friendly camera that produces great results at a pocket-friendly price.

Is the Nikon D7100 still worth it?

The Nikon D7100 was released in 2013, so, people argue that it is no longer worth it in these times when there are more modern cameras that are about the same price as it. However, the D7100 is still a very solid camera and will compete favorably with many modern cameras of its level. It has a good battery, good mechanical shutter, great screen resolution, among others.

The only major reason you might prefer the more modern cameras over the D7100 is perhaps because this one lacks wireless connectivity, which is something that has become pretty important in cameras.

Is the Nikon D7100 weather sealed?

The Nikon D7100 is a weather sealed camera, making it a great fit for any form of outdoor photography. It is just great to know that whatever the weather is saying where you are, you can still go on shooting knowing that no damage will be caused to your camera.

However, it is important to know that the D7100 is only water resistant, it is not waterproof. Therefore, while this camera can withstand drizzles and showers, it not totally not advisable to submerge it in water. It will NOT survive that.