Sony a7R vs Nikon D5500

This is a full comparison between the cameras Sony a7R and Nikon D5500. We compare them by looking at the categories you see below.

Sony a7R

Nikon D5500

Manufacturing

Sony a7R is manufacturered by Sony but Nikon D5500 is from Nikon. Both Sony and Nikon are well known brands though.

Sony a7R were released 2013 and Nikon D5500 was released 2015. That is a 2 years difference. In tech, this period can be of interest since technology is always improving, etc.

Camera	Released
Sony a7R	2013
Nikon D5500	2015

Type of camera

Sony a7R 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 a7R 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 a7R	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 a7R has a 36 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 a7R	36 MP 36152320 pixels 7360 x 4912
Nikon D5500	24 MP 24000000 pixels 6000 x 4000

Sony a7R has a 51 % larger resolution than Nikon D5500. 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

Both of these cameras offer the exact same ISO range. They both have 100 to 25600.

Camera	ISO Range
Sony a7R	100-25600
Nikon D5500	100-25600

Autofocus and lens compatibility

There is a big difference between these two cameras. Sony a7R 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 a7R
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 a7R can shoot up to 4 pictures per seconds and Nikon D5500 can shoot up to 5 pictures per seconds.

Camera	FPS (Frames per second)
Sony a7R	4
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 a7R 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 a7R weighs 465 gr (equal to 1.03 lb) which is 11% heavier than Nikon D5500 and its 420 gr (or 0.93 lb).

Camera	Weight
Sony a7R	465 gr 1.03 lb
Nikon D5500	420 gr 0.93 lb