Sony A57 vs Nikon S9900

Sony A57 advantages over Nikon S9900

• Focus peaking
  Peaker vs Non-peaker
  Your camera will highlight what's in focus
• Larger sensor
  APS-C vs 1/2.3 inch
  More sensor area. Bigger is (generally) better.
• Eye-level viewfinder
  Eye-level vs Rear display only
  You'll be able to frame photos even when the sun is out
• Bigger pixels
  ~ 4.82 vs 1.34 microns
  Better low-light and dynamic range (all else equal)
• RAW file ability
  Yes vs No
  Gives you more flexibility to develop your photos later
• Longer stills battery life
  More info

  Longer stills battery life

  Cameras with longer battery life can take more photos before exhausting their batteries.

  Special note: The measurement standard for battery life stipulates that if a camera has an internal flash, it must be used for 50% of photos taken. For this reason, comparisons of one camera with an internal flash to another without will not be comparable

  550 vs 300 shots
  Capture more photos
• Manual focus
  Yes vs No
  AF is for the weak. Real photographers focus manually.
• Shoots 24p video
  Yes vs No
  Gives your movies a big-screen feel
• Higher-res screen
  307k vs 230k pixels
  More detail on the screen lets you judge focus and composition
• Hot shoe
  Hot shoe vs None
  Off-camera flashes open new possibilities
• Shoots 60p video
  Yes vs No
  A faster framerate can give you more editing options
• Longer exposure
  30 vs 8 sec
  Long exposures for night shots
• Bulb shutter
  Bulb vs No bulb
  Hold the shutter open manually for long exposures
• Faster JPEG shooting
  10.0 fps vs 7.0 fps
  Faster JPEG shooting (burst mode)
• Bigger JPEG buffer
  25 vs 5 shots
  Take more JPEG shots before waiting (burst mode)
• Higher extended ISO
  25600 vs 6400 ISO
  Higher extended ISO can give more low-light flexibility