EOS Mvs D850
Canon
EOS M (2012)
Starting from £80 new
Best for Canon mirrorless history & EF-M collectors
View EOS M
Nikon
D850 (2017)
Starting from £2199 new
Best for Landscape, wildlife & professional studio photography
View D850
GearScore™ Verdict — Which should you buy?
Canon Mirrorless History & Ef-M Collectors — EOS M (2012): Canon's first mirrorless — a historic body that broke new ground with touch-AF and EF-M, but its sluggish contrast-detect system quickly became its Achilles heel.
Landscape, Wildlife & Professional Studio Photography — D850 (2017): The finest DSLR ever made — 45MP, 9fps, and nearly 2000 shots per charge in a body that still outperforms most mirrorless cameras for battery life.
Who should buy what
EOS M (2012)
- Canon shooters who want the camera that started Canon's mirrorless story
- Budget first-time mirrorless buyers who already own EF/EF-S glass
- Collectors of significant digital camera milestones
D850 (2017)
- Nikon F-mount lens owners who want the highest resolution DSLR before switching to mirrorless
- Landscape and wildlife photographers who value the optical viewfinder and outstanding battery life
- Professional photographers who need 45MP resolution without the price of a medium format system
- Photojournalists and event photographers with a large F-mount lens investment
Quick take: The d850 has the highest resolution at 46mp; the eos m is the most affordable; only the d850 is weather sealed. Scroll down for the full spec breakdown.
Full specifications
| Specification | EOS M (2012) | D850 (2017) |
|---|---|---|
| Price | £80 | £2,199 |
| Sensor | 18MP APS-C CMOS | 45.7MP full-frame BSI-CMOS |
| Resolution | 18.0MP | 45.7MP |
| Video | 1080p 30fps | 4K UHD/30p, 1080p/120p |
| Autofocus | Contrast-detect AF only — notoriously slow | 153-point AF system (99 cross-type) — Multi-CAM 20K |
| Stabilisation | — | None (relies on VR lenses) |
| Burst Rate | 4fps | 9fps (7fps with tilt screen AF) |
| Battery Life | ~230 shots (CIPA) | ~1840 shots (CIPA) — outstanding |
| Weight | 262g (body only) | 915g body only |
| Dimensions | 108.6 × 66.5 × 32.3mm | 146 × 124 × 78.5mm |
| Weather Sealed | No | Yes |
| Viewfinder | None (optional EVF accessory) | Optical pentaprism — 0.75× magnification, 100% coverage |
| Screen | 3.0" fixed touchscreen, 1.04M dots | 3.2" tilting touchscreen, 2.36M dots |
| Mount | Canon EF-M mount | Nikon F-mount (FX) |
| Memory Cards | 1× SD/SDHC/SDXC | Dual slots — XQD and SD UHS-II |
| Connectivity | USB 2.0 | USB 3.0, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, 3.5mm mic & headphone jacks |
Suitability by genre
| Genre | EOS M | D850 |
|---|---|---|
| Casual | — | |
| Travel | ||
| Street | — | |
| Portrait | ||
| Vlogging & Video | ||
| Landscape | — | |
| Wildlife | — | |
| Sports | — |
GearScore™ suitability scores are based on aggregated purchaser reviews weighted by photography genre. See how scores are calculated →
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Camera family history