EOS R1vs D850
Canon
EOS R1 (2024)
Starting from £5999 new
Best for Professional sports, wildlife & photojournalism
View EOS R1
VS
Nikon
D850 (2017)
Starting from £2199 new
Best for Landscape, wildlife & professional studio photography
View D850
GearScore™ Verdict — Which should you buy?
Professional Sports, Wildlife & Photojournalism — EOS R1 (2024): Canon's ultimate professional camera — 40fps, a class-leading EVF, and AI AF that simply doesn't miss.
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 R1 (2024)
- Professional sports and news photographers who cannot miss a shot
- Wildlife photographers needing the fastest AF and burst available
- Photojournalists requiring reliable pro-grade build and connectivity
- Canon R3 owners or 1D X Mark III users upgrading to mirrorless flagship
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 d850 is the most affordable. Scroll down for the full spec breakdown.
Full specifications
| Specification | EOS R1 (2024) | D850 (2017) |
|---|---|---|
| Price | £5,999 | £2,199 |
| Sensor | 24.2MP Full-Frame Stacked CMOS | 45.7MP full-frame BSI-CMOS |
| Resolution | 24.2MP | 45.7MP |
| Video | 6K RAW/60p, 4K/120p, 1080p/240p | 4K UHD/30p, 1080p/120p |
| Autofocus | Dual Pixel CMOS AF III — 100% coverage, deep learning subject detection | 153-point AF system (99 cross-type) — Multi-CAM 20K |
| Stabilisation | IBIS — up to 8 stops combined | None (relies on VR lenses) |
| Burst Rate | 40fps electronic, 12fps mechanical | 9fps (7fps with tilt screen AF) |
| Battery Life | ~530 shots (CIPA) | ~1840 shots (CIPA) — outstanding |
| Weight | 1470g (with battery) | 915g body only |
| Dimensions | 159.5 × 143.9 × 87.3mm | 146 × 124 × 78.5mm |
| Weather Sealed | Yes | Yes |
| Viewfinder | EVF, 9.44M dots, 0.90× magnification | Optical pentaprism — 0.75× magnification, 100% coverage |
| Screen | 3.2" fully articulating touchscreen | 3.2" tilting touchscreen, 2.36M dots |
| Mount | Canon RF mount | Nikon F mount |
| Memory Cards | Dual CFexpress Type B | Dual slots — XQD and SD UHS-II |
| Connectivity | USB-C (10Gbps), Wi-Fi 6GHz, Bluetooth, Ethernet, HDMI | USB 3.0, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, 3.5mm mic & headphone jacks |
Suitability by genre
| Genre | EOS R1 | D850 |
|---|---|---|
| Sports | ||
| Wildlife | ||
| Photojournalism | — | |
| Vlogging & Video | ||
| Wedding | — | |
| Portrait | ||
| Landscape | — | |
| Travel | — |
More comparisons with EOS R1
Camera family history