EOS R5vs D850
Canon
EOS R5 (2020)
Starting from £2499 new
Best for Professional hybrid shooters, portrait & wildlife
View EOS R5
VS
Nikon
D850 (2017)
Starting from £2199 new
Best for Landscape, wildlife & professional studio photography
View D850
GearScore™ Verdict — Which should you buy?
Professional Hybrid Shooters, Portrait & Wildlife — EOS R5 (2020): A landmark camera — 8K video and 45MP in one body set the standard for what mirrorless could be.
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 R5 (2020)
- Professional photographers who need both resolution and video in one body
- Wildlife and sports photographers who want top AF with 20fps burst
- Hybrid shooters who need 8K or 4K/120p alongside high-resolution stills
- R5 Mark II buyers on a budget — the R5 still delivers exceptional results
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 R5 (2020) | D850 (2017) |
|---|---|---|
| Price | £2,499 | £2,199 |
| Sensor | 45MP Full-Frame CMOS | 45.7MP full-frame BSI-CMOS |
| Resolution | 45.0MP | 45.7MP |
| Video | 8K RAW/30p, 4K/120p, 1080p/120p | 4K UHD/30p, 1080p/120p |
| Autofocus | Dual Pixel CMOS AF II — 1053 AF zones, subject/animal detection | 153-point AF system (99 cross-type) — Multi-CAM 20K |
| Stabilisation | IBIS — up to 8 stops combined with IS lenses | None (relies on VR lenses) |
| Burst Rate | 12fps mechanical, 20fps electronic | 9fps (7fps with tilt screen AF) |
| Battery Life | ~320 shots (CIPA) | ~1840 shots (CIPA) — outstanding |
| Weight | 650g (with battery) | 915g body only |
| Dimensions | 138.5 × 97.5 × 88mm | 146 × 124 × 78.5mm |
| Weather Sealed | Yes | Yes |
| Viewfinder | EVF, 5.76M dots, 0.76× magnification | Optical pentaprism — 0.75× magnification, 100% coverage |
| Screen | 3.15" fully articulating touchscreen | 3.2" tilting touchscreen, 2.36M dots |
| Mount | Canon RF mount | Nikon F mount |
| Memory Cards | CFexpress Type B + SD UHS-II | Dual slots — XQD and SD UHS-II |
| Connectivity | USB-C, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, HDMI | USB 3.0, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, 3.5mm mic & headphone jacks |
Suitability by genre
| Genre | EOS R5 | D850 |
|---|---|---|
| Portrait | ||
| Wildlife | ||
| Vlogging & Video | ||
| Sports | ||
| Landscape | ||
| Wedding | — | |
| Travel | — |
More comparisons with EOS R5
Camera family history