EOS R50vs D850

GearFrame · Updated March 2026

Canon EOS R50 Canon EOS R50 (2023) Starting from £599 new Best for Beginners & family View EOS R50
VS
Nikon D850 Nikon D850 (2017) Starting from £2199 new Best for Landscape, wildlife & professional studio photography View D850

GearScore™ Verdict — Which should you buy?

Beginners & Family — EOS R50 (2023): Canon's most beginner-friendly RF body — Dual Pixel AF and beautiful colour science in an approachable package.

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.

↓ Full specifications below

EOS R50 (2023)

  • Beginners buying their first interchangeable-lens camera
  • Family photographers who want reliable subject tracking in a compact body
  • R100 buyers who want a step up with better video and subject detection
  • Casual content creators who want a simple, capable RF camera on a budget

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 r50 is the most affordable; only the d850 is weather sealed. Scroll down for the full spec breakdown.

Full specifications

Specification EOS R50 (2023)D850 (2017)
Price £599 £2,199
Sensor 24.2MP APS-C CMOS 45.7MP full-frame BSI-CMOS
Resolution 24.2MP 45.7MP
Video 4K/30p (uncropped 4K/24p), FHD/60p 4K UHD/30p, 1080p/120p
Autofocus Dual Pixel CMOS AF II, face/eye/subject tracking 153-point AF system (99 cross-type) — Multi-CAM 20K
Stabilisation None (no IBIS) None (relies on VR lenses)
Burst Rate 12fps mechanical, 15fps electronic 9fps (7fps with tilt screen AF)
Battery Life ~380 shots (CIPA) ~1840 shots (CIPA) — outstanding
Weight 375g body only 915g body only
Dimensions 116.3 × 85.5 × 68.8mm 146 × 124 × 78.5mm
Weather Sealed No Yes
Viewfinder EVF, 2.36M dots Optical pentaprism — 0.75× magnification, 100% coverage
Screen 3.0" vari-angle touchscreen 3.2" tilting touchscreen, 2.36M dots
Mount Canon RF-S / RF Nikon F mount
Memory Cards Single SD UHS-II slot Dual slots — XQD and SD UHS-II
Connectivity USB-C, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi USB 3.0, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, 3.5mm mic & headphone jacks
Genre EOS R50D850
Family & Everyday
9.0
Portrait
9.0
9.0
Vlogging & Video
9.0
7.0
Street
7.0
Landscape
7.0
9.0
Sports & Action
4.0
Wildlife
9.0
Sports
9.0
Travel
7.0
⚡ Compare specs side by side EOS R50 prices → D850 prices →

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