Leica Q3vs D850
Leica
Leica Q3 (2023)
Starting from £5999 new
Best for Travel, street & premium compact shooters
View Leica Q3
VS
Nikon
D850 (2017)
Starting from £2199 new
Best for Landscape, wildlife & professional studio photography
View D850
GearScore™ Verdict — Which should you buy?
Travel, Street & Premium Compact Shooters — Leica Q3 (2023): 60MP, Summilux 28mm, IBIS, and weather sealing — the Q3 is the ultimate fixed-lens camera for those who can justify the cost.
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
Leica Q3 (2023)
- Photographers who want a fixed-lens full-frame camera with no compromises
- Q2 owners upgrading to articulating screen and improved autofocus
- Travel photographers who want one premium compact that does everything
- Street and documentary photographers who want Leica quality without changing lenses
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 leica q3 has the highest resolution at 60mp; the d850 is the most affordable. Scroll down for the full spec breakdown.
Full specifications
| Specification | Leica Q3 (2023) | D850 (2017) |
|---|---|---|
| Price | £5,999 | £2,199 |
| Sensor | 60MP full-frame BSI CMOS | 45.7MP full-frame BSI-CMOS |
| Resolution | 60.0MP | 45.7MP |
| Video | 8K/30p, 4K/60p, C4K/60p | 4K UHD/30p, 1080p/120p |
| Autofocus | Phase-detect AF with subject/face/eye detection | 153-point AF system (99 cross-type) — Multi-CAM 20K |
| Stabilisation | 5.5-stop IBIS | None (relies on VR lenses) |
| Burst Rate | 15fps | 9fps (7fps with tilt screen AF) |
| Battery Life | 380 shots (CIPA) | ~1840 shots (CIPA) — outstanding |
| Weight | 743g | 915g body only |
| Dimensions | 130.0 × 80.3 × 91.0mm | 146 × 124 × 78.5mm |
| Weather Sealed | Yes | Yes |
| Viewfinder | 0.787" OLED EVF, 5.76M dots | Optical pentaprism — 0.75× magnification, 100% coverage |
| Screen | 3.0" fixed touchscreen | 3.2" tilting touchscreen, 2.36M dots |
| Mount | Fixed Summilux 28mm f/1.7 ASPH | Nikon F mount |
| Memory Cards | Single SD UHS-II | Dual slots — XQD and SD UHS-II |
| Connectivity | USB-C 3.1, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth | USB 3.0, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, 3.5mm mic & headphone jacks |
Suitability by genre
| Genre | Leica Q3 | D850 |
|---|---|---|
| Travel | ||
| Street | — | |
| Landscape | ||
| Portrait | ||
| Vlogging & Video | ||
| Sports & Action | — | |
| Wildlife | — | |
| Sports | — |
More comparisons with Leica Q3
Camera family history