Leica SL3vs D850
Leica
Leica SL3 (2024)
Starting from £6499 new
Best for Professional & luxury hybrid shooters
View Leica SL3
VS
Nikon
D850 (2017)
Starting from £2199 new
Best for Landscape, wildlife & professional studio photography
View D850
GearScore™ Verdict — Which should you buy?
Professional & Luxury Hybrid Shooters — Leica SL3 (2024): Leica's most capable mirrorless — 60MP, 30fps burst, 8K ProRes, and 7.5-stop IBIS with L-mount's growing lens ecosystem.
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 SL3 (2024)
- Leica photographers who want autofocus full-frame in the L-mount system
- SL2 owners upgrading to 60MP and improved autofocus performance
- Professionals who want Leica build quality with L-mount lens versatility
- Photographers who want to share lenses across Leica, Sigma, and Lumix bodies
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 sl3 has the highest resolution at 60mp; the d850 is the most affordable. Scroll down for the full spec breakdown.
Full specifications
| Specification | Leica SL3 (2024) | D850 (2017) |
|---|---|---|
| Price | £6,499 | £2,199 |
| Sensor | 60MP full-frame BSI CMOS | 45.7MP full-frame BSI-CMOS |
| Resolution | 60.0MP | 45.7MP |
| Video | 8K/30p, 4K/60p, Apple ProRes | 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 | 7.5-stop IBIS | None (relies on VR lenses) |
| Burst Rate | 30fps electronic | 9fps (7fps with tilt screen AF) |
| Battery Life | 410 shots (CIPA) | ~1840 shots (CIPA) — outstanding |
| Weight | 875g body only | 915g body only |
| Dimensions | 146.0 × 104.0 × 42.0mm | 146 × 124 × 78.5mm |
| Weather Sealed | Yes | Yes |
| Viewfinder | 0.78" OLED EVF, 5.76M dots | Optical pentaprism — 0.75× magnification, 100% coverage |
| Screen | 3.2" fixed touchscreen | 3.2" tilting touchscreen, 2.36M dots |
| Mount | Leica L-mount | Nikon F mount |
| Memory Cards | Dual 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 SL3 | D850 |
|---|---|---|
| Portrait | ||
| Landscape | ||
| Vlogging & Video | ||
| Sports & Action | — | |
| Wedding & Events | — | |
| Travel | ||
| Wildlife | — | |
| Sports | — |
More comparisons with Leica SL3
Camera family history