D5vs D850
Nikon
D5 (2016)
Starting from £1800 new
Best for Professional Sports, Photojournalism & Wildlife
View D5
Nikon
D850 (2017)
Starting from £2199 new
Best for Landscape, wildlife & professional studio photography
View D850
GearScore™ Verdict — Which should you buy?
Professional Sports, Photojournalism & Wildlife — D5 (2016): Nikon's ultimate pro DSLR and a certified space traveller — the D5's 153-point AF, 12fps, and ISO 3,280,000 made it the weapon of choice for Olympic and space photography.
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
D5 (2016)
- Sports and wildlife photographers with an F-mount telephoto investment
- Photojournalists who need the fastest, most reliable DSLR AF available
- Nikon system professionals looking for a flagship body at used prices
- Collectors of cameras with a documented space pedigree
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 d5 is the most affordable. Scroll down for the full spec breakdown.
Full specifications
| Specification | D5 (2016) | D850 (2017) |
|---|---|---|
| Price | £1,800 | £2,199 |
| Sensor | 20.8MP full-frame BSI CMOS | 45.7MP full-frame BSI-CMOS |
| Resolution | 20.8MP | 45.7MP |
| Video | 4K UHD 30fps (heavy sensor crop) | 4K UHD/30p, 1080p/120p |
| Autofocus | Multi-CAM 20K 153-point AF system, 99 cross-type | 153-point AF system (99 cross-type) — Multi-CAM 20K |
| Stabilisation | — | None (relies on VR lenses) |
| Burst Rate | 12fps mechanical | 9fps (7fps with tilt screen AF) |
| Battery Life | ~3780 shots (CIPA) | ~1840 shots (CIPA) — outstanding |
| Weight | 1405g (body only) | 915g body only |
| Dimensions | 160 × 158.5 × 92mm | 146 × 124 × 78.5mm |
| Weather Sealed | Yes | Yes |
| Viewfinder | OVF 0.72× magnification, 100% coverage | Optical pentaprism — 0.75× magnification, 100% coverage |
| Screen | 3.2" tilting touchscreen, 2.36M dots | 3.2" tilting touchscreen, 2.36M dots |
| Mount | Nikon F mount | Nikon F-mount (FX) |
| Memory Cards | Dual XQD slots (XQD variant) | Dual slots — XQD and SD UHS-II |
| Connectivity | Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Ethernet (RJ-45), USB 3.0 | USB 3.0, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, 3.5mm mic & headphone jacks |
Suitability by genre
| Genre | D5 | D850 |
|---|---|---|
| Sports & Action | — | |
| Wildlife | ||
| Wedding & Events | — | |
| Street | — | |
| Portrait | ||
| Landscape | ||
| Sports | — | |
| Vlogging & Video | — | |
| Travel | — |
GearScore™ suitability scores are based on aggregated purchaser reviews weighted by photography genre. See how scores are calculated →
More comparisons with D5
Camera family history