D5vs Z6 II
Nikon
D5 (2016)
Starting from £1800 new
Best for Professional Sports, Photojournalism & Wildlife
View D5
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.
All-Round Full-Frame Photography — Z6 II (2020): The Z6 II is the Nikon most photographers should buy. It's balanced across every discipline — stills, video, autofocus, weather sealing — without overpaying for megapixels you don't need. The Z-mount glass is superb.
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
Z6 II (2020)
- Nikon DSLR users ready to move to mirrorless
- Photographers who need a reliable all-rounder without specialising
- Video creators wanting 4K/60p in a weather-sealed body
- Enthusiasts who shoot everything from portraits to travel
Quick take: The z6 ii has the highest resolution at 24mp; the z6 ii is the most affordable. Scroll down for the full spec breakdown.
Full specifications
| Specification | D5 (2016) | Z6 II (2020) |
|---|---|---|
| Price | £1,800 | £1,699 |
| Sensor | 20.8MP full-frame BSI CMOS | 24.5MP Full-Frame BSI CMOS |
| Resolution | 20.8MP | 24.5MP |
| Video | 4K UHD 30fps (heavy sensor crop) | 4K/60p, 4K/30p (oversampled), 1080p/120p slow-motion |
| Autofocus | Multi-CAM 20K 153-point AF system, 99 cross-type | Phase-detect, 273 points, Eye AF, subject tracking |
| Stabilisation | — | 5-axis IBIS, 5 stops (up to 6 stops with VR lenses) |
| Burst Rate | 12fps mechanical | 14fps mechanical, 14fps electronic (12-bit RAW) |
| Battery Life | ~3780 shots (CIPA) | ~410 shots (CIPA) |
| Weight | 1405g (body only) | 705g (body, battery, card) |
| Dimensions | 160 × 158.5 × 92mm | 134.0 × 100.5 × 69.5mm |
| Weather Sealed | Yes | Yes |
| Viewfinder | OVF 0.72× magnification, 100% coverage | EVF, 3.69M dots, 0.80× magnification |
| Screen | 3.2" tilting touchscreen, 2.36M dots | 3.2" tilting touchscreen, 2.1M dots |
| Mount | Nikon F mount | Nikon Z-mount |
| Memory Cards | Dual XQD slots (XQD variant) | Dual card: 1× CFexpress Type B / XQD + 1× SD UHS-II |
| Connectivity | Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Ethernet (RJ-45), USB 3.0 | USB-C (USB 3.2 Gen 2), Wi-Fi, Bluetooth |
Suitability by genre
| Genre | D5 | Z6 II |
|---|---|---|
| Sports & Action | — | |
| Wildlife | ||
| Wedding & Events | — | |
| Street | ||
| Portrait | ||
| Landscape | — | |
| Travel | — | |
| Video | — |
GearScore™ suitability scores are based on aggregated purchaser reviews weighted by photography genre. See how scores are calculated →
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Camera family history