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D5vs Z7

GearFrame · Updated March 2026

Nikon D5 Nikon D5 (2016) Starting from £1800 new Best for Professional Sports, Photojournalism & Wildlife View D5
VS
Nikon Z7 Nikon Z7 (2018) Starting from £1099 new Best for Landscape, studio, commercial View Z7

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, Studio, Commercial — Z7 (2018): 45MP full-frame in the same body as the Z6 — choose your priority.

↓ Full specifications below

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

Z7 (2018)

  • Nikon shooters who need maximum resolution
  • Landscape photographers coming from DSLR

Quick take: The z7 has the highest resolution at 46mp; the z7 is the most affordable. Scroll down for the full spec breakdown.

Full specifications

Specification D5 (2016)Z7 (2018)
Price £1,800 £1,099
Sensor 20.8MP full-frame BSI CMOS Full-frame BSI CMOS 35mm
Resolution 20.8MP 45.7MP
Video 4K UHD 30fps (heavy sensor crop) 4K 30fps, 1080p 120fps
Autofocus Multi-CAM 20K 153-point AF system, 99 cross-type 493-point phase-detect hybrid AF
Stabilisation 5-axis IBIS, 5.0 stops
Burst Rate 12fps mechanical 9fps
Battery Life ~3780 shots (CIPA) 330 shots (CIPA)
Weight 1405g (body only) 585g (body only)
Dimensions 160 × 158.5 × 92mm 134.0 × 100.5 × 67.5mm
Weather Sealed Yes Yes
Viewfinder OVF 0.72× magnification, 100% coverage EVF 0.80× 3.69M-dot
Screen 3.2" tilting touchscreen, 2.36M dots 3.2" tilting touchscreen, 2.1M-dot
Mount Nikon F mount Nikon Z-Mount
Memory Cards Dual XQD slots (XQD variant) Single XQD / CFexpress Type B
Connectivity Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Ethernet (RJ-45), USB 3.0 Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.2, USB-C 3.1, HDMI
Genre D5Z7
Sports & Action
10.0
Wildlife
9.0
Wedding & Events
8.0
8.0
Street
8.0
7.0
Portrait
7.0
9.0
Landscape
7.0
9.0
Architecture
9.0
Travel
8.0
Vlogging & Video
6.0

GearScore™ suitability scores are based on aggregated purchaser reviews weighted by photography genre. See how scores are calculated →

⚡ Compare specs side by side D5 prices → Z7 prices →

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