D5vs OM-D E-M5 Mark II
Nikon
D5 (2016)
Starting from £1800 new
Best for Professional Sports, Photojournalism & Wildlife
View D5
Olympus
OM-D E-M5 Mark II (2015)
Starting from £350 new
Best for Travel & Landscape
View OM-D E-M5 Mark II
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.
Travel & Landscape — OM-D E-M5 Mark II (2015): The E-M5 II was the benchmark weather-sealed travel camera of its generation. The 16MP sensor is modest by today's standards but excellent in practice, and the 5-axis IBIS is genuinely useful. Weather sealing, a flip screen, and a high-res composite mode make it a practical companion. A highly capable used-market buy for travel and outdoor photographers who don't need the latest resolution numbers.
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
OM-D E-M5 Mark II (2015)
- Travel photographers wanting compact + weather sealing
- Outdoor and landscape shooters
- Micro Four Thirds system users
Quick take: The d5 has the highest resolution at 21mp; the om-d e-m5 mark ii is the most affordable. Scroll down for the full spec breakdown.
Full specifications
| Specification | D5 (2016) | OM-D E-M5 Mark II (2015) |
|---|---|---|
| Price | £1,800 | £350 |
| Sensor | 20.8MP full-frame BSI CMOS | 16MP Micro Four Thirds Live MOS |
| Resolution | 20.8MP | 16.0MP |
| Video | 4K UHD 30fps (heavy sensor crop) | 1080p/60p |
| Autofocus | Multi-CAM 20K 153-point AF system, 99 cross-type | Contrast-detect AF, face detection |
| Stabilisation | — | 5-axis IBIS, 5.0 stops |
| Burst Rate | 12fps mechanical | 10fps |
| Battery Life | ~3780 shots (CIPA) | ~310 shots (CIPA) |
| Weight | 1405g (body only) | 417g (with battery and card) |
| Dimensions | 160 × 158.5 × 92mm | 123.7 × 85.0 × 44.5mm |
| Weather Sealed | Yes | Yes |
| Viewfinder | OVF 0.72× magnification, 100% coverage | Electronic, 2.36M dots, 0.74× magnification |
| Screen | 3.2" tilting touchscreen, 2.36M dots | 3.0" fully articulating touchscreen, 1.04M dots |
| Mount | Nikon F mount | Micro Four Thirds |
| Memory Cards | Dual XQD slots (XQD variant) | Single SD UHS-I slot |
| Connectivity | Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Ethernet (RJ-45), USB 3.0 | USB 2.0, Wi-Fi |
Suitability by genre
| Genre | D5 | OM-D E-M5 Mark II |
|---|---|---|
| Sports & Action | ||
| Wildlife | ||
| Wedding & Events | — | |
| Street | ||
| Portrait | — | |
| Landscape | ||
| Travel | — | |
| Macro | — | |
| Astrophotography | — | |
| Vlogging & 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