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D5vs A1

GearFrame · Updated March 2026

Nikon D5 Nikon D5 (2016) Starting from £1800 new Best for Professional Sports, Photojournalism & Wildlife View D5
VS
Sony A1 Sony A1 (2021) Starting from £5999 new Best for Professional sport, wildlife, portrait & hybrid shooting View A1

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.

Professional Sport, Wildlife, Portrait & Hybrid Shooting — A1 (2021): 50MP, 30fps, 8K — the Sony A1 is the most complete professional camera ever made.

↓ 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

A1 (2021)

  • Professional photographers who need resolution and speed without compromise
  • Sports and wildlife photographers demanding the absolute fastest Sony
  • Studio and fashion photographers who also shoot sport or events
  • A9 III or A7R V owners who want a single body that does everything

Quick take: The a1 has the highest resolution at 50mp; the d5 is the most affordable. Scroll down for the full spec breakdown.

Full specifications

Specification D5 (2016)A1 (2021)
Price £1,800 £5,999
Sensor 20.8MP full-frame BSI CMOS 50.1MP Full-Frame Stacked BSI CMOS Exmor RS
Resolution 20.8MP 50.1MP
Video 4K UHD 30fps (heavy sensor crop) 8K/30p, 4K/120p, 1080p/240p
Autofocus Multi-CAM 20K 153-point AF system, 99 cross-type Real-time Tracking, AI subject recognition — 759 phase-detect points
Stabilisation IBIS — up to 5.5 stops
Burst Rate 12fps mechanical 30fps electronic with full AF/AE
Battery Life ~3780 shots (CIPA) ~430 shots (CIPA)
Weight 1405g (body only) 737g (with battery)
Dimensions 160 × 158.5 × 92mm 128.9 × 96.9 × 80.8mm
Weather Sealed Yes Yes
Viewfinder OVF 0.72× magnification, 100% coverage EVF, 9.44M dots, 0.90× magnification, 240fps
Screen 3.2" tilting touchscreen, 2.36M dots 3.0" fully tilting touchscreen
Mount Nikon F mount Sony FE mount (full-frame E-mount)
Memory Cards Dual XQD slots (XQD variant) Dual CFexpress Type A / SD UHS-II
Connectivity Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Ethernet (RJ-45), USB 3.0 USB-C, Wi-Fi 5GHz, Bluetooth, Ethernet, HDMI
Genre D5A1
Sports & Action
10.0
Wildlife
9.0
9.0
Wedding & Events
8.0
Street
8.0
Portrait
7.0
9.0
Landscape
7.0
9.0
Sports
9.0
Vlogging & Video
9.0
Wedding
9.0

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 → A1 prices →

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