D5vs A1
Nikon
D5 (2016)
Starting from £1800 new
Best for Professional Sports, Photojournalism & Wildlife
View D5
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.
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
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 |
Suitability by genre
| Genre | D5 | A1 |
|---|---|---|
| Sports & Action | — | |
| Wildlife | ||
| Wedding & Events | — | |
| Street | — | |
| Portrait | ||
| Landscape | ||
| Sports | — | |
| Vlogging & Video | — | |
| Wedding | — |
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