Nikon
D5 2016
Best for Professional Sports, Photojournalism & Wildlife
£1800
list price · used from £902 at eBay
Decision tools · Compare
D5 vs A1
Quick take: The A1 has the highest resolution at 50MP; the D5 is the most affordable.
16 specs side by side·14 genres scored·UK prices from Wex Photo Video and Clifton Cameras
How to read this page. Highlighted cells win that row on the spec alone. Genre scores are the engine's base scores (enthusiast, photo and video); Camera Match re-weights them for your level and priorities. Price buttons are affiliate links; the price you pay is the same.
Sony
A1 2021
Best for Professional sport, wildlife, portrait & hybrid shooting
£4799
new today at Wex Photo Video
Price buttons are affiliate links — GearFrame may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. It never affects a score. Learn more
Verdictwhich should you buy?
D5 — Professional Sports, Photojournalism & Wildlife: 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.
A1 — Professional Sport, Wildlife, Portrait & Hybrid Shooting: 50MP, 30fps, 8K — the Sony A1 is the most complete professional camera ever made.
Who should buy what
D5 (2016)
is the right camera for you if…
- 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)
is the right camera for you if…
- 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
Full specificationsthe better value in each row is highlighted
| Specification | D5Nikon · 2016 | A1Sony · 2021 |
|---|---|---|
| Price | £1,800Best | £4,799 |
| Sensor | 20.8MP full-frame BSI CMOS | 50.1MP Full-Frame Stacked BSI CMOS Exmor RS |
| Resolution | 20.8MP | 50.1MPBest |
| 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/AEBest |
| Battery Life | ~3780 shots (CIPA)Best | ~430 shots (CIPA) |
| Weight | 1405g (body only) | 737g (with battery and card)Best |
| 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" fixed 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 |
Wins the row — price, resolution, burst, battery, weight and sealing are compared; text specs aren't ranked.
How they score by genreengine base scores out of 10
Genre
D5
A1
Portrait
6.0/10
8.2/10
Street
3.9/10
6.1/10
Travel
4.1/10
6.0/10
Wedding & Events
6.8/10
7.9/10
Filmmaking
5.5/10
7.8/10
Documentary
5.5/10
7.6/10
Sports & Action
6.7/10
8.8/10
Landscape
5.3/10
7.6/10
Wildlife
6.5/10
8.7/10
Casual
2.9/10
4.8/10
Food
4.3/10
7.4/10
Macro
3.6/10
7.3/10
Architecture
4.9/10
7.9/10
Astrophotography
6.3/10
6.8/10
Scores come from the same engine as Camera Match: verified specifications weighted by what each genre needs, with documented adjustments. The product page and this table show the enthusiast base score. See how scores are calculated →
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