D5vs A6400
Nikon
D5 (2016)
Starting from £1800 new
Best for Professional Sports, Photojournalism & Wildlife
View D5
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.
Content Creation & Vlogging — A6400 (2019): The best value APS-C Sony you can buy — especially used. Real-time Eye AF at this price point was transformative when it launched and still makes it one of the most reliable autofocus systems in the lineup.
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
A6400 (2019)
- Vloggers and content creators who need a flip screen and reliable AF
- Photographers upgrading from a compact or smartphone
- Beginners who want room to grow into a full E-mount lens ecosystem
- Anyone prioritising autofocus performance at an accessible price
Quick take: The a6400 has the highest resolution at 24mp; the a6400 is the most affordable; only the d5 is weather sealed. Scroll down for the full spec breakdown.
Full specifications
| Specification | D5 (2016) | A6400 (2019) |
|---|---|---|
| Price | £1,800 | £899 |
| Sensor | 20.8MP full-frame BSI CMOS | 24.2MP APS-C Exmor CMOS BSI |
| Resolution | 20.8MP | 24.2MP |
| Video | 4K UHD 30fps (heavy sensor crop) | 4K/30p (6K oversampled, no crop), 1080p/120p slow-motion |
| Autofocus | Multi-CAM 20K 153-point AF system, 99 cross-type | Phase-detect, 425 points, real-time Eye AF & animal AF |
| Stabilisation | — | None (no IBIS) |
| Burst Rate | 12fps mechanical | 11fps mechanical, 8fps with AF tracking |
| Battery Life | ~3780 shots (CIPA) | ~410 shots (CIPA) |
| Weight | 1405g (body only) | 403g (body, battery, card) |
| Dimensions | 160 × 158.5 × 92mm | 120.0 × 66.9 × 59.7mm |
| Weather Sealed | Yes | No |
| Viewfinder | OVF 0.72× magnification, 100% coverage | EVF, 2.36M dots, 0.70× magnification |
| Screen | 3.2" tilting touchscreen, 2.36M dots | 3.0" tilting touchscreen, 180° flip for selfie/vlog, 921k dots |
| Mount | Nikon F mount | Sony E-mount |
| Memory Cards | Dual XQD slots (XQD variant) | Single SD UHS-I |
| Connectivity | Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Ethernet (RJ-45), USB 3.0 | Micro-USB, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, NFC |
Suitability by genre
| Genre | D5 | A6400 |
|---|---|---|
| Sports & Action | — | |
| Wildlife | ||
| Wedding & Events | — | |
| Street | ||
| Portrait | ||
| Landscape | — | |
| Video | — | |
| Travel | — |
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