D5vs A7 II
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.
Travel, Portrait — A7 II (2014): The camera that proved full-frame IBIS was possible in a compact body.
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
A7 II (2014)
- Photographers upgrading from APS-C who want full-frame on a budget
- Film shooters adapting vintage lenses (IBIS helps enormously)
Quick take: The a7 ii has the highest resolution at 24mp; the a7 ii is the most affordable. Scroll down for the full spec breakdown.
Full specifications
| Specification | D5 (2016) | A7 II (2014) |
|---|---|---|
| Price | £1,800 | £549 |
| Sensor | 20.8MP full-frame BSI CMOS | Full-frame BSI CMOS 35mm |
| Resolution | 20.8MP | 24.3MP |
| Video | 4K UHD 30fps (heavy sensor crop) | 1080p 60fps |
| Autofocus | Multi-CAM 20K 153-point AF system, 99 cross-type | 117-point phase-detect hybrid AF |
| Stabilisation | — | 5-axis IBIS, 4.5 stops |
| Burst Rate | 12fps mechanical | 5fps |
| Battery Life | ~3780 shots (CIPA) | 350 shots (CIPA) |
| Weight | 1405g (body only) | 599g (body only) |
| Dimensions | 160 × 158.5 × 92mm | 126.9 × 95.7 × 59.7mm |
| Weather Sealed | Yes | Yes |
| Viewfinder | OVF 0.72× magnification, 100% coverage | EVF 0.71× 2.36M-dot |
| Screen | 3.2" tilting touchscreen, 2.36M dots | 3.0" tilting touchscreen, 1.23M-dot |
| Mount | Nikon F mount | Sony E-Mount |
| Memory Cards | Dual XQD slots (XQD variant) | SD / Memory Stick Pro Duo |
| Connectivity | Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Ethernet (RJ-45), USB 3.0 | Wi-Fi, NFC, Micro USB, Micro HDMI |
Suitability by genre
| Genre | D5 | A7 II |
|---|---|---|
| Sports & Action | — | |
| Wildlife | — | |
| Wedding & Events | ||
| Street | ||
| Portrait | ||
| Landscape | ||
| Travel | — | |
| 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