D5vs A7 V
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.
Portrait, Wedding, Travel, Video — A7 V (2024): The definitive full-frame mirrorless. Hard to argue for anything else at this price.
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 V (2024)
- A7 III or A7 IV owners ready for a meaningful upgrade
- Photographers who want one camera to cover everything
Quick take: The a7 v has the highest resolution at 33mp; the d5 is the most affordable. Scroll down for the full spec breakdown.
Full specifications
| Specification | D5 (2016) | A7 V (2024) |
|---|---|---|
| Price | £1,800 | £2,799 |
| Sensor | 20.8MP full-frame BSI CMOS | Full-frame BSI-CMOS 35mm, partially stacked |
| Resolution | 20.8MP | 33.0MP |
| Video | 4K UHD 30fps (heavy sensor crop) | 4K 60fps 10-bit |
| Autofocus | Multi-CAM 20K 153-point AF system, 99 cross-type | 759-point phase-detect, AI subject recognition (human, animal, bird, insect, vehicle) |
| Stabilisation | — | 5-axis IBIS, 8.0 stops |
| Burst Rate | 12fps mechanical | 10fps mechanical, 20fps electronic |
| Battery Life | ~3780 shots (CIPA) | 760 shots (CIPA) |
| Weight | 1405g (body only) | 514g (body only) |
| Dimensions | 160 × 158.5 × 92mm | 131.3 × 96.4 × 70.0mm |
| Weather Sealed | Yes | Yes |
| Viewfinder | OVF 0.72× magnification, 100% coverage | EVF 0.90× 9.44M-dot |
| Screen | 3.2" tilting touchscreen, 2.36M dots | 3.2" fully articulating touchscreen, 1.44M-dot |
| Mount | Nikon F mount | Sony E-Mount |
| Memory Cards | Dual XQD slots (XQD variant) | 2× SD UHS-II / CFexpress Type A |
| Connectivity | Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Ethernet (RJ-45), USB 3.0 | Wi-Fi 6GHz, Bluetooth 5.3, USB-C 3.2 Gen 2 |
Suitability by genre
| Genre | D5 | A7 V |
|---|---|---|
| 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