D5vs A7C
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.
Compact Travel & Content Creation — A7C (2020): The A7C proves full-frame doesn't have to be bulky. Excellent battery life, reliable Eye AF and a vari-angle screen in a pocketable body is a compelling combination for travel and content creators. The A7C II improved on it, but the original remains a strong value buy.
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
A7C (2020)
- Travel photographers who want full-frame in the smallest possible body
- Content creators who need a flip screen and reliable Eye AF
- Photographers upgrading from APS-C who want to keep a compact kit
- Vloggers who need 4K and great battery life on the road
Quick take: The a7c has the highest resolution at 24mp; the a7c is the most affordable; only the d5 is weather sealed. Scroll down for the full spec breakdown.
Full specifications
| Specification | D5 (2016) | A7C (2020) |
|---|---|---|
| Price | £1,800 | £1,299 |
| Sensor | 20.8MP full-frame BSI CMOS | 24.2MP Full-Frame Exmor R BSI CMOS |
| Resolution | 20.8MP | 24.2MP |
| Video | 4K UHD 30fps (heavy sensor crop) | 4K/30p (oversampled), 1080p/120p slow-motion, S-Log2/S-Log3 |
| Autofocus | Multi-CAM 20K 153-point AF system, 99 cross-type | Phase-detect, 693 points, real-time Eye AF & animal AF |
| Stabilisation | — | 5-axis IBIS, 5 stops |
| Burst Rate | 12fps mechanical | 10fps with AF/AE tracking |
| Battery Life | ~3780 shots (CIPA) | ~740 shots (CIPA) — outstanding for a Sony mirrorless |
| Weight | 1405g (body only) | 509g (body, battery, card) |
| Dimensions | 160 × 158.5 × 92mm | 124.0 × 71.1 × 59.7mm |
| Weather Sealed | Yes | No |
| Viewfinder | OVF 0.72× magnification, 100% coverage | None built-in — use rear screen or accessory EVF |
| Screen | 3.2" tilting touchscreen, 2.36M dots | 3.0" vari-angle touchscreen, 921k dots |
| Mount | Nikon F mount | Sony E-mount |
| Memory Cards | Dual XQD slots (XQD variant) | Single SD UHS-II |
| Connectivity | Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Ethernet (RJ-45), USB 3.0 | USB-C (USB 3.2 Gen 2), Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, NFC |
Suitability by genre
| Genre | D5 | A7C |
|---|---|---|
| Sports & Action | — | |
| Wildlife | ||
| Wedding & Events | — | |
| Street | ||
| Portrait | ||
| Landscape | — | |
| Travel | — | |
| Video | — |
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