D5vs A7R II
Nikon
D5 (2016)
Starting from £1800 new
Best for Professional Sports, Photojournalism & Wildlife
View D5
Sony
A7R II (2015)
Starting from £799 new
Best for Portrait, landscape & studio photography
View A7R II
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, Landscape & Studio Photography — A7R II (2015): The A7R II transformed the A7R series — adding IBIS, 4K video, BSI sensor tech, and phase-detect AF in one generation. A landmark Sony camera.
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
A7R II (2015)
- Landscape and architecture photographers who want 42MP with IBIS for handheld shooting
- Portrait and studio photographers who need high resolution with improved AF reliability
- Sony FE system users who want a capable high-resolution body at a used price
- A7R I owners who need the stabilisation, 4K, and improved AF the original lacked
Quick take: The a7r ii has the highest resolution at 42mp; the a7r ii is the most affordable. Scroll down for the full spec breakdown.
Full specifications
| Specification | D5 (2016) | A7R II (2015) |
|---|---|---|
| Price | £1,800 | £799 |
| Sensor | 20.8MP full-frame BSI CMOS | 42.4MP Full-Frame BSI CMOS Exmor R |
| Resolution | 20.8MP | 42.4MP |
| Video | 4K UHD 30fps (heavy sensor crop) | 4K/30p (S35 or full-frame), 1080p/120p |
| Autofocus | Multi-CAM 20K 153-point AF system, 99 cross-type | 399 phase-detect + 25 contrast-detect AF points, face detection |
| Stabilisation | — | IBIS — 5-axis, up to 4.5 stops (first A7R with IBIS) |
| Burst Rate | 12fps mechanical | 5fps |
| Battery Life | ~3780 shots (CIPA) | ~290 shots (CIPA) |
| Weight | 1405g (body only) | 625g (with battery and card) |
| Dimensions | 160 × 158.5 × 92mm | 126.9 × 95.7 × 60.3mm |
| Weather Sealed | Yes | Yes |
| Viewfinder | OVF 0.72× magnification, 100% coverage | EVF, OLED 2.36M dots, 0.78× magnification |
| Screen | 3.2" tilting touchscreen, 2.36M dots | 3.0" tilting LCD, 1.23M dots (no touch) |
| Mount | Nikon F mount | Sony FE (full-frame E-mount) |
| Memory Cards | Dual XQD slots (XQD variant) | Single SD UHS-I slot |
| Connectivity | Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Ethernet (RJ-45), USB 3.0 | USB, Wi-Fi, NFC |
Suitability by genre
| Genre | D5 | A7R II |
|---|---|---|
| Sports & Action | ||
| Wildlife | — | |
| Wedding & Events | — | |
| Street | — | |
| Portrait | ||
| Landscape | ||
| Architecture | — | |
| 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