D5vs A7R III
Nikon
D5 (2016)
Starting from £1800 new
Best for Professional Sports, Photojournalism & Wildlife
View D5
Sony
A7R III (2017)
Starting from £1799 new
Best for Landscape, studio & commercial photography
View A7R III
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.
Landscape, Studio & Commercial Photography — A7R III (2017): The camera that converted professionals to mirrorless — 42MP, IBIS, and 10fps in a body that still competes today.
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 III (2017)
- Landscape and studio photographers who need 42MP resolution at a used-price discount vs A7R IV
- Canon/Nikon DSLR professionals considering a mirrorless switch at a lower investment
- Commercial and product photographers who want full-frame resolution with IBIS for handheld work
- Portrait photographers who want the sharpest possible full-frame files for large print work
Quick take: The a7r iii has the highest resolution at 42mp; the a7r iii is the most affordable. Scroll down for the full spec breakdown.
Full specifications
| Specification | D5 (2016) | A7R III (2017) |
|---|---|---|
| Price | £1,800 | £1,799 |
| Sensor | 20.8MP full-frame BSI CMOS | 42.4MP full-frame BSI Exmor R CMOS |
| Resolution | 20.8MP | 42.4MP |
| Video | 4K UHD 30fps (heavy sensor crop) | 4K/30p (full-frame readout), 1080p/120p |
| Autofocus | Multi-CAM 20K 153-point AF system, 99 cross-type | 399 phase-detect + 425 contrast AF points — real-time Eye AF |
| Stabilisation | — | 5-axis IBIS — 5.5 stops |
| Burst Rate | 12fps mechanical | 10fps with AF/AE tracking |
| Battery Life | ~3780 shots (CIPA) | ~650 shots (CIPA) |
| Weight | 1405g (body only) | 650g body only |
| Dimensions | 160 × 158.5 × 92mm | 126.9 × 95.6 × 73.7mm |
| Weather Sealed | Yes | Yes |
| Viewfinder | OVF 0.72× magnification, 100% coverage | EVF, 3.69M dots, 0.78× magnification |
| Screen | 3.2" tilting touchscreen, 2.36M dots | 3.0" touchscreen, tilting |
| Mount | Nikon F mount | Sony FE mount (full-frame E-mount) |
| Memory Cards | Dual XQD slots (XQD variant) | Dual SD slots (one UHS-II) |
| Connectivity | Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Ethernet (RJ-45), USB 3.0 | USB-C, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, 3.5mm mic jack |
Suitability by genre
| Genre | D5 | A7R III |
|---|---|---|
| Sports & Action | — | |
| Wildlife | — | |
| Wedding & Events | — | |
| Street | ||
| Portrait | ||
| Landscape | ||
| Vlogging & Video | — | |
| Wedding | — | |
| Sports | — |
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