D850vs Nikon Z9
Nikon
D850 (2017)
Starting from £2199 new
Best for Landscape, wildlife & professional studio photography
View D850
VS
GearScore™ Verdict — Which should you buy?
Landscape, Wildlife & Professional Studio Photography — D850 (2017): The finest DSLR ever made — 45MP, 9fps, and nearly 2000 shots per charge in a body that still outperforms most mirrorless cameras for battery life.
Professional Sports & Wildlife — Nikon Z9 (2021): The Z9 redefined what professional mirrorless could be — no mechanical shutter, 45MP stacked BSI, and 8K RAW in the most rugged Z body.
Who should buy what
D850 (2017)
- Nikon F-mount lens owners who want the highest resolution DSLR before switching to mirrorless
- Landscape and wildlife photographers who value the optical viewfinder and outstanding battery life
- Professional photographers who need 45MP resolution without the price of a medium format system
- Photojournalists and event photographers with a large F-mount lens investment
Nikon Z9 (2021)
- Professional sports, wildlife and photojournalism photographers
- Nikon D6 or D850 users making the final switch to mirrorless
- Those who need the fastest, most reliable AF Nikon has ever made
- Professionals who need a flagship body with no mechanical shutter
Quick take: The d850 is the most affordable. Scroll down for the full spec breakdown.
Full specifications
| Specification | D850 (2017) | Nikon Z9 (2021) |
|---|---|---|
| Price | £2,199 | £5,499 |
| Sensor | 45.7MP full-frame BSI-CMOS | 45.7MP full-frame BSI stacked CMOS |
| Resolution | 45.7MP | 45.7MP |
| Video | 4K UHD/30p, 1080p/120p | 8K/30p RAW, 4K/120p, ProRes RAW |
| Autofocus | 153-point AF system (99 cross-type) — Multi-CAM 20K | Subject detection AF, 493-point phase-detect |
| Stabilisation | None (relies on VR lenses) | 6-stop IBIS |
| Burst Rate | 9fps (7fps with tilt screen AF) | 20fps RAW / 120fps JPEG |
| Battery Life | ~1840 shots (CIPA) — outstanding | 740 shots (CIPA) |
| Weight | 915g body only | 1340g body only |
| Dimensions | 146 × 124 × 78.5mm | 149.0 × 149.5 × 90.5mm |
| Weather Sealed | Yes | Yes |
| Viewfinder | Optical pentaprism — 0.75× magnification, 100% coverage | 0.5" Quad-VGA OLED EVF, 3.69M dots, 120fps |
| Screen | 3.2" tilting touchscreen, 2.36M dots | 3.2" tilting touchscreen |
| Mount | Nikon F mount | Nikon Z-mount |
| Memory Cards | Dual slots — XQD and SD UHS-II | Dual CFexpress Type B / XQD |
| Connectivity | USB 3.0, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, 3.5mm mic & headphone jacks | USB-C 3.2, HDMI full-size, Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth, LAN |
Suitability by genre
| Genre | D850 | Nikon Z9 |
|---|---|---|
| Landscape | ||
| Wildlife | ||
| Portrait | — | |
| Sports | — | |
| Vlogging & Video | ||
| Travel | ||
| Sports & Action | — | |
| Photojournalism | — |
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