D850vs Ricoh GR III
Nikon
D850 (2017)
Starting from £2199 new
Best for Landscape, wildlife & professional studio photography
View D850
Ricoh
Ricoh GR III (2019)
Starting from £899 new
Best for Street photography & urban reportage
View Ricoh GR III
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.
Street Photography & Urban Reportage — Ricoh GR III (2019): The purest street photography compact — APS-C sensor, 28mm perspective, IBIS, and cult-favourite JPEG rendering in a shirt pocket.
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
Ricoh GR III (2019)
- Street photographers who want a classic 28mm perspective in a pocketable body
- Documentary photographers who want a discreet, fast APS-C compact
- GR IIIx buyers who prefer the wider 28mm field of view
- Anyone who wants serious APS-C image quality without carrying a bag
Quick take: The d850 has the highest resolution at 46mp; the ricoh gr iii is the most affordable; only the d850 is weather sealed. Scroll down for the full spec breakdown.
Full specifications
| Specification | D850 (2017) | Ricoh GR III (2019) |
|---|---|---|
| Price | £2,199 | £899 |
| Sensor | 45.7MP full-frame BSI-CMOS | 24.2MP APS-C CMOS |
| Resolution | 45.7MP | 24.2MP |
| Video | 4K UHD/30p, 1080p/120p | 1080p/60p |
| Autofocus | 153-point AF system (99 cross-type) — Multi-CAM 20K | Hybrid contrast/phase-detect AF with subject detection |
| Stabilisation | None (relies on VR lenses) | 4-stop IBIS (Shake Reduction) |
| Burst Rate | 9fps (7fps with tilt screen AF) | 4fps |
| Battery Life | ~1840 shots (CIPA) — outstanding | 200 shots (CIPA) |
| Weight | 915g body only | 257g |
| Dimensions | 146 × 124 × 78.5mm | 109.4 × 61.9 × 33.2mm |
| Weather Sealed | Yes | No |
| Viewfinder | Optical pentaprism — 0.75× magnification, 100% coverage | None |
| Screen | 3.2" tilting touchscreen, 2.36M dots | 3.0" fixed touchscreen |
| Mount | Nikon F mount | Fixed 28mm-equiv f/2.8 lens |
| Memory Cards | Dual slots — XQD and SD UHS-II | Single SD UHS-I |
| Connectivity | USB 3.0, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, 3.5mm mic & headphone jacks | USB-C, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth |
Suitability by genre
| Genre | D850 | Ricoh GR III |
|---|---|---|
| Landscape | ||
| Wildlife | — | |
| Portrait | ||
| Sports | — | |
| Vlogging & Video | ||
| Travel | ||
| Street | — | |
| Documentary | — |
More comparisons with D850
Camera family history