Nikon
D850 2017
Best for Landscape, wildlife & professional studio photography
£2399
new today at Clifton Cameras
Decision tools · Compare
D850 vs A1
Quick take: The A1 has the highest resolution at 50MP; the D850 is the most affordable.
16 specs side by side·14 genres scored·UK prices from Wex Photo Video and Clifton Cameras
How to read this page. Highlighted cells win that row on the spec alone. Genre scores are the engine's base scores (enthusiast, photo and video); Camera Match re-weights them for your level and priorities. Price buttons are affiliate links; the price you pay is the same.
Sony
A1 2021
Best for Professional sport, wildlife, portrait & hybrid shooting
£4199
new today at Wex Photo Video
Price buttons are affiliate links — GearFrame may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. It never affects a score. Learn more
Verdictwhich should you buy?
D850 — Landscape, Wildlife & Professional Studio Photography: 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.
A1 — Professional Sport, Wildlife, Portrait & Hybrid Shooting: 50MP, 30fps, 8K — the Sony A1 is the most complete professional camera ever made.
Who should buy what
D850 (2017)
is the right camera for you if…
- 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
A1 (2021)
is the right camera for you if…
- Professional photographers who need resolution and speed without compromise
- Sports and wildlife photographers demanding the absolute fastest Sony
- Studio and fashion photographers who also shoot sport or events
- A9 III or A7R V owners who want a single body that does everything
Full specificationsthe better value in each row is highlighted
| Specification | D850Nikon · 2017 | A1Sony · 2021 |
|---|---|---|
| Price | £2,399Best | £4,199 |
| Sensor | 45.7MP full-frame BSI-CMOS | 50.1MP Full-Frame Stacked BSI CMOS Exmor RS |
| Resolution | 45.7MP | 50.1MPBest |
| Video | 4K UHD/30p, 1080p/120p | 8K/30p, 4K/120p, 1080p/240p |
| Autofocus | 153-point AF system (99 cross-type) — Multi-CAM 20K | Real-time Tracking, AI subject recognition — 759 phase-detect points |
| Stabilisation | None (relies on VR lenses) | IBIS — up to 5.5 stops |
| Burst Rate | 9fps (7fps with tilt screen AF) | 30fps electronic with full AF/AEBest |
| Battery Life | ~1840 shots (CIPA) — outstandingBest | ~430 shots (CIPA) |
| Weight | 915g (body only) | 737g (with battery and card)Best |
| Dimensions | 146 × 124 × 78.5mm | 128.9 × 96.9 × 80.8mm |
| Weather Sealed | Yes | Yes |
| Viewfinder | Optical pentaprism — 0.75× magnification, 100% coverage | EVF, 9.44M dots, 0.90× magnification, 240fps |
| Screen | 3.2" tilting touchscreen, 2.36M dots | 3.0" fully tilting touchscreen |
| Mount | Nikon F mount | Sony FE mount (full-frame E-mount) |
| Memory Cards | Dual slots — XQD and SD UHS-II | Dual CFexpress Type A / SD UHS-II |
| Connectivity | USB 3.0, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, 3.5mm mic & headphone jacks | USB-C, Wi-Fi 5GHz, Bluetooth, Ethernet, HDMI |
Wins the row — price, resolution, burst, battery, weight and sealing are compared; text specs aren't ranked.
How they score by genreengine base scores out of 10
Genre
D850
A1
Portrait
6.8/10
8.2/10
Street
4.9/10
6.1/10
Travel
5.0/10
5.9/10
Wedding & Events
7.2/10
7.9/10
Filmmaking
5.6/10
7.8/10
Documentary
5.8/10
7.6/10
Sports & Action
6.5/10
8.8/10
Landscape
6.7/10
7.6/10
Wildlife
6.4/10
8.7/10
Casual
3.6/10
4.8/10
Food
5.8/10
7.4/10
Macro
5.5/10
7.3/10
Architecture
6.4/10
7.9/10
Astrophotography
6.3/10
6.8/10
Scores come from the same engine as Camera Match: verified specifications weighted by what each genre needs, with documented adjustments. The product page and this table show the enthusiast base score. See how scores are calculated →
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