D850vs A5100
Nikon
D850 (2017)
Starting from £2199 new
Best for Landscape, wildlife & professional studio photography
View D850
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.
Casual & Travel — A5100 (2014): The A5100 is one of the smallest APS-C mirrorless cameras ever made. Its 24MP sensor, phase-detect AF, and selfie-friendly flip screen pack remarkable capability into a shirt-pocket-sized body. No EVF or hot shoe limits it for serious use, but as a compact travel camera or beginner's first mirrorless, it punches well above its price on the used market.
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
A5100 (2014)
- Beginners stepping up from a smartphone
- Compact travel photographers
- Casual vloggers who want APS-C quality
Quick take: The d850 has the highest resolution at 46mp; the a5100 is the most affordable; only the d850 is weather sealed. Scroll down for the full spec breakdown.
Full specifications
| Specification | D850 (2017) | A5100 (2014) |
|---|---|---|
| Price | £2,199 | £200 |
| Sensor | 45.7MP full-frame BSI-CMOS | 24.3MP APS-C Exmor CMOS |
| Resolution | 45.7MP | 24.3MP |
| Video | 4K UHD/30p, 1080p/120p | 1080p/60p |
| Autofocus | 153-point AF system (99 cross-type) — Multi-CAM 20K | Hybrid phase-detect / contrast-detect AF, face detection |
| Stabilisation | None (relies on VR lenses) | None |
| Burst Rate | 9fps (7fps with tilt screen AF) | 6fps |
| Battery Life | ~1840 shots (CIPA) — outstanding | ~400 shots (CIPA) |
| Weight | 915g body only | 224g (body only) |
| Dimensions | 146 × 124 × 78.5mm | 109.6 × 62.8 × 35.7mm |
| Weather Sealed | Yes | No |
| Viewfinder | Optical pentaprism — 0.75× magnification, 100% coverage | None |
| Screen | 3.2" tilting touchscreen, 2.36M dots | 3.0" flip-up touchscreen, 921k dots |
| Mount | Nikon F-mount (FX) | Sony E-mount |
| Memory Cards | Dual slots — XQD and SD UHS-II | Single SD / MemoryStick PRO Duo slot |
| Connectivity | USB 3.0, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, 3.5mm mic & headphone jacks | Micro USB, Wi-Fi, NFC |
Suitability by genre
| Genre | D850 | A5100 |
|---|---|---|
| Landscape | ||
| Wildlife | — | |
| Portrait | ||
| Sports | — | |
| Vlogging & Video | ||
| Travel | ||
| Casual | — | |
| Street | — | |
| Sports & Action | — |
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