D850vs A6500
Nikon
D850 (2017)
Starting from £2199 new
Best for Landscape, wildlife & professional studio photography
View D850
Sony
A6500 (2016)
Starting from £649 new
Best for Travel, street & versatile everyday photography
View A6500
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.
Travel, Street & Versatile Everyday Photography — A6500 (2016): The first Sony APS-C with IBIS — the A6500 added in-body stabilisation, touch AF, and a far deeper buffer to the A6300's already strong formula.
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
A6500 (2016)
- Travel photographers who want IBIS in a compact weather-sealed E-mount body
- A6300 owners who need the stabilisation or touch AF the A6300 lacked
- Street and documentary photographers who want a capable compact with weather sealing
- Sony E-mount shooters looking for a capable used body at an accessible price
Quick take: The d850 has the highest resolution at 46mp; the a6500 is the most affordable. Scroll down for the full spec breakdown.
Full specifications
| Specification | D850 (2017) | A6500 (2016) |
|---|---|---|
| Price | £2,199 | £649 |
| Sensor | 45.7MP full-frame BSI-CMOS | 24.2MP APS-C Exmor CMOS |
| Resolution | 45.7MP | 24.2MP |
| Video | 4K UHD/30p, 1080p/120p | 4K/30p (full pixel readout), 1080p/120p |
| Autofocus | 153-point AF system (99 cross-type) — Multi-CAM 20K | 425 phase-detect + 169 contrast-detect AF points, face/eye detection |
| Stabilisation | None (relies on VR lenses) | IBIS — 5-axis, up to 5 stops (first Sony APS-C with IBIS) |
| Burst Rate | 9fps (7fps with tilt screen AF) | 11fps |
| Battery Life | ~1840 shots (CIPA) — outstanding | ~310 shots (CIPA) |
| Weight | 915g body only | 453g (with battery and card) |
| Dimensions | 146 × 124 × 78.5mm | 120.0 × 66.9 × 53.3mm |
| Weather Sealed | Yes | Yes |
| Viewfinder | Optical pentaprism — 0.75× magnification, 100% coverage | EVF, OLED 2.36M dots, 0.70× magnification |
| Screen | 3.2" tilting touchscreen, 2.36M dots | 3.0" fully articulating touchscreen |
| Mount | Nikon F-mount (FX) | Sony E-mount |
| Memory Cards | Dual slots — XQD and SD UHS-II | Single SD UHS-I slot |
| Connectivity | USB 3.0, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, 3.5mm mic & headphone jacks | USB, Wi-Fi, NFC, Bluetooth |
Suitability by genre
| Genre | D850 | A6500 |
|---|---|---|
| Landscape | — | |
| Wildlife | ||
| Portrait | ||
| Sports | — | |
| Vlogging & Video | ||
| Travel | ||
| Street | — | |
| Sports & Action | — |
GearScore™ suitability scores are based on aggregated purchaser reviews weighted by photography genre. See how scores are calculated →
More comparisons with D850
Camera family history