D850vs A7 II

GearFrame · Updated March 2026

Nikon D850 Nikon D850 (2017) Starting from £2199 new Best for Landscape, wildlife & professional studio photography View D850
VS
Sony A7 II Sony A7 II (2014) Starting from £549 new Best for Travel, portrait View A7 II

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, Portrait — A7 II (2014): The camera that proved full-frame IBIS was possible in a compact body.

↓ Full specifications below

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

A7 II (2014)

  • Photographers upgrading from APS-C who want full-frame on a budget
  • Film shooters adapting vintage lenses (IBIS helps enormously)

Quick take: The d850 has the highest resolution at 46mp; the a7 ii is the most affordable. Scroll down for the full spec breakdown.

Full specifications

Specification D850 (2017)A7 II (2014)
Price £2,199 £549
Sensor 45.7MP full-frame BSI-CMOS Full-frame BSI CMOS 35mm
Resolution 45.7MP 24.3MP
Video 4K UHD/30p, 1080p/120p 1080p 60fps
Autofocus 153-point AF system (99 cross-type) — Multi-CAM 20K 117-point phase-detect hybrid AF
Stabilisation None (relies on VR lenses) 5-axis IBIS, 4.5 stops
Burst Rate 9fps (7fps with tilt screen AF) 5fps
Battery Life ~1840 shots (CIPA) — outstanding 350 shots (CIPA)
Weight 915g body only 599g (body only)
Dimensions 146 × 124 × 78.5mm 126.9 × 95.7 × 59.7mm
Weather Sealed Yes Yes
Viewfinder Optical pentaprism — 0.75× magnification, 100% coverage EVF 0.71× 2.36M-dot
Screen 3.2" tilting touchscreen, 2.36M dots 3.0" tilting touchscreen, 1.23M-dot
Mount Nikon F mount Sony E-Mount
Memory Cards Dual slots — XQD and SD UHS-II SD / Memory Stick Pro Duo
Connectivity USB 3.0, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, 3.5mm mic & headphone jacks Wi-Fi, NFC, Micro USB, Micro HDMI
Genre D850A7 II
Landscape
9.0
Wildlife
9.0
Portrait
9.0
Sports
9.0
Vlogging & Video
7.0
Travel
7.0
⚡ Compare specs side by side D850 prices → A7 II prices →

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Camera family history