D850vs A7 III
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.
All-Round Photography & Video — A7 III (2018): Still one of the best all-round cameras money can buy — particularly strong used. The A7 III proved that full-frame doesn't have to mean compromises, and nothing at this price point has meaningfully beaten it.
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
A7 III (2018)
- Enthusiast photographers upgrading from APS-C for the first time
- Working photographers who need reliable AF and weather sealing
- Anyone who shoots in low light regularly
- Hybrid shooters needing both stills and video performance
Quick take: The d850 has the highest resolution at 46mp; the a7 iii is the most affordable. Scroll down for the full spec breakdown.
Full specifications
| Specification | D850 (2017) | A7 III (2018) |
|---|---|---|
| Price | £2,199 | £1,699 |
| Sensor | 45.7MP full-frame BSI-CMOS | 24.2MP Full-Frame Exmor R BSI CMOS |
| Resolution | 45.7MP | 24.2MP |
| Video | 4K UHD/30p, 1080p/120p | 4K/30p (6K oversampled), 1080p/120p slow-motion |
| Autofocus | 153-point AF system (99 cross-type) — Multi-CAM 20K | Phase-detect, 693 points, real-time Eye AF & animal AF |
| Stabilisation | None (relies on VR lenses) | 5-axis IBIS, 5 stops |
| Burst Rate | 9fps (7fps with tilt screen AF) | 10fps with AF/AE tracking |
| Battery Life | ~1840 shots (CIPA) — outstanding | ~710 shots (CIPA) |
| Weight | 915g body only | 565g (body, battery, card) |
| Dimensions | 146 × 124 × 78.5mm | 126.9 × 95.6 × 73.7mm |
| Weather Sealed | Yes | Yes |
| Viewfinder | Optical pentaprism — 0.75× magnification, 100% coverage | EVF, 2.36M dots, 0.78× magnification |
| Screen | 3.2" tilting touchscreen, 2.36M dots | 3.0" tilting touchscreen, 921k dots |
| Mount | Nikon F mount | Sony E-mount |
| Memory Cards | Dual slots — XQD and SD UHS-II | Dual SD (UHS-II slot 1, UHS-I slot 2) |
| Connectivity | USB 3.0, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, 3.5mm mic & headphone jacks | USB-C (USB 3.2), Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, NFC |
Suitability by genre
| Genre | D850 | A7 III |
|---|---|---|
| Landscape | — | |
| Wildlife | ||
| Portrait | ||
| Sports | — | |
| Vlogging & Video | — | |
| Travel | ||
| Street | — | |
| Video | — |
More comparisons with D850
Camera family history