D850vs A7 V
Nikon
D850 (2017)
Starting from £2199 new
Best for Landscape, wildlife & professional studio photography
View D850
VS
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.
Portrait, Wedding, Travel, Video — A7 V (2024): The definitive full-frame mirrorless. Hard to argue for anything else at this price.
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 V (2024)
- A7 III or A7 IV owners ready for a meaningful upgrade
- Photographers who want one camera to cover everything
Quick take: The d850 has the highest resolution at 46mp; the d850 is the most affordable. Scroll down for the full spec breakdown.
Full specifications
| Specification | D850 (2017) | A7 V (2024) |
|---|---|---|
| Price | £2,199 | £2,799 |
| Sensor | 45.7MP full-frame BSI-CMOS | Full-frame BSI-CMOS 35mm, partially stacked |
| Resolution | 45.7MP | 33.0MP |
| Video | 4K UHD/30p, 1080p/120p | 4K 60fps 10-bit |
| Autofocus | 153-point AF system (99 cross-type) — Multi-CAM 20K | 759-point phase-detect, AI subject recognition (human, animal, bird, insect, vehicle) |
| Stabilisation | None (relies on VR lenses) | 5-axis IBIS, 8.0 stops |
| Burst Rate | 9fps (7fps with tilt screen AF) | 10fps mechanical, 20fps electronic |
| Battery Life | ~1840 shots (CIPA) — outstanding | 760 shots (CIPA) |
| Weight | 915g body only | 514g (body only) |
| Dimensions | 146 × 124 × 78.5mm | 131.3 × 96.4 × 70.0mm |
| Weather Sealed | Yes | Yes |
| Viewfinder | Optical pentaprism — 0.75× magnification, 100% coverage | EVF 0.90× 9.44M-dot |
| Screen | 3.2" tilting touchscreen, 2.36M dots | 3.2" fully articulating touchscreen, 1.44M-dot |
| Mount | Nikon F mount | Sony E-Mount |
| Memory Cards | Dual slots — XQD and SD UHS-II | 2× SD UHS-II / CFexpress Type A |
| Connectivity | USB 3.0, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, 3.5mm mic & headphone jacks | Wi-Fi 6GHz, Bluetooth 5.3, USB-C 3.2 Gen 2 |
Suitability by genre
| Genre | D850 | A7 V |
|---|---|---|
| Landscape | — | |
| Wildlife | — | |
| Portrait | — | |
| Sports | — | |
| Vlogging & Video | — | |
| Travel | — |
More comparisons with D850
Camera family history