D850vs A7CR

GearFrame · Updated March 2026

Nikon D850 (2017) Starting from £2199 new Best for Landscape, wildlife & professional studio photography View D850

Sony A7CR (2023) Starting from £3099 new Best for Travel, landscape & portrait photography with minimal kit View A7CR

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, Landscape & Portrait Photography With Minimal Kit — A7CR (2023): The world's smallest 61MP full-frame camera — A7R V quality in a pocketable A7C body.

↓ Full specifications below

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

A7CR (2023)

Landscape photographers who want 61MP resolution without carrying a large body
Travel photographers who need professional image quality in the smallest possible package
Portrait shooters who want A7R V sensor quality with the ease of the A7C form factor
A7C owners ready for a major resolution upgrade without changing bodies

Quick take: The a7cr has the highest resolution at 61mp; the d850 is the most affordable. Scroll down for the full spec breakdown.

Full specifications

Specification	D850 (2017)	A7CR (2023)
Price	£2,199	£3,099
Sensor	45.7MP full-frame BSI-CMOS	61.0MP full-frame BSI CMOS
Resolution	45.7MP	61.0MP
Video	4K UHD/30p, 1080p/120p	4K/60p 10-bit, 1080p/120p — S-Log3, S-Cinetone
Autofocus	153-point AF system (99 cross-type) — Multi-CAM 20K	AI subject recognition — phase-detect with human, animal, bird detection
Stabilisation	None (relies on VR lenses)	7-stop IBIS
Burst Rate	9fps (7fps with tilt screen AF)	8fps mechanical, 15fps electronic
Battery Life	~1840 shots (CIPA) — outstanding	~530 shots (CIPA)
Weight	915g body only	514g body only
Dimensions	146 × 124 × 78.5mm	124.0 × 71.1 × 63.4mm
Weather Sealed	Yes	Yes
Viewfinder	Optical pentaprism — 0.75× magnification, 100% coverage	EVF 0.70× 2.36M-dot
Screen	3.2" tilting touchscreen, 2.36M dots	3.0" fully articulating touchscreen, 1.03M dots
Mount	Nikon F mount	Sony E-mount (full-frame)
Memory Cards	Dual slots — XQD and SD UHS-II	Single CFexpress Type A / SD UHS-II slot
Connectivity	USB 3.0, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, 3.5mm mic & headphone jacks	USB-C 3.2 Gen 2, Wi-Fi 5GHz, Bluetooth 5.0

Suitability by genre

Genre	D850	A7CR
Landscape	9.0	9.0
Wildlife	9.0	—
Portrait	9.0	9.0
Sports	9.0	4.0
Vlogging & Video	7.0	7.0
Travel	7.0	9.0
Street	—	9.0

⚡ Compare specs side by side D850 prices → A7CR prices →

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