D850vs A7R III
Nikon
D850 (2017)
Starting from £2199 new
Best for Landscape, wildlife & professional studio photography
View D850
VS
Sony
A7R III (2017)
Starting from £1799 new
Best for Landscape, studio & commercial photography
View A7R III
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.
Landscape, Studio & Commercial Photography — A7R III (2017): The camera that converted professionals to mirrorless — 42MP, IBIS, and 10fps in a body that still competes today.
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
A7R III (2017)
- Landscape and studio photographers who need 42MP resolution at a used-price discount vs A7R IV
- Canon/Nikon DSLR professionals considering a mirrorless switch at a lower investment
- Commercial and product photographers who want full-frame resolution with IBIS for handheld work
- Portrait photographers who want the sharpest possible full-frame files for large print work
Quick take: The d850 has the highest resolution at 46mp; the a7r iii is the most affordable. Scroll down for the full spec breakdown.
Full specifications
| Specification | D850 (2017) | A7R III (2017) |
|---|---|---|
| Price | £2,199 | £1,799 |
| Sensor | 45.7MP full-frame BSI-CMOS | 42.4MP full-frame BSI Exmor R CMOS |
| Resolution | 45.7MP | 42.4MP |
| Video | 4K UHD/30p, 1080p/120p | 4K/30p (full-frame readout), 1080p/120p |
| Autofocus | 153-point AF system (99 cross-type) — Multi-CAM 20K | 399 phase-detect + 425 contrast AF points — real-time Eye AF |
| Stabilisation | None (relies on VR lenses) | 5-axis IBIS — 5.5 stops |
| Burst Rate | 9fps (7fps with tilt screen AF) | 10fps with AF/AE tracking |
| Battery Life | ~1840 shots (CIPA) — outstanding | ~650 shots (CIPA) |
| Weight | 915g body only | 650g body only |
| Dimensions | 146 × 124 × 78.5mm | 126.9 × 95.6 × 73.7mm |
| Weather Sealed | Yes | Yes |
| Viewfinder | Optical pentaprism — 0.75× magnification, 100% coverage | EVF, 3.69M dots, 0.78× magnification |
| Screen | 3.2" tilting touchscreen, 2.36M dots | 3.0" touchscreen, tilting |
| Mount | Nikon F mount | Sony FE mount (full-frame E-mount) |
| Memory Cards | Dual slots — XQD and SD UHS-II | Dual SD slots (one UHS-II) |
| Connectivity | USB 3.0, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, 3.5mm mic & headphone jacks | USB-C, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, 3.5mm mic jack |
Suitability by genre
| Genre | D850 | A7R III |
|---|---|---|
| Landscape | ||
| Wildlife | — | |
| Portrait | ||
| Sports | ||
| Vlogging & Video | ||
| Travel | — | |
| Wedding | — | |
| Street | — |
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