D850vs Sony A9 III
Nikon
D850 (2017)
Starting from £2199 new
Best for Landscape, wildlife & professional studio photography
View D850
VS
Sony
Sony A9 III (2023)
Starting from £5999 new
Best for Sports & action professionals
View Sony A9 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.
Sports & Action Professionals — Sony A9 III (2023): A paradigm-shifting camera — the global shutter eliminates every rolling shutter limitation that has constrained action photography for years.
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
Sony A9 III (2023)
- Professional sports photographers who need zero blackout and 120fps burst
- Wildlife photographers who demand the most advanced Sony AF available
- Photojournalists who need flash sync at any shutter speed
- A9 II owners upgrading to the world's first full-frame global shutter
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) | Sony A9 III (2023) |
|---|---|---|
| Price | £2,199 | £5,999 |
| Sensor | 45.7MP full-frame BSI-CMOS | 24.6MP full-frame Exmor RS CMOS (global shutter) |
| Resolution | 45.7MP | 24.6MP |
| Video | 4K UHD/30p, 1080p/120p | 4K/120p, 4K/60p, 1080p/240p |
| Autofocus | 153-point AF system (99 cross-type) — Multi-CAM 20K | AI subject recognition AF, 759-point phase-detect |
| Stabilisation | None (relies on VR lenses) | 8-stop IBIS |
| Burst Rate | 9fps (7fps with tilt screen AF) | 120fps blackout-free electronic |
| Battery Life | ~1840 shots (CIPA) — outstanding | 530 shots (CIPA) |
| Weight | 915g body only | 703g body only |
| Dimensions | 146 × 124 × 78.5mm | 136.1 × 96.9 × 82.9mm |
| Weather Sealed | Yes | Yes |
| Viewfinder | Optical pentaprism — 0.75× magnification, 100% coverage | 0.64" Quad-XGA OLED EVF, 9.44M dots |
| Screen | 3.2" tilting touchscreen, 2.36M dots | 3.2" fully articulating touchscreen |
| Mount | Nikon F mount | Sony FE (E-mount) |
| Memory Cards | Dual slots — XQD and SD UHS-II | Dual CFexpress Type A / SD UHS-II |
| Connectivity | USB 3.0, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, 3.5mm mic & headphone jacks | USB-C 3.2, HDMI A, Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.3 |
Suitability by genre
| Genre | D850 | Sony A9 III |
|---|---|---|
| Landscape | — | |
| Wildlife | ||
| Portrait | ||
| Sports | — | |
| Vlogging & Video | ||
| Travel | ||
| Sports & Action | — | |
| Wedding & Events | — |
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