D850vs A9
Nikon
D850 (2017)
Starting from £2199 new
Best for Landscape, wildlife & professional studio photography
View D850
Sony
A9 (2017)
Starting from £1999 new
Best for Professional sports, wildlife & action photography
View A9
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.
Professional Sports, Wildlife & Action Photography — A9 (2017): The camera that changed professional photography — the A9's 20fps blackout-free burst and silent shutter proved mirrorless had definitively surpassed the DSLR.
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
A9 (2017)
- Sports photographers who want the original 20fps mirrorless at a lower used price than the A9 II
- Wildlife photographers who need blackout-free burst with fast, reliable tracking
- Sony FE system users who want a professional sports body
- Photographers interested in the camera that changed the industry
Quick take: The d850 has the highest resolution at 46mp; the a9 is the most affordable. Scroll down for the full spec breakdown.
Full specifications
| Specification | D850 (2017) | A9 (2017) |
|---|---|---|
| Price | £2,199 | £1,999 |
| Sensor | 45.7MP full-frame BSI-CMOS | 24.2MP Full-Frame Stacked BSI CMOS Exmor RS |
| Resolution | 45.7MP | 24.2MP |
| Video | 4K UHD/30p, 1080p/120p | 4K/30p, 1080p/120p |
| Autofocus | 153-point AF system (99 cross-type) — Multi-CAM 20K | 693 phase-detect + 25 contrast-detect, real-time eye/body tracking |
| Stabilisation | None (relies on VR lenses) | IBIS — 5-axis, up to 5 stops |
| Burst Rate | 9fps (7fps with tilt screen AF) | 20fps (blackout-free, silent electronic shutter with full AF/AE) |
| Battery Life | ~1840 shots (CIPA) — outstanding | ~650 shots (CIPA) |
| Weight | 915g body only | 673g (with battery and card) |
| Dimensions | 146 × 124 × 78.5mm | 126.9 × 95.6 × 63.0mm |
| Weather Sealed | Yes | Yes |
| Viewfinder | Optical pentaprism — 0.75× magnification, 100% coverage | EVF, OLED 3.69M dots, 0.78× magnification, 60fps refresh (blackout-free) |
| Screen | 3.2" tilting touchscreen, 2.36M dots | 3.0" tilting touchscreen |
| Mount | Nikon F-mount (FX) | Sony FE (full-frame E-mount) |
| Memory Cards | Dual slots — XQD and SD UHS-II | Dual SD UHS-II slots |
| Connectivity | USB 3.0, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, 3.5mm mic & headphone jacks | USB, Wi-Fi 5GHz, Bluetooth, HDMI |
Suitability by genre
| Genre | D850 | A9 |
|---|---|---|
| Landscape | — | |
| Wildlife | ||
| Portrait | ||
| Sports | — | |
| Vlogging & Video | ||
| Travel | ||
| Sports & Action | — | |
| Wedding & Events | — |
GearScore™ suitability scores are based on aggregated purchaser reviews weighted by photography genre. See how scores are calculated →
More comparisons with D850
Camera family history