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Nikon D850 vs Sony A7R III

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Nikon D850

46 MP | Full frame (35.9 x 23.9 mm) BSI-CMOS Sensor

Nikon D850
$3,296.95
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Sony A7R III

42 MP | Full frame (35.9 x 24 mm) BSI-CMOS Sensor

Sony A7R III
$3,198.00
Nikon D850 vs Sony A7R III Comparison Overview

Here we are comparing two cameras with different body types: Nikon D850 is a Semi-Pro DSLR camera with a 46.0MP Full frame sensor whereas Sony A7R III is a Pro Mirrorless camera with a 42.0MP Full frame sensor.
Despite some fundamental differences of these two body types, Mirrorless cameras are becoming serious altenatives to DSLR cameras thanks to their size/weight advantages and recent improvements in their focus speeds , which makes this comparison even more interesting. Fortunately, you can't go wrong with any of these cameras as we rank them amongst Top 10 cameras in their classes. Nikon D850 is ranked #1 out of 89 Semi-Pro DSLR cameras with an overall score of 97 whereas Sony A7R III is ranked #2 out of 30 Pro Mirrorless cameras with an overall score of 99.

Let's have a brief look at the main features of Nikon D850 and Sony A7R III before getting into our more detailed comparison.

Nikon D850 Key Specs

  • Announcement Date: 2017-08-24
  • 46MP - Full frame BSI-CMOS Sensor
  • No Anti-aliasing (AA) filter
  • ISO 64 - 25600 ( expands to 32-102400)
  • Nikon F Mount
  • 3.2 Tilting Screen
  • Optical (pentaprism) viewfinder
  • 7.0 fps continuous shooting
  • 9 fps with MB-D18 battery grip
  • 3840 x 2160 video resolution
  • Built-in Wireless
  • 1015g. 146 x 124 x 79 mm
  • Weather Sealed Body
  • Replaced Nikon D810 Compare

Sony A7R III Key Specs

  • Announcement Date: 2017-10-25
  • 42MP - Full frame BSI-CMOS Sensor
  • No Anti-aliasing (AA) filter
  • ISO 100 - 32000 ( expands to 50-102400)
  • Sony E Mount
  • Sensor-shift Image Stabilization
  • 3″ Tilting Screen
  • 3686k dot Electronic viewfinder
  • 10.0 fps continuous shooting
  • 3840 x 2160 video resolution
  • Built-in Wireless
  • 657g. 127 x 96 x 74 mm
  • Weather Sealed Body
  • Replaced Sony Alpha 7R II Compare
Reasons to choose Nikon D850 over Sony Alpha A7R III
Max Sensor Resolution 46 MP vs 42 MP 9% more pixels
LCD Screen Size 3.2 vs 3″ 0.2 inches larger display
LCD Screen Resolution 2.359k dots vs 1.440k dots 63% higher resolution screen
Battery Life 1840 shots vs 650 shots 1190 more frames with a single charge
Timelapse Recording Yes vs With optional app creative shooting
Color Depth 26.4 vs 26.0 higher color depth
Dynamic Range 14.8 vs 14.7 higher dynamic range
Top LCD Yes vs No Help viewing and changing settings easily
Focus Bracketing Yes vs No Take multiple photos shifting focus point
Illuminated Buttons Yes vs No Find the buttons easily in dark
8K Timelapse mode Yes vs No Create 8K resolution timelapse videos
Autofocus at f/8 aperture 15 point vs 0 point Autofocus with teleconverters
Reasons to choose Sony Alpha A7R III over Nikon D850
Built-in Image Stabilization Sensor-shift vs None All the lenses are stabilized
Max ISO 32.000 vs 25.600 25% higher Max ISO
Number of Focus Points 425 vs 153 272 more focus points
Continuous Shooting 10.0fps vs 7.0fps 3 fps faster
Weight 657 g vs 1015 g 358 g lighter
Low Light ISO 3523 vs 2660 better High ISO performance
Sensor Pixel Area 20.43µm2 vs 18.88µm2 8% larger pixel area
Price $3,198 vs $3,297 $99 cheaper
Common Strengths of Nikon D850 and Sony Alpha A7R III
Wireless Connection Yes vs Yes Better connectivity
Bluetooth Connection Yes vs Yes Connect to other devices via Bluetooth
Articulating Screen Yes vs Yes Flexible shooting positions
External Flash Shoe Yes vs Yes Better for flash photography
Touch Screen Yes vs Yes Easy control of camera functions
Viewfinder Yes (Optical) vs Yes (Electronic) Better framing and control
RAW Support Yes vs Yes Better image quality
Face Detection Focus Yes vs Yes very handy for portraits
Max Resolution 46 MP vs 42 MP Bigger prints and more details
Microphone Port Yes vs Yes High quality audio recording option
Headphone Port Yes vs Yes better video control
Environmental Sealing Yes vs Yes shoot at tough conditions
AE Bracketing Yes vs Yes Useful for tough lighting conditions and HDR
Flash Sync Port Yes vs Yes Connect off-camera flash
NFC Connection Yes vs Yes Easy wireless connectivity with compatible devices
Storage Slot 2 vs 2 Extra Storage Slot
Smartphone Remote Control Yes vs Yes Remote control your camera with a smartphone
Support for UHS Memory Cards UHS-II vs UHS-II Read/Write in Ultra High Speeds
Common Weaknesses of Nikon D850 and Sony Alpha A7R III
Built-in Flash No vs No Require external flash
Nikon D850 vs Sony A7R III: Physical Specs Comparison

Below you can see the front view size comparison of Nikon D850 and Sony A7R III. Sony A7R III is clearly the smaller of the two cameras. Its body is 19mm narrower, 28mm shorter and 5mm thinner than Nikon D850.

Nikon D850 vs Sony A7R III Camera Size Comparison - Front View
Now lets look at the top view comparison of Nikon D850 and Sony A7R III.
Nikon D850 vs Sony A7R III Camera Size Comparison - Top View

Nikon D850 vs Sony A7R III Detailed Size Comparison

Weight is another important factor especially when deciding on a camera that you want to carry with you all day. Sony A7R III is significantly lighter (358g ) than the Nikon D850 which may become a big advantage especially on long walking trips.

Also keep in mind that body weight is not the only deciding factor when comparing two interchangeable camera bodies, you have to also take into account the lenses that you will be using with these bodies. Since both Nikon D850 and Sony A7R III have the same Full frame sized sensor, their lenses for a similar focal length and aperture will be similar in size and weight.

Weight Comparison

Mirrorless Cameras

D850
A7R III
Min
Average
Max
Thickness Comparison

Mirrorless Cameras

D850
A7R III
Min
Average
Max
Nikon D850 vs Sony A7R III: Sensor Comparison

Nikon D850 has a 46.0MP Full frame (35.9 x 23.9 mm ) sized BSI-CMOS sensor and features Expeed 5 processor. On the other hand, Sony A7R III has a 42.0MP Full frame (35.9 x 24 mm ) sized BSI-CMOS sensor and features Bionz X processor.

Another similarity between these two cameras is that both Sony A7R III and Nikon D850 sensors lack anti-alias (Low-Pass) filters. Removing anti-alias filter increases the sharpness and level of detail but at the same time, it increases the chance of moire occurring in certain scenes.

Below you can see the D850 and A7R III sensor size comparison.

Nikon D850 vs Sony A7R III Sensor Size Comparison


Nikon D850 and Sony A7R III have almost the same sensor size so none of them has any significant advantage over other in providing control over depth of field when used with same focal length and aperture.

What types of Photography are Nikon D850 and Sony A7R III Good for?
In this section, we rank and compare Nikon D850 and Sony A7R III for five different photography types in order to make your decision process easier in case you are specifically interested in one or more of these areas.

Nikon D850 for Portrait Photography

EXCELLENT

Sony A7R III for Portrait Photography

EXCELLENT
Large Full frame (35.9 x 23.9 mm) sensor
Very High Resolution Sensor: 46.0MP
Optical Built-in Viewfinder
Good Ergonomics&Handling
No Image Stabilization
Read the details
Large Full frame (35.9 x 24 mm) sensor
Very High Resolution Sensor: 42.0MP
Image Stabilization
Electronic Built-in Viewfinder
Good Ergonomics&Handling
Read the details

Nikon D850 for Street Photography

GOOD

Sony A7R III for Street Photography

EXCELLENT
Large Full frame (35.9 x 23.9 mm) sensor
Optical Built-in Viewfinder
Live-view
Face-Detection Focusing
Tilting LCD Screen
No Image Stabilization
Large Body
Read the details
Large Full frame (35.9 x 24 mm) sensor
Image Stabilization
Electronic Built-in Viewfinder
Live-view
Face-Detection Focusing
Tilting LCD Screen
Medium sized Body
Read the details

Nikon D850 for Sports Photography

EXCELLENT

Sony A7R III for Sports Photography

EXCELLENT
Optical Built-in Viewfinder
Good Ergonomics&Handling
Fast Continuous Shooting: 7.0fps
Environmental Sealings
Fast Max shutter speed: 1/8000s
99 Cross Type Focus sensors
153 Focus Points
Good Battery Life: 1840 shots
Good Low Light ISO
Wireless Connection
No Image Stabilization
Read the details
Image Stabilization
Electronic Built-in Viewfinder
Good Ergonomics&Handling
Fast Continuous Shooting: 10.0fps
Environmental Sealings
Fast Max shutter speed: 1/8000s
425 Focus Points
Good Battery Life: 650 shots
Good Low Light ISO
Wireless Connection
Read the details

Nikon D850 for Daily Photography

GOOD

Sony A7R III for Daily Photography

EXCELLENT
Large Full frame (35.9 x 23.9 mm) sensor
Environmental Sealings
Large Body
1015g
Body Thickness 79mm
Read the details
Large Full frame (35.9 x 24 mm) sensor
Environmental Sealings
Medium size Body
657g
Body Thickness 74mm
Read the details

Nikon D850 for Landscape Photography

EXCELLENT

Sony A7R III for Landscape Photography

EXCELLENT
Large Full frame (35.9 x 23.9 mm) sensor
Very High Resolution Sensor: 46.0MP
Environmental Sealings
Live-view
Read the details
Large Full frame (35.9 x 24 mm) sensor
Very High Resolution Sensor: 42.0MP
Environmental Sealings
Live-view
Read the details


Sony A7R III vs Nikon D850 Comparison of Available Lenses
Which camera has more lenses?

Number of available lenses is a big decision factor while choosing your interchangeable lens camera. When we look at the available lenses for these two cameras, we see that Nikon D850 has an advantage over Sony A7R III. There are 286 lenses for Nikon D850's Nikon F mount, on the other hand there are only 83 lenses for Sony A7R III's Sony E lens mount.

Another important factor is the availability of image stabilization. Sony A7R III has a big advantage in this regard because it has a sensor based image stabilization which means that all the lenses mounted to this body will be stabilized. On the other hand, Nikon D850 doesn't have this feature so you have to buy a lens with optical stabilization feature. Currently there are 88 lenses for Nikon F mount with Optical Image Stabilization features.

Lens Type # of Nikon D850 Lenses # of Sony A7R III Lenses
Standard Zoom 33 9 (7 Full Frame)
Standard Prime 18 13 (5 Full Frame)
Wideangle Zoom 30 4 (3 Full Frame)
Wideangle Prime 45 27 (14 Full Frame)
Telephoto Zoom 49 6 (5 Full Frame)
Telephoto Prime 40 10 (7 Full Frame)
SuperZoom 30 8 (1 Full Frame)
Wideangle Fisheye Prime 8 1 (0 Full Frame)
Macro Prime 22 4 (3 Full Frame)
Perspective Control Prime 10 1 (1 Full Frame)
Telephoto Mirror Prime 1 n/a
TOTAL 286 83 (46 Full Frame)
Nikon D850 vs Sony A7R III: OUR DECISION

You may have already made your decision about which camera suits better for your needs and your budget so far but in case you wonder how we rated Nikon D850 and Sony A7R III, below you can find their scores in five different aspects. Our Decision Algorithm dynamically scores cameras using 63 different specs, current price and DxO Mark scores (where possible) in order to make a more objective and consistent comparison.

Here is a summary of how Nikon D850 and Sony A7R III scores compare:

Nikon D850
Imaging
Features
Value
Portability
Overall
Ranked #2 out of 92 in Mid-size SLR cameras
Ranked #3 out of 1131 in all Cameras
Sony A7R III
Imaging
Features
Value
Portability
Overall
Ranked #1 out of 49 in SLR-style mirrorless cameras
Ranked #2 out of 1131 in all Cameras

Sony A7R III scores higher than the Nikon D850 thanks to its better general imaging quality, compact size and higher value for the money. On the other hand, Nikon D850 has some extra features which may become a game changer if you have some specific requirements.
We recommend you to read our detailed Pro's and Con's section and see if any Pro of Nikon D850 is a must-have for you. If not, choose the Sony A7R III.

Nikon D850
Nikon D850
$3,296.95

Sony A7R III
Sony A7R III
$3,198.00

Sony A7R III vs Nikon D850 Specs Table
Detailed comparison of specifications
General Nikon D850 Sony Alpha A7R III
Brand Nikon Sony
Announced 2017-08-24 2017-10-25
Body Type Mid-size SLR SLR-style mirrorless
Price $3,296.95 $3,198.00
Sensor
Type BSI-CMOS BSI-CMOS
Size Full frame Full frame
Dimensions 35.9 x 23.9 mm 35.9 x 24 mm
Area 858.01mm2 861.60mm2
Megapixels 46 megapixels 42 megapixels
Max Resolution 8256 x 5504 7952 x 5304
Max Native Light sensitivity 25,600 ISO 32,000 ISO
Max Boosted Light Sensitivity 102400 ISO 102400 ISO
Min Native Light sensitivity 64 ISO 100 ISO
Min Boosted Light Sensitivity 32 ISO 50 ISO
RAW Support
Autofocus
AF Touch
AF Continuous
AF Single
AF Tracking
AF Selective
AF Center
AF Multi Area
AF Live View
AF Face Detection
AF Contrast Detection
AF Phase Detection
Number of Focus Points 153 425
Lens
Manual Focus
Lens Mount Nikon F Sony E
Number of Available Lenses 286 83
Screen
Type Tilting Tilting
Size 3.2 3″
Resolution 2,359k dots 1,440k dots
Touch Screen
Viewfinder
Viewfinder Optical (pentaprism) Electronic
Viewfinder Resolution no electronic viewfinder 3,686k dots
Viewfinder Coverage 100% 100%
Viewfinder Magnification 0.75 0.78
Photography Features
Max Shutter Speed 1/8000s 1/8000s
Shutter Priority
Aperture Priority
Manual Exposure Mode
Custom White Balance
Image Stabilization No Sensor-shift
Built-in Flash
External Flash
Continuous Shooting 7.0 fps 10.0 fps
Multi-Segment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF-Area
Center Weighted
AE Bracketing
WB Bracketing
Video Features
Max Video Resolution 3840 x 2160 3840 x 2160
Video Formats MPEG-4 MPEG-4, AVCHD, XAVC S
Microphone Port
Headphone Port
Connectivity
Wireless Connectivity Built-In Built-In
HDMI
Physical
Environmental Sealing
Weight 1015g 657g
Dimensions 146 x 124 x 79mm 127 x 96 x 74mm
Battery Life 1840 shots 650 shots
Other Features
Timelapse Recording With Downloadable App
GPS None None
DxO Sensor Scores
DxO Overall Score 100 100
DxO Color Depth 26.4 26.0
DxO Dynamic Range 14.8 14.7
DxO Low Light ISO 2660 3523
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