Nikon Z7 vs Nikon D810A

Camera to replace

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Nikon Z7

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

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Nikon D810A

36 MP | Full frame (35.9 x 24 mm) CMOS Sensor

Nikon Z7 vs Nikon D810A Comparison Overview

Here we are comparing two Nikon cameras cameras with different body types: Nikon Z7, which was introduced in August 2018 is a Pro Mirrorless camera with a 46.0MP Full frame sensor whereas Nikon D810A, which was introduced in February 2015 is a Semi-Pro DSLR camera with a 36.0MP Full frame sensor.

Despite some fundamental differences of these two body types, Mirrorless cameras are becoming serious alternatives 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 Z7 is ranked #3 out of 39 Pro Mirrorless cameras with an overall score of 98 whereas Nikon D810A is ranked #8 out of 90 Semi-Pro DSLR cameras with an overall score of 86.

Let's have a brief look at the main features of Nikon Z7 and Nikon D810A before getting into our more detailed comparison.

Nikon Z7 Key Specs

Announcement Date: 2018-08-23

46MP - Full frame BSI-CMOS Sensor

ISO 64 - 25600

Nikon Z Mount

Sensor-shift Image Stabilization

3.2 Tilting Screen

3690k dot Electronic viewfinder

9.0 fps continuous shooting

3840 x 2160 video resolution

Built-in Wireless

675g. 134 x 101 x 68 mm

Weather Sealed Body

Nikon D810A Key Specs

Announcement Date: 2015-02-10

36MP - Full frame CMOS Sensor

ISO 200 - 12800 ( expands to 100-51200)

Nikon F Mount

3.2″ Fixed Type Screen

Optical (pentaprism) viewfinder

5.0 fps continuous shooting

1920 x 1080 video resolution

880g. 146 x 123 x 82 mm

Weather Sealed Body

Reasons to choose Nikon Z7 over Nikon D810A

Wireless Connection	Built-In vs Optional	Better connectivity
Built-in Image Stabilization	Sensor-shift vs None	All the lenses are stabilized
Articulating Screen	Yes vs No	Flexible shooting positions
Touch Screen	Yes vs No	Easy control of camera functions
Max Sensor Resolution	46 MP vs 36 MP	27% more pixels
Max ISO	25.600 vs 12.800	100% higher Max ISO
Number of Focus Points	493 vs 51	442 more focus points
LCD Screen Resolution	2.100k dots vs 1.229k dots	70% higher resolution screen
Continuous Shooting	9.0fps vs 5.0fps	4 fps faster
Weight	675 g vs 880 g	205 g lighter
Max Video Resolution	3840 x 2160 vs 1920 x 1080	Higher Resolution Video
Bluetooth	Yes vs No	Connect your camera to other devices via Blueetooth
Smartphone_remote control	Yes vs No	Remote control your camera with a smartphone

Reasons to choose Nikon D810A over Nikon Z7

Built-in Flash	Yes vs No	Useful in low-light
Battery Life	1200 shots vs 330 shots	870 more frames with a single charge
Sensor Pixel Area	23.83µm² vs 18.88µm²	26% larger pixel area
Flash Sync Port	Yes vs No	Connect off-camera flash
Storage Slot	2 vs 1	Extra storage slot
Autofocus at f/8 aperture	Center point vs none	Autofocus with teleconverters
Support for UHS Memory Cards	UHS-I vs none	Read/Write in Ultra High Speeds

Common Strengths of Nikon Z7 and Nikon D810A

External Flash Shoe	Yes vs Yes	Better for flash photography
Viewfinder	Yes (Electronic) vs Yes (Optical)	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 36 MP	Bigger prints and more details
LCD Screen Size	3.2 vs 3.2″	Large display
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
Timelapse Recording	Yes vs Yes	creative shooting
Top LCD Display	Yes vs Yes	Help viewing and changing settings easily
AE Bracketing	Yes vs Yes	Useful for tough lighting conditions and HDR

Common Weaknesses of Nikon Z7 and Nikon D810A

Nikon Z7 vs Nikon D810A: Physical Specs Comparison

Below you can see the front view size comparison of Nikon Z7 and Nikon D810A. Nikon Z7 is clearly the smaller of the two cameras. Its body is 12mm narrower, 22mm shorter and 14mm thinner than Nikon D810A.

Now lets look at the top view comparison of Nikon Z7 and Nikon D810A.

Nikon Z7 vs Nikon D810A Detailed Size Comparison

Weight is another important factor especially when deciding on a camera that you want to carry with you all day. Nikon Z7 is significantly lighter (205g ) than the Nikon D810A 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 Z7 and Nikon D810A 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

DSLR Cameras

D810A

Min

Average

Max

Thickness Comparison

DSLR Cameras

D810A

Min

Average

Max

Nikon Z7 vs Nikon D810A: Sensor Comparison

Nikon Z7 has a 46.0MP Full frame (35.9 x 23.9 mm ) sized BSI-CMOS sensor and features Expeed 6 processor. On the other hand, Nikon D810A has a 36.0MP Full frame (35.9 x 24 mm ) sized CMOS sensor and features EXPEED 4 processor.

Nikon Z7's sensor provides 10MP more than Nikon D810A's sensor, which gives a significant advantage in real life. You can print your images larger or crop more freely. On the other hand, please keep in mind that Max sensor resolution is not the only determinant of resolving power. Factors such as the optical elements, low pass filter, pixel size and sensor technology also affects the final resolution of the captured image.

Below you can see the Z7 and D810A sensor size comparison.

Nikon Z7 and Nikon D810A 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 Z7 and Nikon D810A Good for?

In this section, we rank and compare Nikon Z7 and Nikon D810A 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 Z7 for Portrait Photography

EXCELLENT

Nikon D810A for Portrait Photography

EXCELLENT

Large Full frame (35.9 x 23.9 mm) sensor
Very High Resolution Sensor: 46.0MP
Image Stabilization
Electronic Built-in Viewfinder
Good Ergonomics&Handling
Read the details

Large Full frame (35.9 x 24 mm) sensor
Very High Resolution Sensor: 36.0MP
Optical Built-in Viewfinder
Good Ergonomics&Handling
No Image Stabilization
Read the details

Nikon Z7 for Street Photography

EXCELLENT

Nikon D810A for Street Photography

GOOD

Large Full frame (35.9 x 23.9 mm) sensor
Image Stabilization
Electronic Built-in Viewfinder
Live-view
Face-Detection Focusing
Tilting LCD Screen
Medium sized Body
Read the details

Large Full frame (35.9 x 24 mm) sensor
Optical Built-in Viewfinder
Live-view
Face-Detection Focusing
No Image Stabilization
Large Body
Read the details

Nikon Z7 for Sports Photography

GOOD

Nikon D810A for Sports Photography

EXCELLENT

Image Stabilization
Electronic Built-in Viewfinder
Good Ergonomics&Handling
Fast Continuous Shooting: 9.0fps
Environmental Sealings
Fast Max shutter speed: 1/8000s
493 Focus Points
Good Low Light ISO
Wireless Connection
Read the details

Optical Built-in Viewfinder
Good Ergonomics&Handling
Environmental Sealings
Fast Max shutter speed: 1/8000s
15 Cross Type Focus sensors
51 Focus Points
Good Battery Life: 1200 shots
Good Low Light ISO
Average Continuous Shooting: 5.0fps
No Image Stabilization
Read the details

Nikon Z7 for Daily Photography

EXCELLENT

Nikon D810A for Daily Photography

GOOD

Large Full frame (35.9 x 23.9 mm) sensor
Environmental Sealings
Medium size Body
675g
Body Thickness 68mm
Read the details

Large Full frame (35.9 x 24 mm) sensor
Environmental Sealings
Large Body
880g
Body Thickness 82mm
Read the details

Nikon Z7 for Landscape Photography

EXCELLENT

Nikon D810A for Landscape Photography

GOOD

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: 36.0MP
Environmental Sealings
Live-view
Read the details

Nikon D810A vs Nikon Z7 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 D810A has an advantage over Nikon Z7 There are 302 lenses for Nikon D810A's Nikon F mount, on the other hand there are only 5 lenses for Nikon Z7's Nikon Z lens mount.

Another important factor is the availability of image stabilization. Nikon Z7 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 D810A 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 Z7 Lenses	# of Nikon D810A Lenses
Standard Zoom	2 (2 Full Frame)	33 (17 Full Frame)
Standard Prime	1 (1 Full Frame)	20 (17 Full Frame)
Wideangle Zoom	1 (1 Full Frame)	32 (16 Full Frame)
Wideangle Prime	1 (1 Full Frame)	46 (44 Full Frame)
Telephoto Zoom	n/a	51 (41 Full Frame)
Telephoto Prime	n/a	42 (41 Full Frame)
SuperZoom	n/a	30 (6 Full Frame)
Wideangle Fisheye Prime	n/a	8 (3 Full Frame)
Macro Prime	n/a	25 (22 Full Frame)
Perspective Control Prime	n/a	11 (11 Full Frame)
Telephoto Mirror Prime	n/a	1 (0 Full Frame)
TOTAL	5 (5 Full Frame)	302 (218 Full Frame)

Nikon Z7 vs Nikon D810A: 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 Z7 and Nikon D810A, 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 Z7 and Nikon D810A scores compare:

Nikon Z7

Imaging

Features

Value

Portability

Overall

Ranked #1 out of 64 in SLR-style mirrorless cameras
Ranked #3 out of 1175 in all Cameras

Nikon D810A

Imaging

Features

Value

Portability

Overall

Ranked #8 out of 93 in Mid-size SLR cameras
Ranked #21 out of 1175 in all Cameras

Nikon Z7 is the clear winner of this comparison. It has a higher Overall Score and beats Nikon D810A in all criterias. It has better general image quality, more features, more compact body and offers more value for the money

Nikon Z7

Nikon D810A

Nikon D810A vs Nikon Z7 Specs Table

Detailed comparison of specifications

General	Nikon Z7	Nikon D810A
Brand	Nikon	Nikon
Announced	2018-08-23	2015-02-10
Body Type	SLR-style mirrorless	Mid-size SLR
Sensor
Type	BSI-CMOS	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	36 megapixels
Max Resolution	8256 x 5504	7360 x 4912
Max Native Light sensitivity	25,600 ISO	12,800 ISO
Max Boosted Light Sensitivity	102400 ISO	51200 ISO
Min Native Light sensitivity	64 ISO	200 ISO
Min Boosted Light Sensitivity	32 ISO	100 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	493	51
Lens
Manual Focus
Lens Mount	Nikon Z	Nikon F
Number of Available Lenses	5	302
Screen
Type	Tilting	Fixed type
Size	3.2	3.2″
Resolution	2,100k dots	1,229k dots
Touch Screen
Viewfinder
Viewfinder	Electronic	Optical (pentaprism)
Viewfinder Resolution	3,690k dots	no electronic viewfinder
Viewfinder Coverage	100%	100%
Viewfinder Magnification	0.8	0.7
Photography Features
Max Shutter Speed	1/8000s	1/8000s
Shutter Priority
Aperture Priority
Manual Exposure Mode
Custom White Balance
Image Stabilization	Sensor-shift	No
Built-in Flash
Flash Range	no built-in flash	12.00 m (at ISO 100)
External Flash
Continuous Shooting	9.0 fps	5.0 fps
Multi-Segment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF-Area
Center Weighted
AE Bracketing
WB Bracketing
Video Features
Max Video Resolution	3840 x 2160	1920 x 1080
Video Formats	MPEG-4, H.264	MPEG-4, H.264
Microphone Port
Headphone Port
Connectivity
Wireless Connectivity	Built-In	Optional
HDMI
Physical
Environmental Sealing
Weight	675g	880g
Dimensions	134 x 101 x 68mm	146 x 123 x 82mm
Battery Life	330 shots	1200 shots
Other Features
Timelapse Recording
GPS	None	Optional
DxO Sensor Scores
DxO Overall Score	99	not tested
DxO Color Depth	26.3	not tested
DxO Dynamic Range	14.6	not tested
DxO Low Light ISO	2668	not tested
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