Sony a7 IV vs Nikon D850

This is a full comparison between the cameras Sony a7 IV and Nikon D850. We compare them by looking at the categories you see below.

Sony a7 IV

Nikon D850

Manufacturing

Sony a7 IV is manufacturered by Sony but Nikon D850 is from Nikon. Both Sony and Nikon are well known brands though.

Sony a7 IV were released 2021 and Nikon D850 was released 2017. That is a 4 years difference. In tech, this period can be of interest since technology is always improving, etc.

Camera	Released
Sony a7 IV	2021
Nikon D850	2017

Type of camera

Sony a7 IV is a Mirrorless camera while Nikon D850 is a DSLR camera. More information about their differences will come soon.

Sensors / crop factor

Even though the camera sensors might be called differently they are both considered Full frame which means that the focal length of the lenses is not affected. There is no crop factor on any of these cameras and sensors.

Camera	Focal length, 50mm f/1.8 **
Sony a7 IV	50 mm Full-frame sensor No crop factor/focal length multiplier
Nikon D850	50 mm Full-frame sensor No crop factor/focal length multiplier

** Experienced focal length when using a lens such as a common "50mm f/1.8"

Learn more about crop factor and focal length multiplier here:
Camera selection can affect the focal length (Sony)
Camera selection can affect the focal length (Nikon)

Resolution

Sony a7 IV has a 33 MP (Megapixels) resolution while Nikon D850 has 46 MP. If we break down this in more detail this is the data behind the numbers:

Camera	Megapixels
Sony a7 IV	33 MP 32741376 pixels 7008 x 4672
Nikon D850	46 MP 45441024 pixels 8256 x 5504

Nikon D850 has a 39 % larger resolution than Sony a7 IV. This could give you more details in the picture but also a possibility to crop more in the pictures, afterward while editing the pictures, if needed that is.

ISO range

Sony a7 IV has a larger ISO-range than Nikon D850. Sony a7 IV has an ISO range that stretches from 100 to 51200 while Nikon D850 has 64 to 25600.

Camera	ISO Range
Sony a7 IV	100-51200
Nikon D850	64-25600

Autofocus and lens compatibility

Both of these cameras have a built-in autofocus motor. Some lenses, that support autofocus, do not have an autofocus motor of their own but this won't cause any problems with these two cameras.

Here is a complete overview of which lenses work with each camera:
Lens compatibility chart for Sony a7 IV
Lens compatibility chart for Nikon D850

Pictures per second

Depending on what you are shooting the FPS, or frames/pictures per second, can definitely be of interest. Sony a7 IV can shoot up to 10 pictures per seconds and Nikon D850 can shoot up to 9 pictures per seconds.

Camera	FPS (Frames per second)
Sony a7 IV	10
Nikon D850	9

Ability to record movies

It is becoming more and more popular to record movies with digital cameras.

In this case, both Sony a7 IV and Nikon D850 can shoot movies.

Weight

The weight of the camera can be an extremely important factor, especially if the camera is about to be used, or carried around, for several hours at a time.

Nikon D850 weighs 1005 gr (equal to 2.22 lb) which is 53% heavier than Sony a7 IV and its 659 gr (or 1.45 lb).

Camera	Weight
Sony a7 IV	659 gr 1.45 lb
Nikon D850	1005 gr 2.22 lb