Nikon D6 - Professional Level

The obvious camera for sports photographers, wildlife photography, and those that work in extremes of weather or extremes of safety, such as press reportage photography. For these people the size of the camera will be a potential benefit, giving re-assurance and potentially protection. The added battery life will be of particular appeal, as well as the impressive low-light performance of the 20mp sensor.

Overall, the Nikon D6 is the flagship DSLR for Nikon professionals, and its size, speed, battery life and toughness will be ideal for Nikon users.

Pros: Class-leading battery life, Excellent noise performance, Great colour reproduction and options, Extremely solid camera body, High-speed shooting, In-camera raw editing

Cons: Weight and size limit appeal for general use, Doesn't offer the fastest continuous shooting speeds, Videographers will most likely want something else, Slow live-view focus

Canon EOS-1D X Mark III - Professional Level 

The 20 megapixel Canon EOS-1D X Mark II is a monster of a Sports camera and offers high-speed continuous shooting, 14fps with AE/AF or 16fps when shooting in live view (with the mirror up), making it the fastest full-frame Digital SLR available. Dual Pixel AF ensures fast focusing, and the ISO range has been improved from ISO50 to ISO409600. There's a 3.2inch 1.62m dot touch-screen on the back, 4K (CINE) 60fps video recording, built-in GPS, USB3, and 1210 shot battery life.

The Canon EOS-1D X Mark III is designed to meet the professional sports photographers' every need, and for professional sports photographers who have the budget, this camera delivers excellent results.

Pros: Excellent image quality, Impressive noise performance, Rapid focus system, Fast 16/20fps continuous shooting speeds, Excellent battery life, Built-in raw image processing

Cons: Size and weight, Lack of in-body image stabilisation may be a disadvantage for video

Nikon D780 - Pro/Enthusiast Level

The Nikon D780 will feel like "an old friend", with excellent handling and ergonomics, along with the latest technology and advances borrowed from the Nikon Z mirrorless range. This gives you the ability to benefit from eye-detection focus, a wider focus area, as well as faster continuous shooting at 12fps, using the electronic shutter. There are other benefits to be found, including focus shift shooting, which also uses the electronic shutter.

The Nikon D780 copes with almost everything you throw at it and produces excellent results. If you're in the market for a full-frame Digital SLR that's not quite as expensive as some others on the market, then the Nikon D780 should be very high on your list. 

Pros: Excellent noise performance, Excellent image quality, 4K video looks great, Impressive battery life possible, Solid and dependable weather-sealed body, Built-in help system

Cons: OVF focus and metering are not as advanced or accurate as live-view, Leaving Bluetooth transfer on can quickly reduce battery life, Some will miss the lack of built-in flash

Pentax K-1 Mark II - Professional Level

The Pentax K-1 II excels in the same areas that the K-1 did, but offers slightly improved image quality, whilst still being one of the cheapest 36mp cameras available. The K-1 II offers Pixel Shift Resolution and in-camera image stabilisation. Pentax's Pixel Shift Resolution mode gives improved image quality, which will be particularly useful for still life and detailed product shots. With Pentax's 5-axis sensor-based image stabilisation every lens attached to the camera can benefit from image stabilisation, including older lenses, and the camera will also confirm focus with manual focus lenses.

Unique to the Pentax K-1 / II is the illuminated controls, and you'd have to pay much more for this on another DSLR and you also get GPS and Wi-Fi built-in. 

If you're a Pentax fan, then the K-1 Mark II is a very good camera, and if you are looking for a full-frame Pentax camera, then this is the one to get.

Pros: Pixel shift resolution for sharper more detailed images with better colour, Customisable ISO controls, 5-axis IS, weather-sealed, LEDs light up the camera in the dark, DNG or PEF RAW format

Cons: Slower continuous shooting than the competition, AF Fine-tune adjustment may be needed to get the best from your lenses, Auto white balance could be better, USB2 / UHS-I slower than USB3 / UHS-II, Focus is slow in low-light, Shorter battery life than the K-1

Nikon D850 - Professional Level

The Nikon D850 does everything you could ask of a new Digital SLR, whether you want high-resolution images or high-speed shooting, it will do both, without complaining. The camera delivers 45.7mp images and noise performance is excellent but you may have to be prepared to improve your technique or possibly your lens collection, with the best performance possible with prime lenses. Image stabilised lenses are definitely recommended, particularly if you want to record video without a tripod. 

The big question for many will be, do I need it, and can I afford it? If you need it, then the D850 is unlikely to disappoint. However, if you don't need it, it's likely that you will still want it, and the Nikon D850 is a DSLR to aspire to.

Pros: Excellent image quality, Great noise performance, Impressive battery, Variety of white balance options, Improved focus performance 

Cons: Slow live-view focus speed, Remote control app is limited 

Canon EOS 6D Mark II - Pro/Enthusiast Level

The Canon EOS 6D Mark II gives increased resolution compared to the 6D it replaces, with no reduction in noise performance. You also get great colour reproduction, and an easy-to-use menu system and controls. There's also a welcome update to the number of AF points, although the area is very centrally located.

If you already have the lenses and want to upgrade from another Canon DSLR, then the 6D Mark II will make a great full-frame Digital SLR. The Canon EOS 6D Mark II does everything asked of it, delivering great image quality. 

Pros: Dual-axis electronic level, Excellent battery life, Good continuous shooting speed, Good noise performance, Excellent Canon colour, 26mp Full-Frame sensor

Cons: AF points are centrally located, Does not feature a headphone socket, Does not feature 4K video

Canon EOS 5D Mark IV - Pro/Enthusiast Level

The Canon EOS 5D Mark IV is a highly competitive full-frame Digital SLR that, despite its age, still offers brilliant specs and excellent image quality. The Canon EOS 5D Mark IV offers a 30MP sensor, a 61-point autofocus module, a full weather-sealed body, a touch screen display and wifi. 

Pros: 7fps continuous shooting, 30=megapixel FF sensor, Excellent colour and white balance performance, Dual Pixel Raw optimiser that can help with some scenes, 3.2-inch touch-screen, Very good noise performance, Impressive focus speeds

Cons: The screen doesn't tilt, The competition offers a higher resolution