OK so the D850 is closest to X1D with AF Nikon Lenses? Thank you. I appreciate all suggestions
First define closest. I don’t know what quality of the X1D you are valuing, and in fact why the X1D is the “gold standard” by which you are building your comparison on. Nice camera, but lots of cameras deliver terrific results, it’s more about the person using the camera.
Second, from this statement you are reaching a conclusion and opinion based on a single reply by a person who is a d850 owner, and quite biased one at that ... and I”m not criticizing Doug for his very open bias, nothing wrong with it, we all have bias towards our choices. But how can any one who hasn’t shot shot extensively with other options (especially an X1D) such as Canon or more importantly Sony how can they offer any legitimate opinion to answer your question?
I’ll be honest, I can’t tell you what’s “closest”, and I would never make a statement implying such because I have no clue what an X1D offers. I will tell you that I can get results I’m happy with using Sony and the a7r4 is a pretty amazing piece of hardware, and the limit of my comparative expertise would be Sony, Fuji, and Phase One. If you can get opinions from those who own an X1D as well as other options, such as d850, a7r4, etc, then you might have some useful opinions.
And what really puzzles me is why you are asking for a friend. Seems your friend should be doing the research on this.