Nikon D780 Review - Hands On

When everyone begins to think Nikon has forgotten its DSLR camera market, Nikon surprisingly unveiled its Nikon D780 - the newest DSLR camera. It's been several years since the last Nikon D750 was launched. Can Nikon D780 successfully refresh the DSLR market? What are the updated features of Nikon D780?

Nikon D780 is the first DSLR Camera that Nikon launched after mirrorless camera Z6, Z7 and Z50. Benefit from the new mirrorless technology, D780 is the first Nikon's DSLR camera that takes a number of features from Nikon's mirrorless camera Z6. The video quality is impressively improved and the autofocus function for both movies and Live View has a huge step-up. We are gonna go over all of the new features on the Nikon D780 and along the way, we'll be making comparisons to the D750 and the Z6.

Camera specs:

Sensor: 24.5 Megapixel full-frame CMOS

Processor: Expeed 6

Optical focusing system: 51 autofocus points (15 of which are cross-shaped autofocus points)

 Screen focusing system: 273 autofocus points (contrast-detection + phase detection autofocus)

 ISO Range: 100-51200(expandable to 50-204800)

Shutter speed: 1 / 8000-30s (expandable to 900 seconds in M mode)

Flash Sync Speed: 1200s

Mechanical Shutter Speed: 7 frames per second

Electronic Shutter Speed: 12 frames per second

Screen: 3.2 inches, 2.359 million dot-screen TFT LCD touch screen

Viewfinder: Optical Viewfinder, 0.70x magnification, 100% coverage

Video: 4K/30p、Full HD/120p 

 Storage: DUAL SD card slots, SDHC, SDXC (support UHS-II)

 Battery: EN-EL15B (maximum 2,260 sheets)

Camera Size: 143.5115.576 mm

Body Weight: 840G (including battery and Memory Card)

Nikon D780 VS D750 Specs:

(video credit: DSLR VS)

Design & Build Quality

Very few changes can be found at the rear of the Nikon D780. The button layout is the same with a line of five buttons arranged down the left of the screen.

The most noticeable difference from the D750 is that the switch for selecting stills or video mode has moved from below the navigation pad on the D750 to the right of the viewfinder.

The Nikon D780 is a solid design full-frame camera with good ergonomics that fits well in the hand and it has a nice comfortable and good size grip. It is a dust and weather-sealed camera with a magnesium alloy body. This makes D780 just as tough as the D750.

Another difference is that the built-in flash from the d750 is removed. So there is no built-in flash in the Nikon D780.

Viewfinder and Screen

It inherits the same 0.7x optical viewfinder from the D750 that offers 100% coverage and the screen remains the same size (3.2in) and is the tilting type. It’s good to see touchscreen functionality added, which the D750 lacked, and the resolution of the screen has also increased from 1.229k-dots to 2.360k-dots. Unlike the D750, the Nikon D780 features a handy touchscreen for you to scroll through the menus.

D780's tilting touchscreen LCD makes the low angles and high angles shooting much easier.

Dual SD card Slots

Dual SD card slots feature at the side of the Nikon D780 which is an improvement over the dual UHS-1.

Image Quality&Shooting Features

ISO:

In terms of stills shooting performance, the Nikon D780 offers an updated, more expansive ISO range, with a native range of ISO 100 up to ISO 51,200, whereas the D750 topped-out at a native high ISO of just 12,800. The D780 offers further sensitivity expansion down to a low ISO of 50 and all the way up to ISO 204,800 for extreme low-light shooting such as surveillance.

Autofocus:

The detection precision of the automatic region and autofocus is greatly improved. In single-point autofocus, the Nikon D780 can have 51 autofocus points.

That sensor is now outfitted with the 273-point on-chip phase-detection autofocus from the Nikon Z6, making the D780 Nikon’s first DSLR with live-view autofocus that won’t be a disappointment. The 51-point viewfinder system has also been enhanced with the focus.

Video:

The video aspect of the Nikon D780 has been impressively enhanced! Support for 4K UHD / 30p, FHD / 120p...

It also supports in-camera time-lapse recording, full-frame 4k UHD and HDR (HLG) video with electronic hand-shock protection and full-pixel readout.

Battery

Battery life is a particular strength here. Nikon D780 uses the same "EN-EL15B" battery. The D780(without built-in Flash) can take about 2,260 photos with a single charge, while the previous D750(with a built-in flash) can take about 1,230 photos

Size:

The D780 is about 143.5X115.6X76 MM. It weighs about 840g (including battery and SD card) and about 755g (camera only). The D750 is about 140.5x 113x 78mm, about 840G / about 750g.

The Nikon D780 is slightly larger than Nikon Z50.

Size Comparison: Nikon Z6 VS Nikon D780

Price:

The official suggested retail price for Nikon D780 is  £2,199 (approx $2,890) with the camera body. $1,989.00 camera only.

You can also buy it in a kit with the AF-S 24-120 f/4G ED VR lens for £2,619 (approx $3,442).

Check Amazon

Final thoughts:

Why choose Nikon D780 over Z6? For those who prefer the general handling of DSLR, the optical viewfinder, the dual card slots, and massive battery life, Nikon D780 can be a better choice. For Nikon users who’ve invested heavily in F-mount lenses, aren’t ready to switch to a mirrorless camera, but need a new, reliable video-capable camera, the Nikon D780 should fit nicely. 

(video credit: digiDrect)

D780 Sample Images:

MORE SAMPLE IMAGES...