D780

I upgraded to the D780 from the D7500 to move to a full frame sensor for macro and Astro photography. I love the focus shift feature for macro work, it´s a game changer. The interval timer function with the ability to also create a time lapse movie works great for star trails. The low light capability is amazing. I shoot in manual almost exclusively and I can use settings I could never use with the 7500. I´m very pleased with the 780 and would highly recommend it.

Just days before the D780 was announced, I had decided not to move to the Z series, mainly due to my equipment inventory. When I saw the spec sheet of the D780, I made plans to purchase it as soon as it was available. And I have not regretted that decision. The low light performance is great, and image quality is excellent.

I normally shoot RAW, but the JPEG on this camera is excellent. Noise is very well controlled, with ISO 25,600 usable in reasonable lighting. Color reproduction in JPEGs shows typical Nikon color accuracy (incidentally, this is why I went with Nikon years ago). I have just shy of 4,000 images in the three months I´ve had the camera, and I continue to be amazed at how much I can crop an image and still have quality output. In RAW, you can push the image 3-4 stops with little impact to quality.

My other camera is a D7200, and the transition has been very smooth. There are quite a few more features on the D780, but you´ll feel right at home if you are familiar with the Nikon menu system. Video quality is excellent from my limited experience. It´s great to have the option to send the video signal to an external unit.

If you like the feel of a DSLR, this camera will be a great fit. The grip is very comfortable, buttons are in easy reach, and the touch screen is exceptionally responsive. In-camera charging via USB-C is a nice touch, and the wireless transmission of images to a computer or phone is a nice touch.

The included photos have been resized to 2,048 pixels on the long edge.

I highly recommend the Nikon D780 for its many powerful, intelligent features that are easily accessible. I bought the D780 from Nikon in March; before that, I had a Nikon D750 for five years, with which I was exceedingly pleased. But when I got the notification from Nikon about the D780, I immediately saw that it is the natural follow-on to the D750: High ISO, higher and also longer shutter speed, and the Expeed 6 Processor. It´s a new camera.

And after using this fine camera for nearly a month, I have experienced its other intelligent features that make it necessary to own. Here is a review of some of them:

1) The Expeed 6 processor provides even faster auto focus than the fast D750. For example, it handles the great 105mm f/2.8 Micro Nikkor lens very quickly in the micro environment where you need it. When a close subject is blowing in the wind, the D780 tracks it nicely. The Expeed 6 provides a noticeable performance increase in the D780 in all functions.

2) In developing my RAW images from the D780, I am seeing noticeably less luminosity noise and color noise. In a comparison of images of the same subject between the D750 and D780, I see more pixel contrast in the D780, which enhances sharpening.

3) The touch-sensitive LCD is fantastic. You won´t want to go back to the old-style screen after using this. It makes a reconfigure of your shooting parameters quick and easy.

4) Intelligent interface: Relocating the metering button and having an AF-ON button are very useful features, and necessary. I use these features every day, as well as the ISO button that is positioned right where it belongs. These are design features that make the D780 not only a great camera for amateurs like me, but for pros as well.

5) Fast, easily accessible Live View with enhanced video. The LCD is sharp, making all of its information easier to see and manipulate.

6) The SnapBridge app is a great tool for remote photography. In addition, it allows viewing of images from your computer, as well as the one you just took with your D780. It is an enormously flexible tool that connects to Nikon Image Space for cloud storage management. It is another feature that makes the D780 invaluable to own.

7) And, for those who currently have a D750, the SCENE mode has been succeeded by a single EFFECTS mode, a change I really like. Effects are in one place. You can use them even if your image settings are for RAW, so you can easily change to EFCTS mode to take advantage of them.

8) A word about the lack of a vertical grip and an internal flash, design decisions that some may question: I used my D750 for five years with the vertical grip, but when Nikon announced the D780 without it, the D780´s improved features greatly outweighed the lack of a grip. I just don´t miss having the vertical grip, and battery life is longer in the D780. The controls are so easily accessible on the D780, it´s advantageous to use the controls on the camera, and, of course there are more functions on the camera than on the grip. Plus, the camera is a little more manipulable without the grip which is big on the camera.

I used the internal flash on the D750 for fill light, but using an external flash provides more lighting options. It´s a wise design decision to remove the internal flash. I have the SB-700 Speedlight which has useful adjustments and remote control, and, of course, there are many more speedlights to choose from.

So my conclusion is that the D780 is an integrated image processing system that makes creating your photos a seamless process. You will be very pleased with your results from this fine camera.

I have been a faithful Nikon user for over 40 years. This is my first full frame camera and it had to be a Nikon. I had planned to purchase a D750 and was also Looking at the D810. I read so many great reviews about the release of the D780 I waited for the camera to come out and purchased from Nikon. Unfortunately I received the camera 2 weeks prior to the Covid -19 so I have had limited trial time in the field. A quick trip to the North Georgia mountains gave me an opportunity to test the camera. I performed well and I was impressed with the images that I did take. My new D780 and my older D500 now make up my Nature photography camera bag.

I purchased the D780 for shooting events. It´s great for low light indoor photography producing sharp, high quality, low noise images with ISO from 1200 - 3200. I use it with both on and off camera flash. The skin tones look great right out of the camera. The D780 out-performs my D810 under low light conditions. The camera is slimmer, slightly smaller and lighter than my D810. It felt great in my hand for a full day of shooting. I chose the D780 over the Z6 for its dual card slots, optical viewfinder, F-Mount and long battery life. I chose the D780 over the D850 for its smaller file sizes, smaller dimensions and compatibility with my many SD flash cards. With all these things plus video, time-laps, long exposure and Tilt and Touch LCD this is a very capable event camera. It has replaced my 810 as my goto camera for most applications.

I bought this over other Nikon cameras because of this hybrid nature. This camera is a combination of DSLR and Mirrorless. I love the af and iso performance so far. I also own other 3 Nikon cameras.

I traded up from the D750. And I´m very pleased. Had the camera out this morning for some hands on shooting. Love it !! Very Crisp pictures and couldn´t ask for better. I shoot in both aperture and shutter when taking pictures, this jewel has answered in both modes. I will shoot in Manual here soon but I feel sure it will be just as good.. Nikon , You have a good product here.. Thank you

The timing was perfect. I´d been using a D7000 for 9 years looking to switch back to FX after shooting film the previous 20 years with Nikons (4004, 6006, N90S). As a hobbyist, the D750 came out too soon for my budget, and then it got too old. I´d considered the Z6, but it wouldn´t have focused my D lenses. More importantly, using an EVF would´ve been hard on my aging eyes. Then the D780. The new sensor and software are far smarter than my D7000, which generally shot too contrasty (my phone is better). The low-light AF and sensor sensitivity are also LIGHTYEARS better. The 24-120 kit lens is icing on the cake. It´s way sharper than Nikon´s older 24-120s (which I also owned) and offers that great range. While the kit combo is a tad heavy, I consider it the perfect system. I should add that after shooting Nikons since the late 80s, I´ve never had a malfunction with a body, lens or speedlight. I´m not a heavy shooter like a pro, but I´ve shot in all sorts of conditions all over the world, and I´ve never worried about my gear.