Nikon D780: The long-awaited successor to the D750
7.1.2020
Translation: machine translated
At last: the successor to the successful D750 from this year is coming. It should be of particular interest to Nikon photographers with a corresponding lens collection.
Nikon is today introducing the D780, the successor to the D750. According to Nikon, the D750 is the best-selling full-frame SLR camera in the world. However, it has also been on the market since 2014, i.e. for over five years. Three years ago, nikonrumours.com first speculated about a successor. Now it's finally here.
Features taken over from top models
The resolution is still 24 megapixels. The same sensor is likely to be used as in the Nikon Z 6.
Also carried over from the Z 6: the hybrid autofocus with 273 sensor points. This is used in live mode when the mirror is flipped up and the LCD serves as a viewfinder. In normal SLR mode, a second AF system is used, as is usual with SLR cameras. It has 51 measuring fields. The autofocus algorithm is said to be the same as in the professional sports camera D5.
According to Nikon, the D780 is about as resistant to dirt and water as the D850. The improved robustness is probably the reason why the D780, unlike the D750, no longer has an internal flash.
Also taken over from the D850: photographed film negatives can be viewed with the correct (positive) colours already in the camera. And like the D850, the D780 offers focus bracketing with up to 100 shots.
Other features
The continuous shooting speed is 7 photos per second with a mechanical shutter and 12 fps with an electronic shutter. The camera achieves this during 28 RAW or 100 JPEG shots
The video features are impressive: 4K without crop, HLG, Full HD with 120 fps, Nikon N Log via HDMI, and there is a preview that crisply displays N-Log recordings. Without editing, these shots are usually very dull.
Other key data:
- Two card slots (SD UHS-II)
- USB charging
- Shutter speed from 1/8000 to 900 seconds
- Tiltable LCD with 2.359 million pixels
- Interval timer & time-lapse (both possible simultaneously)
- Max. 51,200 ISO, expandable up to 204,800 ISO
The camera is expected to be available from 23 January. The manufacturer's recommended retail price of 2799 francs is relatively high; it is quite possible that the real market prices will soon be lower. As soon as the D780 appears in the shop and under this sentence, you can pre-order and receive the camera at the market price it will have on delivery. From tomorrow, 8 January, Nikon will also be offering a trade-in bonus of 200 francs. You can find out exactly what you need to do for this in the product description.
Initial classification (from the ship, without testing)
The new D780 is aimed at photographers who already have lenses that fit the system and want to continue using them without an adapter. If you are still travelling with a D700, for example, the D780 is of interest to you. However, I don't think it makes sense to buy into the SLR system with many lenses at this point in time. Because in the long term, the future belongs to the Z system (or other mirrorless systems).
David Lee
Senior Editor
David.Lee@digitecgalaxus.chMy interest in IT and writing landed me in tech journalism early on (2000). I want to know how we can use technology without being used. Outside of the office, I’m a keen musician who makes up for lacking talent with excessive enthusiasm.