With the release of the D780, Nikon have created the camera that loyal Nikon F mount users have been hoping for. It answers the wishlist of shooters wanting the sophisticated technology benefits of the new mirrorless Z system merged with the polished strengths of Nikon's best SLRs, the D850 and D5.
Notably the D780 sports an upgraded 51-point autofocus (AF) Phase Detect system for tracking moving subjects that borrows heavily from the Nikon D5. It also gains the best of the new Z6’s 273-point hybrid AF system with focal-plane phase-detection AF system that covers approximately 90% of the frame and offers Eye AF and the additional ability to focus down to as low as -7 EV in live view.
With a 24 megapixel CMOS sensor, an EXPEED 6 image processing engine and an increased buffer, the D780 can shoot at 7 frames per second (FPS) to dual SD cards and keeps pace with cameras like the D850 for capturing action. Nikon’s engineers have worked hard on the power efficiency of the new camera to squeeze 2260 shots from the standard battery. Further, it's now possible to charge the EN-EL15b battery in camera via USB for even greater convenience.
The D780 has robust video capabilities and will at last deliver excellent video autofocus that rivals the best of its competitors. There's plenty of flexibility with video, able to be captured in 10 bit N-Log (HLG) for greater dynamic range and a robust variety of formats and frame rates available, including 4K up to 30p and 1080p/1080i up to 120 frames per second.
The combined new features along with a number of other technological improvements make the D780 a very capable do-everything camera, that will perform well in nearly every circumstance. This camera answers the needs of the Nikon SLR faithful who have been waiting for a Nikon SLR with the video and autofocus capabilities to rival brands.
Resolution excepted, we think there will be some envious looks from existing D850 shooters.
