Nikon D780

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All,

I have rented a D780 for the up coming weekend as my D810 and some other lenses are in for repair - however I need to test a new lens and have always wanted to try the D780.

Anyway - I'll be using a variety of f-mount lenses (both AF-D and AF-S lenses as well as an Ai-S).
I'm just making a post here to see if anyone else was curious about the D780 and performance with f-mount lenses and had any specific test scenarios they would like clarification on.

Chris
 
I‘d love to hear what you think of the camera. I have a variety of af-d and af-s lenses and the 780 is on my radar as a possible 750 replacement.
I'll update the thread when I have tried it - I'll list the lenses and my thoughts behind using them. Most of them are AF-D lenses but there's a good range of focal lengths - sadly 2 lenses I really wanted to try with it are in for repair (200 f2 & 35 1.4 :( )
 
I‘d love to hear what you think of the camera. I have a variety of af-d and af-s lenses and the 780 is on my radar as a possible 750 replacement.
Same here. The D750 suits me fine but I read that the liveview on the D780 is much improved. Nothing else about the camera tempts me to change though.
 
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I’d also be interested in what you think of it.
 
Well ... I have had 2 days with the D780 - the weather didn't help, nevertheless I will give you guy my thoughts as well as some images captured from over the past 2 days.

Build and ergonomics:

Just to give you guys some context, I prefer the larger Nikon / Canon bodies. I usually shoot with the pro bodies with the integrated vertical grip, or I use a D810.
Furthermore - my primary interest in the D780 is the face detect / eye af accuracy for portrait work - it'd be a supplementary camera for me.

The size and feel are similar to the D750 from what I can remember. For me personally, I am not a fan of the size/shape of the camera - but if you like the D750 this will feel very familiar. The front function buttons are (for my hands) too close to my fingers and I kept hitting those unintentionally. Overall, it is compact, if that's your thing you'll be fine.
Build quality seems poor in my opinion. It doesn't feel like the older Nikon cameras, it feels very plastic and the left side of the camera is very square. The command dials are plastic and click more than thump like on other Nikon bodies. The buttons have a longer throw than usually and a positive feel - this is nice as you can be sure you're depressing the button correctly. Some of the buttons have moved but it's pretty typical Nikon stuff so easy to figure out. The rubber grips feel cheap and not as soft as my other cameras. The on off switch feels really cheap as does the mode dial and the drive dial on the left of the camera. The recessed bracket and flash exposure buttons feel great! Love how they are recessed now.
Top screen is small and typically of the D750 - if that's acceptable then you're ok - I missed the larger screens from the larger cameras. Memory card door and slots are all plastic and doesn't feel that nice, the bottom plate appears to be plastic in most areas. The screen mechanism works great and clips positively into place.
My particular camera didn't have an eye piece and consequently, the diopter kept moving when I was using a black rapid sling strap, there's no way to lock the adjustment - not a big deal but I expected more on a 2k camera.

Overall the camera is light (even my mum commented on how much smaller and lighter it was compared to my other cameras!) it is fairly angular - a departure from the curved Nikon imo - and not particularly comfortable to hold for extended periods and with heavier lenses, it does not inspire confidence. The newer button mechanisms are really good and much preferred over Nikons of old.
 
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Menu system:

The menu system is typical Nikon - anyone considering moving from any other Nikon body to this will feel right at home. The OK button is in the middle of the d pad (like the D750) and they've dropped the D810 oddity of having the OK button on the left side of the camera.

View finder:

Very reminiscient of the D750 - if that works for you - this'll feel exactly the same, although I spent most of my time in live view for obvious reasons.

Shutter sound:

Very quiet - miles quieter than any of the pro Nikon/Canon bodies and quieter than the D810 zap zap shutter. Quiet mode separates the the actions as is common on most quiet modes. The live view shooting is not silent but really quiet anyway.

Battery life:

Typical of most Nikon cameras, it lasts ages - usual charger etc. I didn't have a chance (or need) to try the usb c charging.
 
So ... what is it like to shoot with?

I will be honest - I was not expecting to enjoy the experience. I was disappointed with the build and feel of the camera - I know that is a matter of personal preference, however it is important to me when I am shooting. If I love the feel of the camera - it means a lot.

That said - in live view - it's totally brilliant. The screen resolution is superb, moving the AF point with your finger and touch to af etc. or release etc. all work very well. The AF system works (surprisingly) well with AF-D lenses. Sometimes, the AF doesn't 'see' what's in front of you if it's way oof but most of the time it's great.

Walking around town (Cambridge) with a super wide (14mm f2.8 d) was good fun - even with the super wide it could detect my friend's face and if close enough detect eyes etc. I really like the option to change eye simply using the d-pad and the arrows shown on the screen.

I wont go into image quality as it's typical Nikon - and if you've achieved good results on the D750 - you'll do the same on the D780.

Back at home, although the weather was terrible, I convinced my friend to sit in our greenhouse so I could try some shots using live view and the following lenses (3 of mine are at Nikon for repair - so I apologise for the limited and at times odd selection):

Nikon 10.5mm AF-D
Nikon 35-70 2.8 AF-D
Nikon 80-200 2.8 AF-D
Nikon 85 1.8 G AF-S
Nikon 300 F4 AF-D
Nikon 200 F2 VRii AF-S

I used a tripod to make things easier and eliminate camera shake. - That's the biggest issue with this camera. The live view is great - however if you are using big, heavy lenses, it's a nightmare to try and keep steady - thankfully the 200 has great VR, the 300 however is very difficult to hold steady in live view, however I am sure with practice I would get a lot better!

I will include a link below with some images from the test - all the portrait images are shot wide open to test the af accuracy. I will say - it is interesting to see how your zoom lenses perform at different focal lengths. I have noticed that my 80-200 is really soft at 200.

Anyway - on a tripod with all these lenses - it was joy to use - eye af worked great on all the lenses and in live view - it's very fast to focus and really fast to shoot - typical dslr fast - excellent. I found it was nice to be able to use live view - knowing the af points covered a large area so I didn't have to move the camera too much. I am sure with smaller lenses handheld it's fine ergonomically for portraits.

If you are shooting handheld in live view with a heavy lens it feels like a 3rd hand would help as you can't support the lens and touch the screen!

In summary - AF is fast and sure, really impressive and it feels like it's breathed new life into my AF-D lenses. The eye-af for me is a huge deal as it's technology that makes my process more straight forward and more accurate - that feels like true innovation in my book.

The eye af isn't as 'sticky' or as instant as the Sony A7Riii but it's still very good.

Here are a few images from the greenhouse: (full set here: D780 Test images )

D780_test_25072020-1109 by Chris Reynolds, on Flickr

D780_test_25072020-1067 by Chris Reynolds, on Flickr

D780_test_25072020-0997 by Chris Reynolds, on Flickr

D780_test_25072020-0820 by Chris Reynolds, on Flickr

D780_test_25072020-0934 by Chris Reynolds, on Flickr

D780_test_25072020-1144 by Chris Reynolds, on Flickr
 
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In conclusion, I have written some answers to common questions - if there's anything else people would like to know - I'd be happy to answer!

Would I buy a D780?

Yes * - if this is the only hybrid slr that Nikon make then yes I would. However, if there was an update to the D850 with the eye af etc. in live view that'd be a winner for me as the ease of shooting portraits with this camera is amazing.

Is it worth the 2200 Nikon are retailing this camera for?

IMO no - it doesn't feel like a camera of that price point and in my experience, live view aside, the overall package is not significantly better than the D750 imo.

Would I use this as my only camera?

In my circumstances no. That's nothing against the camera - I shoot sport and events etc. and my equipment usually takes a hammering etc. and I need the speed of the pro bodies. Furthermore, with no vertical grip it's too small to handhold the larger lenses confidently - however I agree this is a personal opinion and if you are comfortable with an D750 and bigger glass then my opinion is not of use!

Would I buy this as an addition to my current kit?

Definitely, I can see this fitting my workflow really well - especially communicating with my subject whilst shooting as live view brings me further away from the camera etc.

Are there any downsides?

Yes - shooting in live view in bright sunlight can be a nightmare, as you cannot see the screen!
Diopter issue

Is the camera 'fast' or will I have to work around the camera re. buffer et
Nope - the camera is fast and really love to use. The buffer clears nice and fast - surprisingly so - I was using the gold sandisk cards and never felt the need to put the black pro cards in for what I was shooting. No issues with the camera locking up (it happens fairly frequently when I shoot my brothers a7riii for example), buffer clears nice and fast - with my cards I was never having to wait for the camera to do anything. Usual Nikon instant start up and shoot etc. It's something I think we all take for granted, but the D780 (like many Nikon cameras) just gets out the way and does what it does.

Would I recommend this as a replacement to a D750 user?

Straight off the bat no ... Unless the D750 user was complaining of af accuracy issues. It's a really good camera, but I continue to see spectacular images from the D750 so why change?

Could you see this being used for a busy wedding photographer?

I've never shot a wedding professionally, but have done many, many live events etc. Yes - I could see this working really well for a wedding gig. The live view would be brilliant for the bride and groom shots and then it'd be business as usual for the rest of the day. With the added bonus of using cheap SD memory.

Could you use this camera for sports?

Yes - I believe you could. The view finder AF appears typical modern Nikon DSLR. The buffer clears pretty quickly and although we all love the 10/12 fps, 7 is adequate if you are in a bind and this is the only camera you've got. I could easily make it work.

What are the files like?

Playing with the files in lightroom, there seems to be loads of dynamic range that Nikon shooters love. It's a welcome break from some canon files I have been working on recently.


I think that's all the things I had in my head! I'll update the topic if I think of anything else / people what further clarification on my ramblings.

If you got this far - thanks for reading :)

Chris
 
Hi Chris, Thank you for a very detailed review.

Think I will stick with my d750 for a while longer.
 
Thanks for the review Chris. I think I will be looking at one but when the price drops a bit.
 
Same here. The D750 suits me fine but I read that the liveview on the D780 is much improved. Nothing else about the camera tempts me to change though.

The D780 does offer exposure times of up to 15 minutes. That’s quite a bit more than the 30 seconds that my D750 offers me.
 
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