And don’t forget about the extended shutter speeds down to 15 minutes that virtually eliminate the need for an external intervalometer. There is a menu setting to enable extended shutter speeds, but once you turn it on, it’s a sticky setting, unlike Canon’s awkward Bulb Timer mode on the 5D Mark IV that requires going to the menu every time you use it. Here is a set of high-ISO 100% crops from the Nikon D780, taken in RAW mode with no post-processing or noise reduction. [CDATA[ Not all browsers may be able to play the 4K version of the video, but I know at least Chrome is able to do so. So, does the D780 have an advantage or a disadvantage when it comes to lenses? Brightening the dark frame significantly does reveal hints of an image beneath: I don’t know what to make of this behavior. So you can make your own evaluations, we are providing a selection of images made during the testing I did for this article at npan.co/D780testimages. It’s not like the D780 is clean here, exactly, but it’s salvageable for small prints with good noise reduction. Black Friday discountsView deals. Luckily, in the past I’ve compared the D750 directly against the Nikon Z6, which has the same high-ISO performance as the D780! With hundreds of compatible lenses covering every need you could think of, the D780 has a solid case over the Z6 and other mirrorless cameras just for the lenses alone. However, the megapixel count is not the only important element determining the quality of an image… I was using the Tamron 90mm f/2.8 macro lens, which we are in the process of testing at Photography Life. The differences in noise are quite minimal so far, although the D780 has a slight advantage in a few places. Even though the D780 has the same resolution as the prior D780, the newer sensor is better in low light by about one stop at high ISOs. Nikon D780 24.5 MP Full Frame DSLR Camera (1618) - Accessory Bundle - with Sandisk Extreme Pro 64GB Card + Additional ENEL15 Battery + Nikon Case + Cleaning Set + … Image quality at ISO 25,600 comparable to what we get at 6400 on the D750/Z 6/D780. I have not been able to determine when it switches over in the Z 6 and D780, but it’s probably similar to the D850. I have used the Z 6 for astro-landscape photography, and it produces some of the best Milky Way images I’ve ever seen. The Nikon D850 is an incredible camera, offering the autofocus and frame rate performance of a high-end DSLR, combined with a massive 45.7Mp resolution for super high-quality images. Below are crops from our laboratory Still Life target comparing the Nikon D810 vs. the Nikon D800E, Nikon D800, Sony A7R, Nikon D750 and Canon 5D … Better image quality: Is equipped with a larger and more technologically advanced sensor. They are mostly DNG files with embedded metadata. Comfortable in the hand and familiar to any Nikon user, the D780 offers a solidly built camera with full weather sealing in a relatively lightweight body. As you can see, D750 is 3 years older than D850. Nikon D780 was introduced to market in January 2020 and Nikon D850 was launched in August 2017. If you are a wedding, wildlife or sports photographer, or someone who shoots a lot of video, then my review may be of limited usefulness to you. On the other hand, despite several attempts, I could not get my D780 to repeat that behavior. Nikon D850 was introduced to market in August 2017 and Nikon D750 was launched in September 2014. The image quality on the LCD monitor is greatly improved. On first glance, it looks very much like the D750, but is just a little smaller with a few button changes. Those extra 2 stops would provide the much-needed wiggle room that astro-landscape photographers often need with our exposure variables. The D500 is less expensive and supports NFC. Click to see full size: This performance is quite good – in fact, best in class among 24 megapixel cameras. Find out where the D780 wins! At ISO 25,600 on the D750, colors begin to bleed outside of detail boundaries and the image really starts to fall apart. In the limited testing I was able to do, any difference in image quality at ISO 6400 and 12,800 was negligible. Then, in September 2019, Gabe wrote a post exclaiming hands-down that “the Nikon Z 6 is the best camera for night photography.” I’ve had a few opportunities to use the Z 6 at night since then, and it’s an awesome camera for sure. It would be nice if the screen had an articulating arm; as it is, the tilt screen is of limited usefulness in the vertical orientation, but is great for working from high and especially low angles in the horizontal orientation. Color noise is still easily managed by Lightroom’s default correction, and there is no sign of background pattern noise. ... And I guess the image quality will gain from that new mount as well. The pixels in dual-gain sensors have two readout modes, the first at native and modestly increased ISOs for maximum dynamic range, and another for lower noise at higher ISOs at the expense of dynamic range. This may seem perplexing given how much time has passed; the D750 was announced in September of 2014, compared to January 2020 for the D780. More on that later. The camera features a 24.5-megapixel FX-Format BSI CMOS sensor and EXPEED 6 Processor, which is reported to be the same sensor as that of the Z 6––with one slight modification. They have no noise reduction or sharpening applied. More importantly, the new sensor tests at a full stop more (9.3) dynamic range at ISO 6400, which is the standard setting for astro-landscape photography. It can be a serious problem if you forget, especially when shooting time-lapses in dark environments; the first photo in your sequence will be sharp, but the rest may be completely out of focus. Moreover, the D850 is markedly heavier (20 percent) than the D780. The i menu is an easily accessible place to store settings that you change frequently. Nikon D780 and Nikon D610 have almost the same sensor size so none of them has any significant advantage over other in providing control over depth of field when used with same focal length and aperture. Many photographers have made the switch to mirrorless for the reduction in size and weight, and others have resisted the change because they are not ready to sacrifice their FX lenses or don’t want to deal with an adapter to use them. Even the ISO 12,800 photo is usable with noise reduction, although it is clearly rougher than the first two. Specifically, I shot a burst of five pictures at continuous high (7 FPS) with the mechanical shutter through the viewfinder. Although the D780 has most of the features that I would want on my dream camera, there are a few things would make it the hands-down ideal for a night photographer: A couple of features from other manufacturers that would be amazing to see developed for Nikon: What surprised me when I began comparing images from the D750, Z 6 and D780 was not how good the D780’s image quality is, but how well the 6-year-old D750’s images stood up to the newer cameras. It all depends on what you shoot. The D780 also has the same focus stacking mode as the D850. For example – you can buy the Nikon Z6 and 24-70mm f/2.8 S for slightly less than the Nikon D780 and 24-70mm f/2.8 G VR ($4100 vs $4200 total at the time of this review’s publication). We finally have a Nikon DSLR with onboard shutter speeds that go beyond 30 seconds. It was only at ISO 25,600 where the D780 and Z 6 were noticeably better. The $1,800 Z 6 is also a great option—it just depends on your preference for mirrorless or a DSLR. The best cameras for under $1000 should have good ergonomics and controls, great image quality and be capture high-quality video. If image quality is the most important aspect in a camera, choose the Nikon D780. How to Pre-Order Nikon Z6, Z7, Z Lenses and Accessories. There may be slightly less noise in the shadows on the newer cameras up to ISO 12,800. If you want to go even further with your image quality (especially dynamic range), the D780 can shoot up to 10-bit 4K video over HDMI and has N-Log capabilities. That is pretty amazing overall – among the best on the market today. This is an advantageous feature, because it allows for phase-detection autofocus during live view. If I had bought a Z 6, I’d probably be in this category too. The good news is that live view image quality in low light is much improved, and focusing on stars, or on dark foreground subjects with a flashlight, is much easier than with older Nikons. Let’s start with the specifications differences between these two DSLRs: As you can see, there are a lot of differences here, most of which are in the D780’s favor. The D780 also inherits the shutter mechanism of the D850, and it was a nice surprise to hear just how much quieter it is. This is better image quality than any Nikon camera other than the Z6, with which it is equivalent. Better moiré control: Has an anti-alias filter to avoid artificial patterns to appear in images. I also tested the D780 at ISO 51,200. Under ideal conditions, this should allow for autofocus with live view in light as low as a quarter moon, and with the viewfinder under the light of a full moon. The live view interface of the D780 is the same as the Z 6 and much cleaner and easier to use than that of the D750. If it’s a one-time event without similar issues in the future, I really am not too concerned. How does the Nikon D750 compare to the D780? However, most of the improvements have more to do with an updated user experience than better image quality. Still, I am mentioning it here just in case others have seen something similar on their D780, though I haven’t heard anyone else mention a similar problem so far. There is a low-light autofocus mode that extends autofocus capabilities down to -6 EV. This article was also published here. One odd issue I found on the D780 was a single dropped frame in one of my high-speed continuous bursts. The D750 does not have this on-sensor system, and thus does not have this issue. Both cameras have Full frame sensors but Nikon D780 has a 25.0 MP and Nikon D850 has a 46.0 MP resolution. As you can see, the ISO 800 and 2500 crops above look quite good. Here is a set of high-ISO 100% crops from the Nikon D780, taken in RAW mode with no post-processing or noise reduction. It’s difficult to identify the correct orientation of the plug, especially in the dark. However, a workaround is still required to get the best possible live view image at night. On the surface, two of the biggest specifications, pixel count and focusing system, remain the same. Street Photography Is Not a Crime. The differences are most obvious in the red color swatch, but also in the green and gray swatches. One of the things that has improved the most over the D750 is autofocus performance in both the viewfinder with a 51-point autofocus system, and also a hybrid system for live-view focusing. I concluded that the answer depended on your needs and budget––I recommended the D750 as a great camera at an extraordinary value, the D850 for those who make large prints on a regular basis, and the D5 for sports and wildlife photographers who also shoot at night and who have a healthy budget. The lighting was unchanged during the testing, except that the moon rose higher into the sky, which altered the shadows. The 3.2-inch, 2.36m-dot LCD is also a touch screen that functions well for intuitive control over playback and menu navigation, as well as touch control over autofocus and shutter functions. Despite having the D780 for a while, I didn’t have the chance to photograph with it under starlight conditions––mostly due to lunar phase timing while I had it in California and an extended period of overcast skies here in Vermont. No more ruined time-lapses if you forget to switch to manual focus. Similar to its predecessor, the D780 features a tilting screen. If you love your D750, but it has seen better days, or you are simply ready for an upgrade, you will not be disappointed with the D780. I’ve been using the Time setting on the D750 and D850 and timing exposures either with my phone, or more often just by feel, because I never liked dealing with the fiddly and fragile intervalometers. The flip lever to close the optical viewfinder (which prevents light from entering the back of the camera during long exposures) that’s found on the D810, D850 and D4-D6. With the D780, you can do both at once. It’s worth the extra cost. With the D780, there’s a modest gain in image quality, especially at higher ISOs. I read that Nikon will add firmware to support CFexpress in the Z series. I know of at least one person who bought a Z 6 but switched to a D780 for this very reason. If you can afford it, get the D780. The live view activation button has been moved up to the right of the viewfinder, and the video record button is on the top deck, next to the newly located ISO button. For many night photographers, the onboard long shutter speed is a game-changing feature, even if it is only a convenience and has no effect on image quality. The Nikon D780’s 24 megapixel backside-illuminated sensor is one of the best in Nikon’s lineup, leading to the same excellent image quality as is found on the Z6. Nikon D780 and Nikon D750 have almost the same sensor size so none of them has any significant advantage over other in providing control over depth of field when used with same focal length and aperture. //]]>. Nikon was able to integrate a lot of the technology from the mirrorless Z6 … The D780 also has the same focus stacking mode as the D850. All of the sample images in this review were taken using the 24.5 megapixel Fine JPEG setting, which gives an average image size of around 15Mb. An easier way to access the brightest possible live view image in low-light situations. The first few settings, up to ISO 6400, are very usable. That leads to a tricky situation if you are on the fence between the D780 and its closest mirrorless equivalent, the Z6. Inheriting Nikon’s top-of-the-line DSLR technology, the D780 brings your creative ventures and passionate works to life in high performance with 24.5 effective megapixels and the EXPEED 6 image-processing engine. The colors start to bleed outside of contrast edges. We night photographers would have preferred even longer shutter speeds, but the D780 does have the Time mode, which, unlike the D750, does not automatically shut off at 1,694 seconds. Extended shutter speeds down another couple of stops to 1 hour. Let’s Keep it That Way. 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