Nikon D780

Nikon D780 review: Even the best DSLR is still a DSLR

If you want a DSLR, the full-frame Nikon D780 is the one to buy. The follow-up to 2014’s popular D750, the $2,300 D780 is a new Goldilocks camera and Nikon’s first DSLR to include on-chip phase-detection autofocus. But do you want a DSLR? Look. I like the D780. It’s a balanced camera with strong performance and great image quality. But in 2020, I have hard time coming up with a reason I would choose it over the smaller, lighter, and cheaper Nikon Z 6, the D780’s mirrorless counterpart. Instead of stoking my enthusiasm for DSLRs, shooting the D780 further tilted the scales in favor of mirrorless. It’s a good camera, but it’s part of a dying breed. The DSLR is the direct evolution of the film-era SLR, or single lens reflex camera. Revolutionary for its time, an SLR let photographers see directly through the lens using a reflexive (that’s old-timey speak for reflective) mirror and prism. DSLRs carried this design into the digital era, replacing silver with silicon, but leaving the mirror ...

The Nikon D780 brings mirrorless tech to full-frame photography

After a mere four years, Nikon is back with the successor to the D750 DSLR

Nikon D780 DSLR Camera Body Only VBA560AA review

There are no fireworks with the Nikon D780. It doesn’t bring radical new technologies, bar-raising specifications or wacky design features. It’s simply an excellent evolution of a great camera design that has something for enthusiasts and experts everywhere.

Nikon D780 DSLR Camera Body Only VBA560AA review

We hear a lot of talk about the death of the DSLR, and the unstoppable rise of mirrorless. But DSLRs remain the best choice for many photographers, particularly those who have existing lenses or honed their craft with optical viewfinders – and the D780 is one of the best full-frame options around.

Nikon D780 DSLR Camera Body Only VBA560AA review

Even with its much larger lens mount compared to the D780, the Nikon Z6 body weighs just 1.29 pounds and costs $1,796.95. Who knew mirrors were so heavy and expensive? Bulk and cost aside, the Nikon D780 is a beautifully crafted and impeccably assembled camera that, while it was heavy in my US...

Nikon D780 DSLR Camera Body Only VBA560AA review

Mastering the Nikon D780 is a new book in the NikoniansPress/RockyNook series by Darrell Young ( digitaldarrell ) providing a wealth of experience-based information and insights for owners of the new D780 camera.