ON TRIAL NIKON D780

It’s ironic that, as mirrorless models start to dominate the interchangeable lens camera market, some of the best DSLRs ever built are arriving. Nikon’s new mid-range full-frame body is a superbly capable all-rounder, offering a number of mirrorless-type conveniences via increased live view functionality.

Remember when we reviewed Nikon’s Z 6 and noted that it was a lot like a mirrorless version of the D750 DSLR? Well, it’s a funny old world and now there’s the Nikon D780 – essentially the D750’s replacement – that could be said to be the DSLR equivalent of the Z 6… well, at least when you lock up the mirror and use live view.

The D750 – launched back in 2014 – was the best mid-range DSLR Nikon had ever made (until now), combining the capabilities of a full-frame sensor with a more compact and lightweight body thanks to the adoption of an innovative monocoque construction. It’s an indication of the D750’s all-round capabilities that it’s still a good buy today, but the D780 goes a whole lot further when it comes to live view and video recording.

However, a new sensor and processor, redesigned and faster mechanical shutter, upgraded metering and autofocusing, plus a bunch of new features and spec enhancements also make the D780 significantly more accomplished than its predecessor. Of course, a number of these are developments that have happened in the five years since the D750 appeared, including touchscreen controls, in-camera battery charging via USB C and Bluetooth LE wireless connectivity.

As we’ve seen with all the latest-generation DSLRs, it’s the live functionality that’s been enhanced the most compared to what’s gone before, especially the autofocusing performance. In the case of the D780, it essentially matches the Z 6 here, with a 273-point wide-area AF system

(offering 90% vertical/horixontal frame coverage) that uses on-sensor phase-difference detection pixels capable of face/ eye-detection tracking.

It also uses essentially the same sensor as the Z 6 so, while the effective pixel count is still the same as the D750, the backsideilluminated design means bigger pixels with enhanced sensitivity. That gives an extended native sensitivity range equivalent to ISO 100 to 51,200 and expands up to ISO 204,800. Of course, there’s also a new image processor – Nikon’s current-generation Expeed 6 engine – that delivers a host of upgrades in terms of image quality, AF speed and video recording (see the Making Movies panel for the full story here).

There’s a modest increase in the maximum continuous shooting speed with the mechanical shutter which bumps up to 7fps, but take the reflex mirror and mechanical shutter out of play, and there’s a zippy 12fps on tap which, of course, is the same top speed as the Z 6 for capturing best-quality JPEGs or 12-bit RGB RAWs.

Switch to 14-bit RAW capture and the maximum shooting speed drops to 8fps.

Apart from the increased shooting speeds, the other obvious benefits of using the sensorbased (electronic) shutter are the elimination of both vibrations and noise. However, Nikon still offers a ‘quiet’ shooting mode when using the mechanical shutter, but the continuous shooting speed drops to 3fps and noise levels are more muted rather than silenced.

The maximum image size is 6048x4024 pixels at the 3:2 aspect ratio with a choice of two smaller sizes, and 16:9 or 1:1 aspect ratios. JPEGs can be captured at one of three compression levels – with the option of sizepriority or optimal-quality settings – while RAW files can be lossless compressed or compressed, in addition to the choice of 12-bit or 14-bit colour. RAWs are captured at 6048x4024 pixels. If a DX format (i.e. APS-C) Nikkor lens is fitted, the D780 will automatically switch to the 16x24mm imaging area and there’s again a choice of three image sizes, the largest being 3936x2624 pixels. Like the D750, the D780 has dual memory card

for distortion and vignetting. Additionally, the D780 also gets automatic flicker detection and correction for dealing with fluorescent lighting when shooting indoors. These lights switch on and off at high frequencies – based on the mains power frequency – and this flockering can affect both the exposure and colour balance when shooting at faster shutter speeds. The camera’s anti-flicker capability detects the frequency of a light source’s switching and subsequently times the shutter release to minimise any underexposure and associated variations in colour balance.

IN CONTROL

The optical-based autofocusing system uses the same 51-point Advanced Multi-CAM 3500FX II sensor module as the D750, but it’s now driven by the algorithms from the D5 which, until recently, was the king of autofocusing in DSLRs. 15 of the 51 points are cross-type arrays, all operational at f/5.6, while 11 points – including one cross-type array – still operate with a maximum aperture as slow as f/8. Sensitivity extends down to -3.0 EV at ISO 100.

There’s the choice of single point selection or ‘dynamic area’ auto-switching modes – for shooting moving subjects – that can be set to clusters of nine or 21 points, or the full 51. Additionally, there’s a Group Area mode which is designed to ensure more

eye”. It has a range of 4500 to 8000 Kelvin.

IN THE HAND

We haven’t had our hands on a new Nikon DSLR for quite a while, but it didn’t take long with the D780 to remember how good the balance, ergonomics and handling really are. The handgrip is a good size and well-shaped, and the control layout is logically organised and very efficient even if it’s starting to look a bit button-heavy in this day and age.

Not a lot has changed externally from the D750, so the basic