Nikon introduces the all-new Nikon D780. A DSLR that’s set to eventually supersede the D750 and promises to give photographers everything they’re looking for in a full-frame camera. 

Anticipated for some time now, the D780 lands with a full-frame [FX] 24.5Mp CMOS sensor and a quick, dedicated Hybrid-AF system for Live View shooting, and a fast, powerful 51-point Phase-Detection AF system for shooting with the viewfinder. When shooting in Live View mode, photographers and filmmakers will be able to benefit from the same AF system that’s native in the Nikon Z 6 mirrorless camera. 

The D780 now boasts Eye-Detection AF and offers user the ability to take advantage of low-light AF down to -6 EV. Those shooting through the viewfinder stand to benefit from Nikon’s flagship tracking performance and fast switching between the camera’s advanced AF modes.

High-speed burst rates of [up to] 7 fps in viewfinder shooting and 12 fps in Silent Photography mode during Live View shooting make for an appealing addition to the new camera. Other notable features include the fast maximum shutter speed of 1/8000 s, which should give photographers the versatility to sync with Nikon Speedlights. 

Video 

Those shooting video should be happy with the quality of the footage they can reach with the new D780. The camera uses its 6K image sensor resolution to produce ultra-high-resolution 4K/UHD footage at 30p/25p/24p with zero crop factor. There’s also the ability to use an external movie recorder to shoot rich HLG HDR footage, which can be shown directly on a compatible TV or monitor.

Robert Harmon, Senior Commercial Planning Manager, Nikon UK, said: “Many photographers love DSLR, and they’ve been waiting for a model like the D780. If you’re a DSLR lover, and you want to shoot movies as well as stills, this is the perfect solution. If you want to explore mirrorless, we have the Z system for that too! Whichever system excites image makers, we’re thrilled to offer the versatility that lets them create without limits.”

Nikon D780 Key Features

Viewfinder AF: 51-point Phase-Detection AF system, sensitive to -3 EV. Flagship tracking capabilities and fast switching between advanced AF modes.
AF in Live View: 273-point Hybrid-AF system, sensitive to -4 EV, or to -6 EV in Low-Light AF. Eye-Detection AF is available when shooting stills.  
Burst Rates up to12 FPS: Shoot up to 7 fps with AF/AE, or up to 12 fps in Silent Live View Photography mode. Get full resolution images, even when shooting in RAW.
Optical Viewfinder and Tilting Touchscreen: 0.70x optical viewfinder gives a wide field of view and 100% coverage. Tilting 2359k-dot LCD monitor allows touch shutter release and AF.
Excellent Image Quality: F-mount lenses. 24.5 MP full-frame CMOS sensor. EXPEED 6 image processor. The same 180K-pixel RGB sensor and Advanced Scene Recognition system as the Nikon D850.
Ultra-Wide ISO Range: The new D780 boasts a wider ISO range than the D850. ISO 100–51200, extendable up to 204800 and down to ISO 50. 
Full Frame DSLR Video: Ultra-high-res 4K/UHD video at 30p/25p/24p with zero crop factor. Shoot in N-Log or capture rich Hybrid Log Gamma [HLG] footage.
Creative Freedom: In-camera time-lapse. 2 MP stills at a blazing 120 fps. In-camera digitising menu & more besides.
Fast Image Transfer: The new camera’s high-speed data transfer abilities and wireless connectivity make it simple to publish images. SnapBridge lets users share JPEGs and RAW files with any mobile device.

See below for our gallery of the new Nikon D780

Pricing and availability

The Nikon D780 will be available nationwide from early spring 2020 and will cost £2,199 [body only] and D780 and £2,619 when paired with the AF-S 24-120 f/4G ED VR. Keep a heads-up for the PhotoBite review, which will be posted here soon.