Stuff - UK (2020-04)

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LONG-TERM TEST

to remember to switch to live view

manually, as I’m used to mirrorless

cameras doing it automatically.

The ISO range is 100-51,200 and

there’s an extended shutter speed

range from 1/8000 to 900s, so if

you like long exposures you’ll have

a ball... and I’m in a landscape that’s

crying out for them. Nikon claims

an impressive 2260-shot battery

life, but in this cold that drops to

just under 2000.

DAY 10

I should be using an ND grad filter

for these landscapes, but I’m too

lazy to trek back to the car for it.

Luckily, the camera handles bright

skies superbly – and shooting in

RAW means overexposed areas

can be fixed later.

Colours are true to life and

well balanced, with no aggressive

sharpening or saturation. White

balance is also well managed using

Nikon’s natural mode.

DAY 14

There’s nothing headline-grabbing

about the D780, but boy does it

have some desirable qualities. The

video specs are excellent, as is the

advanced AF system. The asking

price is a big hike from the Z6... but

with its DSLR resilience, this might

be the last of the dinosaurs.

DAY 02

Snowboots on the ground, I’ve

noticed the rear screen doesn’t

fully articulate – a shame given its

4K creds, but the tilting mechanism

works well for getting up close or

shooting from the hip.

This works great in live view,

but when using the OVF I’ve found

my frozen nose causing unwanted

activity, so I’ve decided to disable

the touchscreen.

DAY 05

The D780 has a back-illuminated

24.5MP sensor paired with the

latest Expeed 6 image processor.

For continuous shooting it hits

12fps in live view and 7fps in

viewfinder shooting. I love the

satisfying ‘kerrr-chonk’ of the

mechanical shutter, but Q and

Qc are quieter.

What really makes the D780 a

step up from the D750 is that it’s

as great for video as it is for stills.

It’ll shoot 4K at up to 30fps and

1080p HD at up to 120fps. There’s

no Eye AF in video mode, but you

can shoot 4K timelapses.

DAY 08

Today it’s -6°C, with an unrelenting

spray from the waterfalls. Keeping

a clear head is tough – and I have

STUFF SAYS

An all-round

DSLR that’s

super-tough

and borrows a

few mirrorless

camera tricks

+++++

01 It’s got the video chops

to match its stills prowess,

which is a welcome surprise

02 Having two card slots

saves stress in the heat of

the moment

03 It’s built to take a battering

in extreme environments

04 It simply can’t match a

mirrorless on portability...

05 ...and it simply can’t match

a mirrorless on price

Donut of Truth™

Sensor 24.5MP
full-frame CMOS
Autofocus 51pt
phase-detect,
273pt hybrid
phase-detect
ISO range
100-51,200
Video 4K @ 30fps,
Full HD @ 120fps
Displays Optical
pentaprism, 3.2in
2359k-dot tilting
LCD touchscreen
Connectivity
Wi-Fi, Bluetooth
Dimensions 144x
116x76mm, 840g

Tech specs

Instead of bemoaning other

people getting in the way,

make them part of the shot to

get a sense of scale, and turn

them into ants in the process.

Of course there are thousands

of identical photos of most

famous beauty spots, so go

abstract by zooming in on

shapes and textures.

Get a sturdy tripod, because

that’s the only way you’ll

be able to take otherworldly

long-exposure photos of

swirling rivers and falls.

Landscape tips