Amateur Photographer - UK (2020-04-04)

42 4 April 2020 I http://www.amateurphotographer.co.uk I subscribe 0330 333 1113

ALL

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CES

ARE

APPROX

MATE

STREET

PR
CES

The D780 put in a sterling

performance in sub-zero

temperatures during a week

of rigorous testing in Iceland

Nikon D780, Nikon AF-S 85mm f/1.8 G,

1/4000sec at f/11, ISO 200

Nikon D780

Nikonfirmlybelievesthere’saplaceforDSLRs

alongsidemirrorlessmodelsforafewyearsyet.

MichaelTophaminvestigateshowthefirm

hasimprovedoneofitsmostpopularDSLRs

I

t hasbeen fascinating to

watchthe development of

camerasover the past few

years.We’ve seen many of

thebigplayersin the market shift

theirfocusawayfrom DSLRs and

extensivelyexpand their mirrorless

systems.Nikonhas entered the

mirrorlessmarket and hit the

groundrunning.The Z 50, Z 6 and

Z 7 haveallpicked up accolades,

butratherthanabandoning the

productionof DSLRs altogether

andforcingcustomers to its new

Z-series,a moretactful approach

hasbeentakento run its DSLR

andmirrorlesssystems alongside

oneanother.

TheD780arrives as the

long-awaitedsuccessor to the

D750– oneof Nikon’s most

popularandbest-selling DSLRs.

Saidtobethecompany’s most

versatileDSLRever, it profi ts from

thingsNikonhaslearnt from

mirrorless to make it a better

all-rounder. The question is: can

the D780 still lure passionate

enthusiasts and professional

photographers to it in a world

where many smaller and lighter

full-frame mirrorless cameras can

be picked up for less?

Features

Whereas the D750 had a

24.3-million-pixel full-frame

CMOS sensor, the D780 employs

a newer 24.5-million-pixel

full-frame CMOS chip that’s

understood, but not offi cially

confi rmed, to be the same as that

used in the Nikon Z 6. As well as

having a low-pass fi lter to

eliminate moiré and backside-

illuminated structure to maximise

its light-gathering capabilities

across an ISO 100-51,200 range

(expandable to ISO 50-

204,800), the sensor benefi ts

Ataglance

£ 2,199 body only

● 24.5MP full-frame CMOS sensor

● Nikon F mount

● ISO 100-12,800

(ISO 50-204,800 extended)

● Hybrid AF system

● 3.2in, 2,360k-dot tilting

touchscreen

● 12fps in live view (7fps via OVF)

Testbench CAMERA TEST

For and against

Built to an extremely robust,

professional standard

Sensor produces high-quality

images, even at high ISOs

Impressive Eye Detection in

live view mode

Excellent battery life with

in-camera USB charging

Lacks a pop-up flash and AF

assist lamp

Doesn’t feature a joystick

No metal contacts for portrait

orientation control with a

battery grip

Four-way controller lock can

easily be knocked by accident

Datafile

Sensor 24.5MP CMOS, 35.9 x 23.9mm

Output size 6048x4024 pixels

Focal length mag 1x

Lens mount Nikon F

Shutter speeds 30sec-1/8000sec

(extendable to 900s in Manual)

Sensitivity ISO 100-51,200 standard

ISO 50-204,800 extended

Exposure modes PASM, Auto, Special Effects

Exposure comp +/-5EV (+/-3EV movie recording)

Drive Mode 7fps via OVF (12fps in live view)

Screen 3.2in, 2.36m-dot tilting LCD

Viewfinder 0.7x magnification, 100%

coverage

AF points 51 via OVF, 273 in Live View

Video 4K (30/25/24p), Full HD up to

120fps

External mic 3.5mm stereo

Memory card 2x SD, SDHC, SDXC

(both UHS-II compatible)

Power EN-EL15b (2060 shots)

Dimensions 143.5x115.5x76mm

Weight 840g (with battery and card)