K i t Z o n e
110 DIGITAL CAMERA^ APRIL 2020 http://www.digitalcameraworld.comhe launch of the Nikon
D780 will reignite a
long-running debate
about mirrorless versus
DSLR cameras. It might
even blur the boundaries.
Like last year’s Canon EOS 90D, the
Nikon D780 is staging a counter-attack
against the advancing hordes of
mirrorless cameras. It takes crucial
mirrorless technology from Nikon’s
Z 6 to produce a kind of hybrid camera
that offers the best of both worlds:
an optical through-the-lens viewfinder,
but the high-performance Live View
AF and video features of a mirrorless.
Traditionally, DSLRs offer optical
viewing but compromised (slow) Live
View autofocus. Mirrorless camerasoffer fast, hybrid on-sensor phase-
detection AF but compromise with
an electronic viewfinder (although
many see it as an advantage,
not a compromise).
However, there’s been no technical
reason why DSLRs shouldn’t have the
same on-sensor Live View AF features
as mirrorless cameras, and now it’s
happening. Canon has been using its
phase-detection on-sensor Dual Pixel
CMOS AF system in its DSLRs for
some time, and Nikon has now
done the same with the D780.
The D780 is the first Nikon DSLR
to adopt this approach, but it seems
unlikely to be the last. It’s a more
upmarket alternative to Nikon’s
popular D750, sharing the sameSpecifications
Sensor: 24.4MP back-illuminated full-frame CMOS
Image processor: Expeed 6
Autofocus: 51-point phase detect (viewfinder),
273-point hybrid phase detect (Live View)
ISO range: 100-51,200 (exp 50-204,800)
Max image size: 6,048 x 4,024
Metering modes: 180k RGB sensor, Matrix,
center weighted, spot, highlight weighted
Video: 4K UHD, 30/25/24p
Viewfinder: Optical pentaprism,
0.7x magnification, 100% coverage
Screen: 3.2-inch, 2,359k-dot tilting touchscreen
Memory card: 2 x SD/SDHC/SDXC (UHS II)
Max burst: Up to 7fps (viewfinder), 12fps (live view)
Size: 144 x 116 x 76mm
Weight: 840g (including battery and memory card)T
The last hurrah for the DSLR, or a sign of things to come?
Nikon D780
£2,199/$2,299
1
Unlike most mirrorless
cameras, which are all
angles and edges, the
D780 has a smoothly
contoured body, with
soft-feel materials and
a comfortable grip.2
Nikon claims an
amazing 2,260-shot
battery life, though
we’d expect this to
drop with a lot of
Live View use.DSLR Nikon D780
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