Nikon D780

Nikon D780 was announced in 2020 and is a Full Frame (35.9 x 23.9 mm) DSLR camera with 24.5 Megapixel BSI-CMOS sensor. Its native ISO ranges from 100 to 51,200 and expands to 50 - 204,800 in boosted mode. The camera has a Tilting 3.2" screen with 2,359k dot resolution and built-in Optical (pentaprism) viewfinder.

Nikon D780 can capture video up to 3840 x 2160 resolution.

Here is the Nikon D7xx series lineup, where you can view and compare the main specifications of the cameras within the same series.

Nikon D7xx series lineup

	Model	Date	Sensor	Native ISO	Screen	Price
	Nikon D780	January 2020	24.5 MP Full Frame	100 - 51,200	Tilting 3.2" 2,359k dot Touchscreen	amazon B&H
	Nikon D750 Compare	September 2014	24.3 MP Full Frame	100 - 12,800	Tilting 3.2" 1,229k dot	amazon B&H
	Nikon D700 Compare	October 2008	12.1 MP Full Frame	200 - 6,400	Fixed 3.0" 922k dot	amazon B&H

You can view their side-by-side comparison here: Nikon D780 vs D750 vs D700.

In this section we present pros and cons of Nikon D780.

Here we are comparing Nikon D780 to its predecessor D750 and displaying the major changes.

For more detailed comparison between the models please visit Nikon D780 vs D750.

Tilting Touchscreen

Nikon D780 has a 3.2" Tilting touchscreen with 2,359k dot resolution which is quite high by today's standards. Tilting screen makes this camera very useful for photography purposes but not so useful for video shooting.

Optical (pentaprism) Viewfinder

Camera has a built-in Optical (pentaprism) viewfinder. It has a 100% coverage and 0.70x magnification.

BSI-CMOS Sensor

Nikon D780 features a 24.5 megapixel Full Frame BSI-CMOS sensor with dimensions of 35.9 x 23.9 mm and a total area of 858 mm². Its native ISO range is 100 - 51,200 and expands to 50 - 204,800 in boosted mode.

The camera has BSI-CMOS sensor, short for Backside Illuminated Complementary Metal-Oxide-Semiconductor sensor. In traditional CMOS sensors, the wiring and circuitry are located on the front side of the sensor, which can block some of the incoming light. BSI technology flips this design by placing the photosensitive elements (pixels) on the backside of the sensor, allowing more light to reach the pixels. This significantly enhances light sensitivity and improves low-light performance. BSI-CMOS sensors are particularly effective in low-light conditions, as they can capture more light, resulting in brighter and less noisy images. This makes them well-suited for indoor and night photography. BSI-CMOS sensors deliver a higher SNR and reduced cross-talk.

Here is a sensor size comparison chart where you can see how Nikon D780's Full Frame sensor compares with other types of sensors:

Sensor size chart

	Sensor	Dimensions	Area	Aspect Ratio	Crop Factor
	Medium Format	44 x 33 mm	1452 mm2	4:3	0.79x
	Full Frame	35.9 x 23.9 mm	858 mm2	3:2	1x
	APS-H	27 x 18 mm	486 mm2	3:2	1.3x
	APS-C	23.6 x 15.6 mm	368.2 mm2	3:2	1.5x
	APS-C (Canon)	22.3 x 14.9 mm	332.3 mm2	3:2	1.6x
	Micro Four Thirds	17.4 x 13 mm	226.2 mm2	4:3	2x
	1-inch	13.2 x 8.8 mm	116.2 mm2	3:2	2.7x
	1/1.7-inch	7.44 x 5.58 mm	41.5 mm2	4:3	4.7x
	1/2.3-inch	6.17 x 4.55 mm	28.1 mm2	4:3	5.6x

Camera is equipped with EXPEED 6 processor and can take pictures up to 6048 x 4024 resolution. It can also take pictures with lower resolutions like 3936 x 2624 (DX crop) with 1:1, 3:2, 16:9 aspect ratios.

Lens Mount

Nikon D780 has Nikon F lens mount. Due to Full Frame sensor its crop factor (also called lens multiplier) is 1x. This means that a 35mm equivalent focal length of the mounted lens will be equal to its actual focal length.

No In-Body Image Stabilization

The camera does not have in-body image stabilization (IBIS) so it needs lenses with optical image stabilization for vibration reduction.

Built-in Wi-Fi

Camera has a built-in Wi-Fi (802.11b/g/n, 2.4 GHz) which allows to easily transfer photos and videos from the camera to other Wi-Fi-enabled devices, such as smartphones, tablets, printers, or computers. This eliminates the need for cables and allows for quick and convenient media sharing and social media integration. It gives you the ability to control your camera remotely using a smartphone or tablet. This is particularly useful for taking self-portraits, group shots, or capturing images in challenging conditions without having to touch the camera. Firmware updates can also be downloaded and installed wirelessly.
  Check out the cameras in our database that have built-in WiFi.

Bluetooth

Camera has a built-in Bluetooth (version 4.1) which lets you to connect the camera to a smartphone or a dedicated remote control device. This allows you to remotely trigger the camera, adjust settings and controls remotely through a paired mobile app. While Wi-Fi is generally faster for transferring larger files, Bluetooth can be used for small, selective transfers, it can provide real-time information about your camera's battery status, memory card capacity, and other key settings directly on your paired smartphone or smartwatch.
  Check out the cameras in our database that have built-in Bluetooth.

USB Input and HDMI Output

Nikon D780 has a USB 3.2 Gen 1x1 (5 GBit/sec) Type-C input for data transfer and battery charging. There is a Mini HDMI connector for video signal output.

Battery

Nikon D780 comes with EN-EL15b battery pack with battery life of 2260 shots.

External Storage Slots

The camera has Dual SD/SDHC/SDXC (UHS-II) card slots.

Shutter

Nikon D780 has Electronic shutter and Mechanical Focal Plane shutter. Shutter speed can go up to 1/8000 sec. Camera can shoot continuously up to 12.0 fps.

Focusing

Nikon D780 has 51 (15 cross-type) focusing points and from -3 to +19 EV detection range. Touch-to-Focus allows users to select a specific point on the screen where they want the camera to focus. This feature can be helpful for achieving precise focus in both photo and video recording. There is also face detection feature which automatically finds and focuses on faces.

Exposure

Camera's exposure metering ranges from -3 to +20 EV and you can set the exposure compensation within the ±5 EV range. You can also do exposure lock, exposure bracketing and manual exposure adjustment.

Flash

Nikon D780 has no built-in flash but an external flash may be connected via Hot Shoe. The fastest flash synchronization speed is 1/200 sec. Flash compensation can be set from -3 to +1 EV with 1/3 or 1/2 or 1 EV step increments.

Nikon D780 has dimensions of 144 x 116 x 76 mm (5.67 x 4.57 x 2.99"). It weighs 840 g (1.85 lb / 29.63 oz) which is neither heavy nor lightweight.

144 mm (5.67")

116 mm (4.57")

116 mm (4.57")

76 mm (2.99")