Nikon D780

mhedges

Looks like this will be announced next week. Rumored specs are basically a Z6 sensor inside a D750-like body, with improved FPS/buffer performance and Z6 like AF in video/live view. Same number of AF points as D750 when shooting OVF, and no connections for a functioning battery grip. Price about $2K.

A lot of people are upset about the lack of a grip option. Personally, I'm not sure how many folks actually use a grip on these cameras - I don't think it's all that many. But still this seems like a lot of $$ for what is really a fairly marginal upgrade, especially for stills shooters

PB_PM

Sounds about right. Rumours posted on the main site seemed to be pointing towards more focus points, maybe closer to 100, rather than the old 51 point system it uses now. Edited, didn’t see admin updated the post. No new AF system? Lame, that would have been the only reason I would have considered upgrading. Pass.

I never got the grip for the D750, even though I wanted it, because they wanted way too much money ($499 Cdn) for it, ridiculous. I love the grip for improved balance with long lenses, and vertical shooting, but at that price, no way. I bet many of the people who had grips had third party versions.

WestEndFoto

On the main blog I made the following comment about the D780. My point is that it might be better to think of the D780 as a D610 upgrade, not a D750 upgrade.


We will wait and see. Imagine that the D610 was upgraded? What would it look like? I might imagine something like the D750’s five year old focus system. A minor upgrade to the sensor with no resolution increase. Certainly no grip and flash to cut costs. No upgrade to XQD, but two slots would be a surprise.

Hmmm... sounds like the current D750.

Now what would I expect from a D750 upgrade that we didn’t get? Grip, better AF (but inferior to D750) two XQD slots, 36 or more MP.......

Or put another way, If I was a D610 user, I would see this as a compelling upgrade. But if a D750 user wants to upgrade or replace their D750 because of wear, I might advise them to find a cheap and new D750 while they are still available and save their money for a lens.

Now there are some holes in my argument, so I would think of it as a discussion point.

mhedges

Well it does have a pretty big AF upgrade over the 610, especially in low light. But even then if I was a D610 user and wanted an upgrade I would consider one of the very cheap D750's currently out there. Or if I wanted to spend ~$2K and stay DSLR you can almost get a grey D850 for that.

As far as @PB_PM 's point about the grip - yes a lot of folks on the blog are saying that. The Nikon grip was too expensive and they went 3rd party. I'm curious what the attach rate is for grips in general, which is probably a hard number to figure out since so many folks use 3rd party. Anecdotally from what I see it's not that many, but I also just plain don't see all that many higher end cameras out there that have an option for a functioning grip.

spraynpray

If the upgrade to the live view focussing system takes it closer to Canon's, that would be a major plus for me. The Nikon AF in live view is really clunky. Toy camera clunky. Or I'm doing something wrong.

mhedges

I'm thinking it will basically be Z6 focus in live view, or possibly better since they've had over a year to work on it more. So pretty good. Much improved over any of the current Nikon DSLRs live view AF.

spraynpray

It's that hideous delay while it focusses and slowly releases that drives me crazy.

mhedges

That's because it's contrast detect only.

spraynpray

Yeah and that's a massive difference between Nikon and Canon in their favour.

bald_eagle

I must admit the lack of pop-up flash is a big disappointment for me..I use the pop-up flash regularly to trigger remote flashes.

I've never used a grip with any Nikon DSLR that I've owned, so lack of grip contacts is not a biggie.

For me the only reason to even consider getting one would be the improved AF in Live View (which hopefully will greatly improve the complete Live View experience).

Definitely won't be rushing out to buy one though (once bitten, twice shy - my 2014 D750 has been back to Nikon a few times for recalls and warranty repairs!)

Cheers,
Baldy

sport

I've been looking at upgrading my d750 for the last two months and it's been a struggle for me to justify Nikon prices. If the specs are as listed on the rumor side then the 780 misses for me. The battery grip is a big deal for me. It's like they want to raise the price on a stripped down model. I also have other concerns with regards to Nikon:

- The D750 shutter issues bit me hard during a potentially big (to me) opportunity. I ended up missing shots because the camera kept locking up. That's just one of a few issues I've had, the quality is not as good with this camera.

- Nikon keeps missing the mark with accessories. Watching how the Z series has been going has been sad. You cannot expect customers to accept what they with the battery pack. It looks like they are going to keep missing out on what consumers want.

- The updates for Z series software issues takes way too long for Nikon to sort out. Seriously, Nikon if you read anything I write please hire a software company to write and maintain your software. You suck at it.

- The big hit against them for me is the amount of time it takes them to release new lenses and the amount of time it takes to actually get one. This started with the DX line of lenses where they just quit making DX specific ones. The whole CX train wreck was sad to watch. And now they are dragging again with the Z series.

Now, with all that said I still want to go with Nikon. The D750 has been great since it was repaired and I have a lot invested in glass. It's just hard for me to justify the new cameras with the shortcuts they take.

Pistnbroke

Well you know what I am going to say 24Mp FX not interested.

Photobug

sport - I agree with you about the battery grip. That is important to me as well. When I was in Alaska, I shot images all day using up the internal battery and then half of the battery grip. Loved not having to worry about changing batteries.

For me, taking vertical shots is so much better with the grip with the shutter button and AF/EF Lock being used as an "AF" on button. Much more comfortable for me taking vertical photos.

I only had an issue with my D750 with the 2nd shutter locking up. I wound up with three recalls on my D750. Got mine about 6 weeks after it was launched. It's been a great camera for me and my first FX camera.

NSXTypeR

You know, I'm kind of glad Nikon is still making DSLRs at least for the short term. Who knows how much longer that'll happen, but at least they're there for those of us who have no plans of switching to the Z system anytime soon.

A DSLR does everything I need it to do, the Z system doesn't add anything else other than cost for me. If anything, I might get the D7500 or whatever that replaces it along with the AF-P 70-300. I'm a little bummed out the AF-P technology came out so late, I'm curious where Nikon would have gone with it.

sport

Yes, it has really made a difference for me as well. There is also another reason that I have it, having the AA option. I made a mistake once and went on a trip to the middle of South Dakota and left my batteries and charger at home. Really was not happy with myself on that one. USB charging would a great option as everything else I use can be charged with a USB-C charger.

I've been really happy with the D750 since the shutter was fixed. Planning on using it for a second body when I don't want to change lens in the field. Really want something that has a faster framerate and 1/8000 shutter. D500 will probably be my future.

Pistnbroke

I remember the D80/90 grip that had the stork up the battery chamber and two batteries in the base . Perhaps some third party will do that or even an EN EL 18.
I always have a grip but never use it for vertical . I just twist my wrist ..too much trouble all that hand over hand to change to the vertical grip.

DaveyJ

I use the D7500 every day now. The 16-80 is one of the best lens I have ever used. I have seven 70-300s and now use the new (?) 70-300 AF-P DX VR almost of those all the time. Better at 300 than many of the others. And the great 200-500 f 5.6. Our D500 is mostly used by my son and grandson, often in UW housing. I finally bought into mirrorless with the Z50 and two kit lens. That is excellent for what it is. Had the Z6 been available with the 24-70 f4S with a 7-350 f5.6 S and at a price I could justify that is where I might have gone. If I were going DSLR I would demand a DX DSLR like a D500 upgrade. There are more pros I know who dropped Canon who owned a lot of Canon gear because of the D500. But the lack of an on board flash was a big loss! A revised D500 with on board flash and upgraded ExSpeed would instantly get my order and others I know. If it had even better and especially non cropped video like the Z6 and Z50 that would be a real plus! I see the Z50 is very popular in Japan.

If they do a Z70 I sure hope it would be Z6 size, not Z50! Real enthusiasts are more into capability, not minis. But the Z50 and kit lens is a blockbuster travel camera. It surely could use real back lens caps not the cheap white unreliable caps and it does use screw in lens hoods and I do not know yet if the UV and or thin polarizers I am using can stack up filter and hood??

DaveyJ

I must note I tried every mirrorless camera out there I could access. Only the Nikon appealed to me. I still do not own an FTZ as the D7500 is to me what I'd rather use with my fleet of Nikkor and one fairly expensive wide zoom Sigma.

mhedges

@DaveyJ I agree the 16-80 is a great lens.

Pardon me if we've already discussed it, but how do you like what the 70-300 DX AF-P lens gives you? I really wanted to like that lens, but could never get really sharp images from mine, especially at 300. Would up getting rid of it and bought the FX version which I liked much better.

mhedges

Lots of details coming out:

Same metering module as D850
1/8000 min shutter
900 sec max shutter
New AF-ON and ISO buttons
HLG video (not sure what that is but folks seem to think it's good)

PB_PM

Camera officially announced. Oddly enough Nikon currently lists the D780 as being compatible with a grip, the old MB-D10, that original worked with the D300(s) and D700. Either it's a mistake or they have a ton of them sitting in a warehouse and want them gone.

https://nikonusa.com/en/Nikon-Products/Photography-Accessories/DSLR-Camera-Accessories.page?#!/tag:7WA:Power%20Accessories/product:1618:D780

Edit must be a mistake, pictures of the bottom of the camera show no contacts for a grip.

NSXTypeR

Does anyone know if the USB-C port can be used for data transfer? Would be pretty awesome if you could just attach a hard drive and dump photos automatically for backup. Maybe that would be asking for too much...

KnockKnock

First thought. I like it, all good additions, but not the upgrade enough over the D750 to make me lust for it and pull the trigger. As a D7100 shooter looking to upgrade, I'm more likely to move to a D750 on sale or a Z6. The latest sale on the 1-yr old Z6 with FTZ and 24-70 f/4 lens at 2300 USD beats the D780 _sans_ lens.

mhedges

$2300 yikes. That’s a hard sell, IMO.

PB_PM

Yeah, might just pick up a second D750 while it's priced to move.

sport

NSXTypeR said:

Does anyone know if the USB-C port can be used for data transfer? Would be pretty awesome if you could just attach a hard drive and dump photos automatically for backup. Maybe that would be asking for too much...

NikonUSA says that it is for charging and data transfer. If it has USB-C charging then I am not as worried about the lack of battery grip. The live view 12 fps really has me interested. This has the potential to make for a great camera for those of us not ready for mirrorless. I know that some people are turned off by the 24mp, but for me it's perfectly fine. Waiting to see how it performs once it's used in the field.