Nikon D780

spraynpray

Hmm, Im not a fan of it so far, I have an editing prog with AI and it isn't ready yet IMHO.

Pistnbroke

So I got to pay a subscription to the cloud to use my camera ...??

PB_PM

Nikon would love it if you did. Why? Subscriptions equals guaranteed profits, just look at Adobe, record profits every year since moving to subscriptions. What company wouldn’t want that?

mhedges

spraynpray said:

Great summation from those posts.

I dont know whether to feel happy or sad though. We still aren't near the low light performance that I would like, although much, much closer than the old days in digital.

I think low light performance will improve but not because of sensor improvements. It will be due to computational stuff, likely in-camera consolidation of multiple exposures.

DaveyJ

I have used almost every DX Camera Nikon has made including the great little Z 50 and the two kit lens. Although I have owned HUGE film cameras in the past I have avoided bigger cameras as the actual experience I have had in the field is small, light and packed with power is what i need.

FOR THE FIRST time I am stepping to a Nikon FF camera and already have a number of great lens to use on it. After a through assessment and Thom Hogan and PhotoBug reviews I have decided I am getting the D780 and the 24-120 kit lens and the Nikon 70-200 f4 lens. I can use the good stuff I have and already know I do not want a 70-200 f 2.8 as I owned and used it a lot in the Nikon F5 era. I still have the F5 but the 70-200 f 2.8 was a wrist breaker and I stop down in preference to staying wide open.

I have really been impressed with the D7500 and the Nikon 200-500 f 5.6. The D780 looks like a great addition to what I have now. My family is using incredibly advanced video gear of very high resolution. I need both good video and great stills.

WestEndFoto

What video gear is your family using DaveyJ?

[Deleted User]

Can anyone speak to why Nikon chose to include an AA filter in the D780? The JPEG outputs look great from samples nonetheless. Seems curious that with so much attention to eliminating AA filters to improve sharpness for a few years now starting with the D800E, Nikon has reversed course. Is moire still an issue?

Pistnbroke

I think all the D7xx cameras had an AA filter. My first rule. Never buy a camera with an AA filter. Check out the sharpness reduction it causes on DXO

PB_PM

Meh the AA vs non AA thing is totally blown out of proportion, unless your bad enough of a shooter that you have to do 100% crops of all your shots, or weak glass that lacks sharpness to start with.

mhedges

I would at least wait to see how the Z6II looks before ordering a D780 myself, especially if video is a concern.

Photobug

PB_PM said:

Meh the AA vs non AA thing is totally blown out of proportion, unless your bad enough of a shooter that you have to do 100% crops of all your shots, or weak glass that lacks sharpness to start with.

Agree with your AA comments.

I have had the D780 a couple of months and this past weekend took 200 pictures at our grandsons two baseball games. Really impressive with both single point and 3D focus tracking.

All the videos that I have seen were great taken with the D780. I have just started to play with the video side and hope to shoot video at his next game.

DaveyJ - you will not regret making this upgrade. The 24-120 and 70-200 f/4 are an excellent combination for this camera.

Pistnbroke

Certainly the AA filters have become weaker . The reduction in sharpness between a D800 and a D800E was about 25% while between a D3200 and D3300 only 10%

spraynpray

As I have said on here before, I bought the D750 and 24-120 kit when it first came out. The D750 was a great body but I ended up selling the 24-120 f4 VR due to really forgettable IQ in the mid zoom range when wide open or near.

Photobug

spraynpray said:

As I have said on here before, I bought the D750 and 24-120 kit when it first came out. The D750 was a great body but I ended up selling the 24-120 f4 VR due to really forgettable IQ in the mid zoom range when wide open or near.

I never owned that 24-120 lens. Wonder if that was a one up issue or typical of that lens? Don't have the answer for that question. If that is typical of that lens, Pinsnbroke should look for a different lens.

mhedges

The opinions on that lens are very mixed. Hard to say if it is due to sample variation or differing expectations.

Pistnbroke

I have owned two and both junk ..VR f4 versions The 24-85 VR is very sharp but I use the N 28-300..much loved by Rockwell

spraynpray

I did try another at WEX in Norwich and found that to be exactly the same. As to differing expectations, it has a gold ring on it, so what should I expect?

DaveyJ

To West End Photo:My family is using SONY 7 aerial and Black Magic 7K and has a supposed 15K coming. They are using Zeiss primes with PLMount.They have a RED also. An a 9mm Lowoa lens (sp?) Nikon D500 in an underwater housing and a fleet of other UW gear. They are using about 20 quadcopter several are really BIG! Some of these are DJI some are racing drones. They are also using DJI they modified to be used on jeeps. buggies and rovers.

WestEndFoto

Hi DaveyJ, I have always wondered what your family does that requires so much gear. It sounds very interesting.

mhedges

WestEndFoto said:

Hi DaveyJ, I have always wondered what your family does that requires so much gear. It sounds very interesting.

Same here.

DaveyJ

They commercially film. The Film Festivals in a number of towns like Lake Placid, NY and Key West have used their films as the feature film. Eventually they will do their own exclusive movies, right now it is commercials like Jeep, Polaris, some National Park Service, etc., A lot of their gear has been rebuilt by them to do specialized filming. They also have put on National Off Road Motorcycle Races on our own farm in the southern tier NYS, the 1790 Home Farm. Year before last it was the Blacksky GNCC in four days in September and this year in August the Blacksky NYOA AMA National. They are on Instagram as Blacksky Entertainment.

DaveyJ

To Photobug: You have filmed places I have very effectively. You commented on my possible purchase of a Nikon D780 with two lenses, the 24-120 and the 70-200 F4 Nikon. That would complement my DX cameras, a D7500. a D500, and my lenses 16-80, 70-300 VX VR and especially the Nikon 200-500 f5.6. I also have thought a less expensive route would be a D7500 (again) and the 70-200 f4 Nikon. You own this gear. And you have used your gear, although not the D780 at places like YNP. My brother Kermit and I gave 850 acres to Olympia NP as we believe in the National Parks. He did it for a tax write off. I did it as I regard our National Parks as one of our Nations best ideas.

But from my large format days I regard expensive photo gear that doesn't serve a specific purpose as money thrown away. My passion has been farming and it comes with heavy taxes. I do see though the Nikon D7500 is currently unavailable at B&H Photo. I have had pretty good luck with the video on the D7500. The lens I use the most for wildlife is the 200-500 and I use a Oben tripod heavily weighted to do the video work. I see Thom Hogan rates the D780 as Highly Recommended! I sure do not want a 70-200 f2.8 as I do stop down a lot to around f8.

So the 70-200 f4 is also needed. Wildlife can move quickly and erratically. Mostly that type of video now I do on the D7500 and 200-500. Until I actually own a D780 I don't really know how that would do. I have the wonderful Nikon Z50 and the two kit lens and use them a LOT. BUT the D7500 is far superior for field wildlife speed. And I do not own the FTZ and would NOT use it on a Z50 ever!

I have very little need for vertical grips or that ilk. I also would prefer two SDHD Sandisk high speed cards rather than the QCD and a SDHD. The D7500 ONE card has never failed me.

axlrose

Can we hope for any firmware update for improving low light focus?

mhedges

axlrose said:

Can we hope for any firmware update for improving low light focus?

For live view or OVF shooting?

Either way I suspect the answer is no.