Thanks for sharing your thoughts and comments...I still have my D500 & am very happy although I do like the positives of the D780 that you mention in the video....I haven't considered moving to mirrorless gear yet as I am only a hobbyist & mirrorless are too expensive at the moment.... cheers from Australia 🦘🦘😊

Thank you for your comments about the D780. I also just bought one a short while ago and I love it. I prefer the handling of a DSLR over a smaller Z camera for pro work. I also got the Z5 for when I want to travel with a smaller camera, as there was not enough budget for z6ii (the Z5 body was $1000 less than z6ii in Canada). I definitely preferred buying a D780 over a z6ii for most of the work I do (products and headshots and some events), as I like the OVF and the 2 focusing systems are good for photos or video. This D780 camera is definitely relevant in todays world as lots of pros still keep using DSLRs, as lots of external control buttons etc.

Still have mine in a semi regular rotation. The sound and feel of the pentaprism on a Nikon is a zen experience. Only disappointing thing about that camera is it makes you think about what a D880 could have been. Good content.

I have sold few mirrorless cameras and goind back to this one in 2023. Yes, the Z5 disappointed me with the autofocus, as did the a7iii with the shutter and feeling cheap. This one has a soul, a click and a good photo is there, no bullshit.

I bought a d780. Why not a z6? Oh let me see.......more comforatable and deeper hand grip, couldn't get the FTZ and Z6 to talk to my 3rd party lenses, couldn't use my older D series lenses, Z6 has only one card slot, z6 battery life is crap, didn't like the EVF - it's still laggy, don't like the 1980's casio watch style top screen... oh yes then there's those stupidly expensive XQD cards! AND at the moment the difference between a D780 and the the z6 ii, which has 2 card slots, is about £100.....so no, even the z6 ii doesn't make sense next to a D780. ......Once you have factored in the FTZ adaptor, the extra batteries you will need, and the XQD card, actually the D780 is cheaper! Why is it that mirrorless folk seem to think that their choice of this new fangled technology is superior? for video maybe it makes sense, but for everything else get a DSLR. Dump the marketing hype, get a D780!

I just bought this camera and I'm waiting for it to get here. I went to a camera store and messed around with a few different cameras and this one just felt right in the hand. I understand the appeal of mirrorless, but I honestly feel that the build quality on DSLRs are better and I feel like larger lenses make the mirrorless cameras kinda front heavy. Also, the quality of the EVF in the Z6 isn't that great. I will probably get a mirrorless camera once they are better quality and more affordable. Also, lens selection. 😬

Isn't it nice to have choices! You have proven your point, you have a need, you were smart, and made the right decision! Good luck to you and keep clicking !!! Are you saying a new lens review is coming?

I own the Nikon D750 and are very happy with it! I gave away all the Nikon DX bodies to Family Members to get them started with Photography rather than using their Phones! My next camera will be the D780 that I will add to the D750 bag! It's Full Frame or nothing!

Congrats on your purchase! I Won't be jumping into mirrorless territory YET...this camera D780 might very well be the LAST DSLR that I'll ever own...will buy a used one before the holidays, then will wait for the next 2 years or so (or more) until Nikon comes up with an amazong sub $2K mirrorless. These Z line of bodies I feel like a bit overpriced for what they are at the moment and the only native lenses worth getting are the 50mm 1.8 and the 40mm f2 Still very happy with my D750 and D610 with my SIGMA ART lenses

I had this camera for a while, it's definitely one of the most underrated camera ! Someone sadly stole it... I used it for years alone, then got a Z9, and was still using the D780 in low light - what most specs don't show is - there is NO AF-assist with mirrorless. I'm talking about AF-assist that the flash send, mirrorless use the sensor to focus, and there's IR filter in front of it, so, they can't see infrared that are used for AF-assist. On the D780, or any DSLR, the camera grab instant and accurate AF even in pitch black scenario, whereas the mirrorless will hunt, find focus very slowly AND probably miss it. Even in very high end cameras like the Z9. Only way around it is to use continuous lighting, which is really not ideal for example when you shoot weddings or concerts.

z5 still has a crop factor at 4k, but it is such an underrated camera. It is often on special for 1k. Stills are excellent and I find the auto focus faster than the z7ii.

Thankfully, all the used cameras I bought were non smokers. One camera liked to dip though. ✌️😂 Seriously, congrats on your purchase. It’s a great camera regardless of how many new cameras are released.

As an astrophotographer, the biggest reason I bought a used D780 over a new Z6 was that DSLRs have a lower power consumption, thus are more reliable in temperatures well below freezing. The other reasons were the D780 having the sensor and latest image processor and that I wasn't to give up on D-lenses, which are now super affordable.

I have thought if I were to get another DSLR camera, it would be the D850 or D780. I do like how the D780 has a higher ISO range.

Just ordered one today. I will not think about a switch to Nikon mirrorless until they make an adapter for "D Series" lenses.

I think i'm going upgrade my Nikon gear but I"m going with Canon , this time around . I have a nikon d7200 and various lenses. I really like the Canon r10 .

The beauty of these more modern Nikon DSLRs is that there is AF Fine Tune lens calibrations in the camera for any individual F lens that once calibrated it is stored in the camera memory and camera recognizes that lens automatically every time you mount it... as long it is the D series onward with data contacts. There is a Non-CPU Lens for manual lenses that can also be store but I believe has to be enabled in the menu each time lens is mounted, not sure if focus accuracy is part of that data, I have yet to try it on my Ai/Ai-S lenses. Coming from lier Nikon DSLRs to Fuji X mirrorless now back to Nikon, I too have the Z5 and D850 as my "updated" gear. I still have yet to get any Z glass for my Z5 and have been adapting F glass But I am now thinking I should just trade in my Z5 and get the D780 as my dedicated 24Mp everyday/general camera since I have a nice collection of F glass dating back to the 70's to present G series. The Z5 is a fantastic camera and that IBIS is definitely the icing on the cake but compared to my DSLRs it feels like a toy with less tactile controls that I'm used to on the DSLRs.

I sort of wish I never sold my Nikon D610, I should've just kept it and had it for vintage glass haha.

I wanted the Z6ll, but just outside my budget. So with being a Hybrid Camera, I can learn some Mirrorless camera skills

Used D780 are still rare in Australia. Hopefully more will come on the used market at an affordable price this time next year.

What is the Mystery Camera?

Great video and very helpful in helping me decide if I should go for one. I currently shoot Mirrorless with Leica but used to use Nikon DSLR’s in the past. Never full frame though and I’ve got the opportunity to buy a new D780 for half price.. but tossing up if I should or not because of the “DSLR” factor.. but this video has definitely helped. So I’ve sub’d.

Great Video, do you know if there is an after market battery grip for the d780?

I've been using my nikon d5100 for 11 years and am wanting to get a new camera now as it's dying and I've outgrown it lol. I can't decide between this one and switching to mirrorless. I have lenses but they're APSC so I'd need to get new ones no matter what I choose I reckon. I love that DSLR battery life and the optical view finder, I'd get this one with no hesitation if it was lighter...that's the only thing that's making me concerned as I do a lot of travel photography and am building a youtube presence for travel videos so I want something for both that will be easy to hike with/carry around. Curious what other people's thoughts are on this? is the D780 easy to carry around?

well if anybody would enlighten me how to use silent electronic shutter and avoid banding under LED lights with the D780 .... but nobody even talks about it ... hmmm

Maybe my next camera, if my D750 or D850 dies...

would love to get a D780 or D850, my D7000 had his best time

The D780 is a fabulous camera! It is too bad that Nikon didn't create it three years before it was released. I reluctantly sold mine because I moved to Nikon's mirrorless system. I used this as a travel camera for awhile with the inferior Nikon 28-300mm lens. This lens sadly underperformed with this camera. The D780 is a smooth running machine. I hope that Nikon eventually makes a much improved 28-300 z mount lens. Maybe I just had a bad copy of my f mount version of this lens.

I just picked up a D780... I have to say I'm disappointed that it's ISO performance is basically the same as my D750, I mean you'd think that dual native ISO & BSI tech might translate to say a extra 1stop of improvement but I'm not seeing it. On the plus side the liveview experience has transformed and might potentially offer me a way to approach headshots differently using eye AF (my favourite portrait lenses are D lenses so the Z6/Z6ii route was never viable). The video side also looks to have significant potential for reels and what not. However when it boils down to it for the same money as a D780 you can have a D750 for the stills and a panasonic GH5 for the video side and I suspect for most professional paid gigs you're far better off with a D750 + GH5. What the D780 enables you to do is capture quick & easy video clips during a stills shoot for social media reels to promote your work i.e. the fluff but don't get me wrong more than I care to admit sometimes it is the fluff that attracts you new clients.

I’ve been looking at buying this one too

How does autofocus compare to d4s? Shooting normal, through the viewfinder?

I bought the D780 for those exact same reasons. I wante dthe best Nikon hybrid DSLR that I can use all my native F glass on. I have a Z7II so the Z6 was not something I felt that I needed.

Sorry ZWade, I have to disagree in the D780. Unless one shoots video, this camera is NOT ENOUGH of an upgrade to warrant spending the $ over a D750, esp. if one already has a D750 (and I do, along with a D850, a Z9, 2 F100s, an N80 and today an F6).

Good bye