Nikon D6 vs Nikon D780
Better figure, where one is clearly better
| NikonD6 | NikonD780 | |
|---|---|---|
| Overview | ||
| Released | June 2020 | January 2020 |
| Image and sensor | ||
| Camera type | DSLR | DSLR |
| Sensor format | Full frame | Full frame |
| Sensor type | CMOS | Backside-illuminated CMOS |
| Sensor dimensions | 35.9 × 23.9 mm | 35.9 × 23.9 mm |
| Effective resolution | 20.8 MP | 24.5 MP |
| Largest image | 5568 × 3712 | 6048 × 4024 |
| RAW recording | Yes | Yes |
| Standard ISO range | 100–102400 | 100–51200 |
| Sensor detail | Japan specifies 20.82 million effective and 21.33 million total pixels, rounded to 20.8 million effective globally; sensor-cleaning system. FX, 1.2×, DX, 5:4, 1:1 and 16:9 image areas | 25.28 million total pixels; sensor cleaning and image-dust-off reference data |
| Image formats | Large NEF RAW at 12 or 14 bits with lossless compression, compression or no compression; medium and small RAW fixed to 12-bit lossless compression. JPEG and RAW plus JPEG; separate JPEG plus JPEG recording with different size/quality settings; Flat and Creative Picture Controls | 12/14-bit NEF RAW with lossless or ordinary compression; JPEG and RAW plus JPEG |
| ISO detail | Expanded equivalents ISO 50–3280000; Auto ISO | Expandable to equivalent ISO 50–204800; Auto ISO available |
| Image processor | EXPEED 6; Advanced Scene Recognition System | EXPEED 6 |
| Lens and shooting | ||
| Lens mount | Nikon F mount | Nikon F mount |
| Stabilisation | Optical lens stabilisation | Optical lens stabilisation |
| Maximum continuous burst | 14 fps | 12 fps |
| Lens detail | Compatible G/E/D AF NIKKOR lenses, subject to PC lens restrictions; body autofocus motor for compatible screw-drive lenses. Non-CPU AI lenses support aperture-priority/manual; non-AI, IX and F3AF lenses unsupported; DX lenses use the DX image area | F-mount G/E/D, supported AF, P and AI non-CPU lenses with restrictions; DX lenses use a crop; non-AI, IX and F3AF lenses unsupported |
| Autofocus | Multi-CAM 37K; 105 selectable cross-type points, including 15 f/8-compatible points. Centre sensitivity -4.5 EV and other points -4 EV at ISO 100, 20°C. Single-point, dynamic 9/25/49/105, 3D tracking, Group-area and auto-area; 17 custom Group-area patterns; eye-priority focusing in auto-area and 3D tracking. Live view uses contrast detection with AF-S/AF-F | Viewfinder Advanced Multi-CAM 3500II phase detection with 51 points, 15 cross-type and 11 supporting f/8. Live-view hybrid phase/contrast detection provides 273 FX still-image single-point positions and eye detection. UK/Japan sensitivity −3 EV viewfinder, −5 EV live view or −7 EV low-light AF under maker conditions; US launch prose's −4 EV viewfinder claim conflicts with exact specs. |
| Shutter | 1/8000 to 30 seconds, Bulb and Time; manual exposures extend to 900 seconds; flash sync 1/250 second; electronic front-curtain and electronic shutter options | Mechanical, electronic front-curtain and electronic shutters; 1/8000 to 30 seconds, Bulb and Time; manual-mode extension to 900 seconds. Flash sync 1/200 second with compatible Auto FP support. |
| Burst detail | Approximately 14 fps mechanical with full AF/AE tracking under Nikon's AF-C, S/M, 1/250-second-or-faster test conditions. Silent full-resolution live-view shooting up to 10.5 fps; separate reduced-resolution live-view modes approximately 30 fps at 8 megapixels or 60 fps at 2 megapixels | Up to 7 fps through the optical viewfinder; silent live view up to 12 fps with 12-bit RAW or 8 fps with 14-bit RAW. Low-speed 1–6 fps viewfinder or 1–3 fps live view; quiet continuous 3 fps. Reduced-resolution movie-frame still captures at up to 120 fps are separate from full-resolution continuous shooting. |
| Stabilisation detail | Optical VR depends on the lens; no sensor-shift stabilisation; electronic movie vibration reduction available | No sensor-shift stabilisation; optical VR depends on the attached lens; electronic movie VR available |
| Flash | No built-in flash; hot shoe and threaded PC sync terminal; optical/radio Nikon CLS with compatible external Speedlights and required accessories | No built-in flash; ISO 518 hot shoe and compatible external i-TTL Speedlights; optional AS-15 provides a flash-sync terminal |
| Exposure controls | P/S/A/M; 180000-pixel RGB viewfinder metering with Colour Matrix Metering III, centre-weighted, spot and highlight-weighted modes; ±5 EV stills or ±3 EV video compensation; Active D-Lighting | Auto, P/S/A/M, effects and U1/U2 settings; ±5 EV still-image or ±3 EV movie compensation; 180K-pixel RGB viewfinder metering sensor |
| Video | ||
| Highest video resolution | 3840 × 2160 at 30 fps | 3840 × 2160 at 29.97 fps |
| Video detail | H.264 MOV/MP4 at 4K 30p/25p/24p, Full HD 60p/50p/30p/25p/24p and 720p 60p/50p; actual NTSC rates 59.94/29.97/23.976. Nikon identifies 4K as 1.5× crop and native 1920 × 1080 crop as 3.0×; the latter supports 60p/50p/30p/25p/24p. Maximum recording 29 minutes 59 seconds; 4K up to 144 Mbps; timecode and in-camera time-lapse movies. Cards over 32 GB formatted in-camera allow files over 4 GB without splitting | UHD 3840 × 2160 at 29.97/25/23.976p without extra FX crop, oversampled from 6K sensor data; Full HD up to 119.88p and separate silent slow-motion modes. H.264 MOV/MP4; limit 29 minutes 59 seconds. 10-bit N-Log and HLG require an external HDMI recorder and cannot simultaneously record that output to the camera card. UK prose's DX 50/60p statement does not mean UHD 50/60p; exact maker UHD table tops out at 30p. |
| Audio | Built-in stereo microphone; 3.5 mm stereo microphone input and headphone output; adjustable sensitivity and attenuator; linear PCM for MOV or AAC for MP4; photograph voice memos | Built-in stereo microphones, external 3.5 mm microphone input and headphone output; PCM or AAC depending on file format; microphone attenuator |
| Screen and viewfinder | ||
| Viewfinder | Optical | Optical |
| Screen size | 3.2″ | 3.2″ |
| Screen dots | 2,359,000 | 2,359,000 |
| Touchscreen | Yes | Yes |
| Tilting screen | – | Yes |
| Display detail | Fixed touch TFT with 170° viewing angle, approximately 100% coverage, 11-level manual brightness and colour adjustment; touch priority image transfer with Ethernet or optional WT-6 connection. Global specifies 2359000 dots, Japan rounds to 2360000; dots count subpixels | Approximately 100% coverage, 170° viewing angle and vertical tilt; maker UK states 2359K dots, Japan rounds to approximately 2.36 million; dots count subpixels |
| Viewfinder detail | Pentaprism; approximately 100% FX coverage; 0.72× magnification with 50mm f/1.4 at infinity; 17 mm eyepoint; grid overlay | Pentaprism, approximately 100% FX coverage, 0.7× magnification with 50mm f/1.4 at infinity, 21 mm eyepoint and −3 to +1 dioptre adjustment |
| Connections and design | ||
| Wi-Fi | Yes | Yes |
| Bluetooth | Yes | Yes |
| Battery life (maker's claim) | 3580 photographs | 2260 photographs |
| Body weight | 1270 g | 755 g (better) |
| Release detail | Nikon Japan records sale on 5 June 2020 after postponements from March to May and then June; the original US announcement's April plan is not an actual retail date. Nikon's Japanese announcement explicitly identifies D5 as the previous model | Nikon US announced on 6 January 2020 and specified availability in late January; global announcement dated 7 January. Main uses the confirmed month without inferring a UK retail day. |
| Recording media | Two slots each accepting CFexpress Type B or XQD; overflow, backup, separate RAW/JPEG, separate JPEG/JPEG and card copying | Two UHS-II SD/SDHC/SDXC slots; overflow, backup, RAW/JPEG separation and card copying |
| Ports | USB Type-C with SuperSpeed USB, mini-HDMI Type C, 3.5 mm microphone/headphone sockets, RJ-45 Ethernet with 10/100/1000BASE-T support, ten-pin accessory terminal, PC sync and WT-6 expansion connector; Kensington security lock compatibility | USB-C SuperSpeed USB, mini HDMI Type C, 3.5 mm microphone and headphone sockets, accessory terminal for MC-DC2; optional WT-7 provides network connectivity |
| Wireless connections | Integrated 802.11a/b/g/n/ac Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.2 and SnapBridge; 5 GHz availability depends on region and station mode. Integrated GPS/GLONASS/QZSS positioning, unavailable in some regions; optional WT-6 transmitter for network transfer | Wi-Fi IEEE 802.11a/b/g/n/ac and Bluetooth 4.2; SnapBridge |
| Battery life detail | EN-EL18c; approximately 3580 CIPA single-frame photographs, 8670 continuous photographs under Nikon's separate test and 105 minutes of CIPA movie battery life. EN-EL18b/18a/18 also supported, with lower endurance using original EN-EL18 | EN-EL15b; approximately 2260 CIPA single-frame shots or 4570 shots under Nikon's separate continuous-shooting test; approximately 95 minutes of movie recording. EN-EL15a/15 compatibility with restrictions; EN-EL15c may be supplied. |
| Charging | External MH-26a charger; optional EH-6c adapter with EP-6 power connector | In-camera charging with EN-EL15b and optional EH-7P; external MH-25a charger. Optional AC adapter and EP-5B power connector. |
| Dimensions | Approximately 160 × 163 × 92 mm | Approximately 143.5 × 115.5 × 76 mm |
| Weight detail | Approximately 1270 g body only; 1450 g with battery and two CFexpress cards, excluding body cap and shoe cover | Approximately 755 g body only or 840 g including battery and SD card, excluding body cap |
| Materials | Magnesium-alloy body; dust/drip-resistant construction; illuminated controls | Weather-sealed magnesium alloy construction; maker operating range 0–40°C |
| In the box | EN-EL18c battery, MH-26a charger, UC-E24 USB cable, AN-DC22 strap, DK-27 eyepiece adapter, DK-17F eyepiece, BF-1B body cap, BS-3 shoe cover, BL-6 battery cover and HDMI/USB cable clip | EN-EL15-series battery, MH-25a charger, UC-E24 USB cable, AN-DC21 strap, BF-1B body cap, DK-5 eyepiece cap and DK-31 eyecup; battery revision may vary |
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