pauken Loc: Minneapolis MN

Hello Hoggers,
This is my first post for a new topic.
I have a question concerning ease of use of the new Nikon D780 vs the Nikon D810.
I've owned a D810 for about two years, have read Darrell Young's Mastering the Nikon D810
cover to cover, and have a reasonable grasp of the settings and how to use the camera.
But, I've never felt comforable using the D810.

I took a trip to Chicago in March (just before everything shut down), and the camera I took
to photograph the city was the Nikon D3300. I got great pictures. No angst, just great shots
and working in the cold as well. (I mean to share some here, soon.)
Had I taken the D810, I don't think I would have been as successful.
The D3300 was a great walk around camera paired with a DX 18-200mm carried in a Tamrac holster

So to my question:
Who among you has purchased a D780 and how does it compare to the D810 for EASE OF USE.
Ken Rockwell really likes it, but he also writes a very favorable review for the D810.
I'm actually considering selling the D810 and buying a D780.
Any advice?

I am not a professional, but I have been photographing since my first Nikon FM in the '70s.
and have a solid understanding of the photographic process including the Zone System.
Friends tell my they like my images:)

Many thanks,
Fred

CHG_CANON Loc: the Windy City

The D780 and D810 are virtually identical in handling characteristics. Some of the buttons may be in different places, but they're all the same. The differences are inside and mostly the sensor size with some improvements in high ISO performance. Both these bodies are large full-frame cameras that both are significantly different than an entry-level body with a cropped sensor.

Is it the zoom range that makes the D3300 more useful? Is it using Auto or the programmed-auto settings of the D3300? Or, the cost / risk factor / size & weight of the D810? Do you have a FX lens that is comparable to the DX 18-200. The best bet might be the 24-120 f/4. You can get longer super zooms, but they get heavier without maintaining a high image quality. The DX 18-200 is a high-quality zoom as are all of Nikons 18-whatever zooms.

If uncomfortable with the D810, changing to any other Nikon full-frame is unlikely to yield a handling difference / complexity difference. You might try renting a candidate new model or find a store where you can handle the cameras and confirm my assessment of there really being no difference across full-frame bodies of the same brand.

larryepage Loc: North Texas area

Fred--

I have a D810 and love it, although I have come to like my D850 and its revised control layout a little more. I do not have a D780, but just took a quick look at NikonUSA's documentation. I have used a D3400 and D3500 at the school where I substitute. So...I cannot be your final authority on this, but can offer some observations for your consideration.

There are very significant differences in the layout of basic shooting controls between the D780 and the D810. The shutter control dial (left side) is completely repurposed, and the direct access to metering modes and white balance are not provided. The controls clustered around the shutter release button are also different, following the pattern seen on the D850, not the one seen on the D810. Additionally, you will have to decide if dropping from 36MP to 24MP is a plus, a minus, or a push for you.

Much of the information on the D3300 has been archived, and I have not been able to access the photographs that I would like to see to refresh my memory. But I do not see a shutter release control dial at all on the top left side of that camera, just the single control dial on the right side. So yes...there is going to be a big difference between the D3300 and either of the other two cameras. You are going to have to devote some time and energy rebuilding your "D3300 comfort level" on either of those two cameras.

The D810 is designed to give you quick, direct, one-button access to all of the important exposure controls, many of which are available only through the menu of your D3300. That is new capability for you, but it clearly and obviously comes at a price. The D780 provides direct access to almost all of those controls, but that comes at a price also. You are going to have to decide if the benefits outweigh the effort that is going to be required either way, and if you are willing to spend the effort that will be required. If not, it is possible that a nice used D610 might be an option that would be less traumatic.

Photography as a hobby ought to be fun, not drudgery that raises blood pressure. I'd like to see you become comfortable with your D810, but the choice has to be yours.

pauken Loc: Minneapolis MN

Hi Larry,
Thank you for your very thoughtful response.
As a professional musician, I know from experience that you have to "do the work" to improve.
Obviously this applies to photography. Knowing you camera is like knowing a musical instrument.
An oboe is not interchangeable with a violin. A piano is not interchangeable with four timpani.
A Nikon D610 is not a D750 or a D780. And a D810 is not a D850. Each camera is an individual.
So my take away from you is that I need to really get to know my D810. That makes all kinds of sense.
Thanks for encouraging me to get comfortable with the D810!
Best,
Fred

CO

The D780 and D810 are not virtually identical in handling characteristics and the buttons are not all the same. The D780 controls follows more along Nikon's intermediate level cameras - D7000, D7100, D7200, D7500, D610, D700, D750. The D810 controls follows more along the pro level cameras - D300, D500, D850, D4, D5.

larryepage Loc: North Texas area

I am a trombone player. (Talk about being isolated all alone in this metaphor...) I'm not sure that these cameras are as different as a piano and a timpani, but maybe more like an oboe and a baritone saxophone. Or maybe like a clarinet and a baritone saxophone. The underlying principles are the same, but the layout and operational details are different. Not insurmountably different...just different. But if you have mastered an instrument, I have no doubt that you will be able to master a camera, whichever route you decide to go.

pauken Loc: Minneapolis MN

Okay, this is fun.
The instruments were intended as a metaphor!
I paired piano and timpani because I play both. I am a professional timpanist.
We could look for pairs of instruments to relate to specific cameras if we keep going with this.
And that's just with Nikon. What happens when we add Canon?
All best,
Fred

larryepage Loc: North Texas area

That is so cool. Coolest part for timpani is Copland's "Fanfare for the Common Man" (did I spell his name right)? A collaboration between the timpani and the bass drum...

ELNikkor

Maybe you like the compactness, lightweight, and simplicity of the D3300 and that is why you felt more comfortable with it. You just may be more in the market for something like a Z50. If you want FF, the D750 retains the built-in flash, is lighter than the D810, and is very user-friendly. A 28-300 on a D750 will give you a great walk-around camera.

pauken Loc: Minneapolis MN

Yes, I've played that several times. It's difficult getting the timpani and bass drum EXACTLY together!
It takes super accurate counting on the part of both players.

billnikon Loc: Pennsylvania/Ohio/Florida/Maui/Oregon/Vermont

Both the D810 and D780 are very similar and both have similar handling functions. If your not getting good results with your current D810 you will not get favorable results with the D780.
Your best bet is to take a basic photography course.

larryepage Loc: North Texas area

Bill--I almost always appreciate your comnents, but in this case, the statements that you and others have made are simply not correct. Yes...the D780 and the D810 are about the same size and weight. But the manner in which they are adjusted and controlled differs drastically. The difference from the D3300 is even greater. Even a quick look at photographs of the cameras reveals the differences. It is not helpful to claim that they are the same.

Bayou

...lest it become know as "Flamfare for the Common Man".

GoofyNewfie Loc: Kansas City

Great... now that tune is going to be stuck in my head all day! (Thanks!)
I’m a tenor drummer in a pipe band, a long way from my days of playing trombone, both in time and style.

The 780 and 810 have control button differences.
I started digital with a D200 and moved through the 300, 700, 800 and 810, and even borrowed a D500.
All had fairly similar button locations, so they were all pretty intuitive.
In the middle of those I used a D7000.
The button placement drove me nuts!
Because of that, I didn’t use it very often (plus my copy had a back focus issue that never really got sorted out well.)
Very different layout.
I shoot a lot of events and other things where I don’t have a lot of time to twiddle around with controls.
If you are shooting more leisurely, it shouldn’t be much of an issue to adapt to the 780.

saxman71 Loc: Wenatchee, WA

I don't believe you have clearly articulated why you are not comfortable with the D810. Is it too heavy? Are the controls poorly placed? Are the resultant images inadequate for some reason? Questioning minds want to know. I personally know nothing about the D3300 or the D780 but I own a D810 and think it is a fine camera that produces outstanding images when coupled with expensive full frame lenses and some post-processing skills. So please tell us more about why the D810 isn't making you happy and why you think the D780 will make you happier. BTW -I am not at all opposed to people buying new equipment. I do it far too often.