Your browser is not supported or outdated so some features of the site might not be available.
We've recently released our Test Bench 0.13 update! Read the Video Dynamic Range R&D Article to learn more.
- Table of Contents
- Top
- Main Differences
- Design
- Photo General
- Photo Image Quality
- Pictures Sample Gallery
- Video General
- 4k Video
- Full HD Video
- Video Image Quality
- Storage And Connectivity
- Comments
Nikon D780 vs Nikon Z 6II
Side-by-Side Comparison
Products
Nikon D780
Nikon Z 6II
Tested using Methodology v0.13
Updated Feb 24, 2025 06:18 PM
SEE PRICE
Amazon.comTested using Methodology v0.12.1
Updated Oct 16, 2024 05:40 PM
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Body TypeDSLR
MirrorlessNo
Sensor SizeFull Frame
Body TypeSLR-Style
MirrorlessYes
Sensor SizeFull Frame
Variants
- D780 (Black (Body Only))
- D780 (Black W/ 24-120mm f/4G ED VR Lens)
- Z 6II (Black W/ 24-70mm lens)
- Z 6II (Black (Body Only))
Our Verdict
Nikon D780
Nikon Z 6II
The Nikon Z 6II and the Nikon D780 are both premium full-frame cameras, but they use different technologies, each with advantages and disadvantages. The Z 6II is a mirrorless camera with an electronic viewfinder that lets you preview your exposure settings directly through the viewfinder. It's more portable than the D780, which is a DSLR and has an optical viewfinder that gives you an unfiltered, lag-free view through the lens. The Z 6II has in-body image stabilization, and it can shoot at a faster burst rate. It also has a slot for faster CFexpress cards in addition to an SD card slot. The D780 has a hybrid autofocus system that combines the AF system from the Z 6 when shooting in Live View with a more typical DSLR AF system when shooting through the viewfinder, giving it a bit of added versatility.
Notice: Two or more of the products selected have been tested with different test methodologies, so some of the results below aren't directly comparable. Learn how our test benches and scoring system work, and read more about the latest changes to our cameras test methodology.
Main Differences for
Threshold
Travel Photography
7.7
7.8
Minimum Shutter Speed Achieved
1/5 s
1/13 s
Portability
2.4
3.5
Ergonomics & Comfort
8.0
9.0
Full Comparison
Design
Portability
2.4
3.5
Portability Picture
Height
4.6" (11.6 cm)
4.0" (10.2 cm)
Width
5.7" (14.6 cm)
5.6" (14.1 cm)
Depth
3.5" (8.8 cm)
3.2" (8.1 cm)
Volume
90.9 in³ (1,490.4 cm³)
71.1 in³ (1,164.9 cm³)
Weight
1.85 lbs (0.84 kg)
1.58 lbs (0.72 kg)
Build Quality
8.5
8.5
Build Quality Picture
Body
Body Picture
Body Type
DSLR
SLR-Style
Water Resistance
Weather-Sealed
Weather-Sealed
Mirrorless
No
Yes
Rugged
No
No
Hot Shoe
Yes
Yes
Customizable Button
Yes
Yes
Command Dial
2
2
Tripod Mount
Yes
Yes
Lens Mount
F Mount
Z Mount
Built-In Flash
No
No
Fastest Shutter Speed
1/8,000 s
1/8,000 s
In The Box
In The Box Picture
Ergonomics & Comfort
8.0
9.0
Hand Grip Picture
Hand Grip: Small Hand
Yes
Yes
Hand Grip: Medium Hand
Yes
Yes
Hand Grip: Large Hand
Yes
Yes
Hand Grip: Extra-Large Hand
Yes
Yes
Viewfinder
EVF Menu Picture
Viewfinder Type
Optical
Electronic
Advertised Coverage
100%
100%
Advertised Resolution
N/A
3.69 million dots
Advertised Magnification
0.7
0.8
Screen
8.0
7.7
Screen Picture
Screen Articulation Type
Tilting
Tilting
Screen Max Brightness
945 cd/m²
750 cd/m²
Advertised Resolution
2.36 million dots
2.10 million dots
Size
3.2" (8.1 cm)
3.1" (8.0 cm)
Touchscreen
Yes
Yes
Menu System
9.0
9.0
Screen Menu Picture
Guide Mode
Yes
Yes
App Name
Nikon SnapBridge
Nikon SnapBridge
Built-In Lens
0.0
0.0
Aperture Vs Focal Length
Maximum Aperture
No built-in lens
No built-in lens
Max Aperture (Full-Frame Equivalent)
N/A
N/A
Minimum Focal Length
N/A
N/A
Maximum Focal Length
N/A
N/A
Max Focal Length (Full-Frame Equivalent)
N/A
N/A
Optical Image Stabilization
No
No
Light Falloff Picture
Luminance
N/A
N/A
Light Falloff
N/A
N/A
Sensor
Sensor Type
BSI CMOS
BSI CMOS
Advertised Effective Pixels
24.5 MP
24.5 MP
Processor
EXPEED 6
Dual EXPEED 6
Sensor Size
Full Frame
Full Frame
Extended ISO Minimum
50
50
Native ISO Minimum (Base ISO)
100
100
Native ISO Maximum
51,200
51,200
Tested Firmware
1.02
1.30
Battery
8.8
8.0
Battery Type
Nikon EN-EL15b
Nikon EN-EL15C
USB Charging
Yes
Yes
Power Delivery While Recording
Yes
Yes
Advertised Battery Life In Photo
2,260 photos
340 photos
Tested Battery Life In Video
95 min
112 min
Photo General
Photo Shooting Speed
6.5
7.1
Low Speed Continuous
4 fps
1 fps
High Speed Continuous
7 fps
13 fps
Silent Shooting Continuous
4 fps
12 fps
Raw Buffer Size
100 Photos
200 Photos
JPEG Buffer Size
100 Photos
200 Photos
Buffer Empty Time
3 s
21 s
Photo AF-C Tracking
6.6
8.7
Autofocus Tracking Shots
Run 01
AF-C Tracking 01
Run 01
AF-C Tracking 01
Perfect Focus Hit Rate
53%
77%
Usable Focus Hit Rate
67%
95%
Photo AF-C Center Point
9.1
9.8
Autofocus Center Point Shots
Run 01
AF-C Center Point 01
Run 01
AF-C Center Point 01
Perfect Focus Hit Rate
88%
97%
Usable Focus Hit Rate
100%
99%
Photo Image Stabilization
9.0
7.8
Stabilization Slideshow
Minimum Shutter Speed Achieved
1/5 s
1/13 s
In-Body Image Stabilization
No
Yes
Photo Image Quality
Photo RAW Dynamic Range
9.1
8.9
Dynamic Range Scene
Dynamic Range At Base ISO
11.2 f-stops
11.1 f-stops
Dynamic Range At 1/500s Exposure Time
10.1 f-stops
9.8 f-stops
Dynamic Range At 1/2000s Exposure Time
9.3 f-stops
8.4 f-stops
Dynamic Range At 1/4000s Exposure Time
7.6 f-stops
7.5 f-stops
Photo RAW Sharpness
8.4
8.5
Sharpness Scene Crop
Vertical Edge MTF50 At Base ISO
2,098 LW/PH
2,339 LW/PH
Horizontal Edge MTF50 At Base ISO
1,839 LW/PH
1,806 LW/PH
Photo RAW Noise
8.6
8.0
Noise Scene Crop
Noise Vs Exposure Time
SNR 18% At 1/8 Exposure Time (125 ms)
35.7 dB
34.6dB
SNR 18% At 1/30 Exposure Time (33 ms)
34.4 dB
32.8 dB
SNR 18% At 1/125 Exposure Time (8 ms)
30.9 dB
29.1 dB
SNR 18% At 1/500 Exposure Time (2 ms)
26.1 dB
23.9dB
Pictures Sample Gallery
Video General
Video Features
Full HD Video
Yes
Yes
4k Video
Yes
Yes
6k Video
No
No
Clean HDMI Output
Yes
Yes
Advertised Max Chroma Sampling Over HDMI
Not Advertised
Not Advertised
Advertised Max Bit Depth Over HDMI
10 bits
10 bits
Log Picture Profile
Yes
Yes
Recording Light
No
No
Audio
Audio Test Sample
Audio Recording
Stereo
Stereo
Microphone Level Display
Yes
Yes
Video File Format And Compression
MP4 H.264 / MPEG-4 AVC
Yes
Yes
MP4 H.265 / HEVC
No
No
MOV H.264 / MPEG-4 AVC
Yes
Yes
MOV H.265 / HEVC
No
No
AVCHD H.264 / MPEG-4 AVC
No
No
All-I Compression
No
No
4k Video
4k Video Frame Rate
8.5
9.1
240 fps In 4k
No
No
120 fps In 4k
No
No
60 fps In 4k
No
Yes, with a Crop
30 fps In 4k
Yes
Yes
24 fps In 4k
Yes
Yes
4k Crop At Max Available fps
1 x
1.41 x
4k Video Internal Recording
7.8
6.8
Bitrate Maximum In 4k
120 Mbps
120 Mbps
Bitrate Minimum In 4k
120 Mbps
120 Mbps
Chroma Sampling In 4k
4:2:0
4:2:0
Bit Depth In 4k
8 Bit
8 Bit
Record Time Limit In 4k
30 min
30 min
Overheat Recording Interruptions in 4k
0
2
4k Video Autofocus Performance
7.3
8.8
4k Object Tracking Video
Object Tracking In 4k
7.3
8.0
4k Face Tracking Video
Face Tracking In 4k
8.0
9.2
Face Detection In 4k
Yes
Yes
Eye Detection In 4k
No
Yes
4k Video Quality
8.5
8.8
4k Sample Low Light Video
Low Light Capability In 4k
8.0
8.5
4k Test Scene Extract
Test Scene Extract In 4k
9.0
9.0
4k Video Rolling Shutter Effect
5.7
6.1
Rolling Shutter Video in 4k
4k Rolling Shutter
7.0°
6.3°
Full HD Video
FHD Video Frame Rate
9.5
9.5
240 fps In FHD
No
No
120 fps In FHD
Yes
Yes
60 fps In FHD
Yes
Yes
30 fps In FHD
Yes
Yes
24 fps In FHD
Yes
Yes
FHD Crop At Max Available fps
1 x
1 x
FHD Video Internal Recording
7.8
7.8
Bitrate Maximum In FHD
120 Mbps
125 Mbps
Bitrate Minimum In FHD
12 Mbps
12 Mbps
Chroma Sampling In FHD
4:2:0
4:2:0
Bit Depth In FHD
8 Bit
8 Bit
Record Time Limit in FHD
30 min
30 min
FHD Video Autofocus Performance
7.2
8.8
Object Tracking Video
Object Tracking In FHD
7.3
8.0
FHD Face Tracking Video
Face Tracking In FHD
7.9
9.2
Face Detection In FHD
Yes
Yes
Eye Detection In FHD
No
Yes
FHD Video Quality
7.5
7.8
FHD Sample Low Light Video
Low Light Capability In FHD
7.5
7.5
FHD Test Scene Extract In FHD
Test Scene Extract In FHD
7.5
8.0
FHD Video Rolling Shutter Effect
7.5
8.2
Rolling Shutter Video in FHD
FHD Rolling Shutter
3.0°
2.0°
Video Image Quality
Video Dynamic Range
6.9
Video Dynamic Range Waveform
Video Dynamic Range Slideshow
Strict SNR Max Dynamic Range
9.83 stops
Lenient SNR Max Dynamic Range
9.83 stops
Background Floor Max Dynamic Range
9.83 stops
Luminosity Patch Detection
7.2
Luminosity Patch Detection Chart
Above Middle Gray
4.98 stops
Below Middle Gray
8.26 stops
Storage And Connectivity
Storage
Card Slot Picture
Card 1 Slot
SD Card UHS-II
CFexpress
Card 2 Slot
SD Card UHS-II
SD Card UHS-II
Inputs / Outputs
9.5
9.5
Input Picture
USB
USB-C
USB-C
HDMI
Mini (Type C)
Mini (Type C)
Headphones
Yes
Yes
Microphone
Stereo
Stereo
Wi-Fi
Yes
Yes
Bluetooth
Yes
Yes
You have 10/10 free reviews left
To access
and
Become an Insider
unlimited full product reviews,
product prices
other exclusive site features
Nikon D780
Nikon Z 6II
Comments
Nikon D780 vs Nikon Z 6II: Main Discussion
What do you think of these products? Let us know below.
Looking for a personalized buying advice from the RTINGS.com experts? Insiders have direct access to buying advice on our insider forum.