Canon 30D vs Nikon D780

Its time to look a bit more closely at the Canon 30D and Nikon D780, both Advanced DSLR digital cameras by companies Canon and Nikon. There is a crucial difference between the resolutions of the 30D (8MP) and D780 (25MP) and the 30D (APS-C) and D780 (Full frame) have different sensor sizing.

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The 30D was manufactured 14 years earlier than the D780 which is quite a serious gap as far as tech is concerned. Both of the cameras feature the same body design (Mid-size SLR).

Before delving straight to a thorough comparison, here is a simple view of how the 30D matches up vs the D780 when considering portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

Following is a preview of the gallery photos for Canon EOS 30D and Nikon D780. The entire galleries are provided at Canon 30D Gallery and Nikon D780 Gallery.

If you are going to carry around your camera often, you will want to consider its weight and volume. The Canon 30D comes with external dimensions of 144mm x 106mm x 74mm (5.7" x 4.2" x 2.9") having a weight of 784 grams (1.73 lbs) whilst the Nikon D780 has sizing of 144mm x 116mm x 76mm (5.7" x 4.6" x 3.0") and a weight of 840 grams (1.85 lbs).

Look at the Canon 30D and Nikon D780 in the latest Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Take into consideration, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ depending on the lens you are using at that moment. Following is a front view scale comparison of the 30D against the D780.

Looking at size and weight, the portability grade of the 30D and D780 is 58 and 57 respectively.

Usually, it is difficult to picture the gap between sensor sizes only by going over specs. The image here may provide you a clearer sense of the sensor sizes in the 30D and D780.

As you can plainly see, both the cameras feature different megapixels and different sensor sizes. The 30D featuring a tinier sensor is going to make achieving shallow depth of field trickier and the Nikon D780 will offer you more detail due to its extra 17MP. Higher resolution can also allow you to crop shots way more aggressively. The more aged 30D is going to be disadvantaged when it comes to sensor tech.