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Nikon D780 vs Sony A7R III

Portability
57
Imaging
75
Features
89
Overall
80
Nikon D780 front
 
Sony Alpha A7R III front
Portability
63
Imaging
77
Features
93
Overall
83

Nikon D780 vs Sony A7R III Key Specs

Nikon D780
(Full Review)
  • 25MP - Full frame Sensor
  • 3.2" Tilting Screen
  • ISO 100 - 51200 (Increase to 204800)
  • 1/8000s Max Shutter
  • 3840 x 2160 video
  • Nikon F Mount
  • 840g - 144 x 116 x 76mm
  • Introduced January 2020
  • Older Model is Nikon D750
Sony A7R III
(Full Review)
  • 42MP - Full frame Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Screen
  • ISO 100 - 32000 (Bump to 102400)
  • Sensor based 5-axis Image Stabilization
  • No Anti-Alias Filter
  • 1/8000s Maximum Shutter
  • 3840 x 2160 video
  • Sony E Mount
  • 657g - 127 x 96 x 74mm
  • Revealed October 2017
  • Succeeded the Sony A7R II
  • Replacement is Sony A7R IV
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Nikon D780 vs Sony A7R III Overview

On this page, we will be evaluating the Nikon D780 vs Sony A7R III, former is a Advanced DSLR while the latter is a Pro Mirrorless by brands Nikon and Sony. There exists a sizable gap between the resolutions of the D780 (25MP) and A7R III (42MP) but both cameras posses the same sensor size (Full frame).

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The D780 was announced 2 years after the A7R III which is quite a significant difference as far as technology is concerned. Both of these cameras have different body design with the Nikon D780 being a Mid-size SLR camera and the Sony A7R III being a SLR-style mirrorless camera.

Before going into a in depth comparison, here is a concise synopsis of how the D780 grades against the A7R III in regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

Photography Glossary

        

Reasons to pick Nikon D780 over the Sony A7R III

 D780 A7R III 
RevealedJanuary 2020October 2017Newer by 27 months
Screen dimensions3.2"3"Bigger screen (+0.2")
Screen resolution2359k1440kCrisper screen (+919k dot)

Reasons to pick Sony A7R III over the Nikon D780

 A7R III D780 

Common features in the Nikon D780 and Sony A7R III

 D780 A7R III 
Manually focus Dial precise focus
Screen typeTiltingTiltingTilting screen
Selfie screen Absent selfie screen
Touch screen Quickly navigate

Nikon D780 vs Sony A7R III Physical Comparison

For those who are aiming to travel with your camera regularly, you will need to take into account its weight and volume. The Nikon D780 provides outer dimensions of 144mm x 116mm x 76mm (5.7" x 4.6" x 3.0") along with a weight of 840 grams (1.85 lbs) while the Sony A7R III has sizing of 127mm x 96mm x 74mm (5.0" x 3.8" x 2.9") having a weight of 657 grams (1.45 lbs).

Take a look at the Nikon D780 vs Sony A7R III in our newest Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Bear in mind, the weight of an ILC will differ based on the lens you are utilizing at that time. Underneath is a front view proportions comparison of the D780 and the A7R III.

Nikon D780 vs Sony A7R III size comparison

Considering dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the D780 and A7R III is 57 and 63 respectively.

Nikon D780 vs Sony A7R III top view buttons comparison

Nikon D780 vs Sony A7R III Sensor Comparison

Typically, it can be tough to envision the contrast between sensor dimensions only by looking at specifications. The pic below may give you a far better sense of the sensor sizes in the D780 and A7R III.

To sum up, each of the cameras have the same sensor dimensions albeit not the same megapixels. You can expect the Sony A7R III to give you greater detail with its extra 17MP. Higher resolution can also make it easier to crop pictures a bit more aggressively. The younger D780 will have a benefit when it comes to sensor innovation.

Nikon D780 vs Sony A7R III sensor size comparison

Nikon D780 vs Sony A7R III Screen and ViewFinder

Nikon D780 vs Sony A7R III Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Nikon D780 Portrait photography advice
Sony A7R III Portrait photography advice
85
focusing manually
sensor resolution is great (25 megapixels)
big sensor size (Full frame)
offers face detect focus
supports RAW formats
86
manual focus
MP count great (42 megapixels)
big sensor size (Full frame)
includes face detection autofocus
exports RAW formats
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Street Comparison

Street photography with Nikon D780
Street photography with Sony A7R III
71
screen tilts up and down
big sensor size (Full frame)
supports RAW formats
offers touch to focus
environment proofing
above average ISO range (51,200)
no image stabilization
79
screen tilts up and down
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
big sensor size (Full frame)
exports RAW formats
supports touch to focus
weather sealing
above average ISO range (32,000)
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Sports Comparison

Nikon D780 Sports photography highlights
Sony A7R III Sports photography highlights
81
great max shutter speed (1/8,000s)
sensor resolution is great (25 megapixels)
big sensor size (Full frame)
offers tracking focus
environment proofing
good battery pack (2,260 shots)
sensor has phase detect auto focus
no image stabilization
88
max shutter speed is good (1/8,000s)
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
MP count great (42MP)
big sensor size (Full frame)
includes tracking autofocus
weather sealing
great battery power (650 CIPA)
supports phase detect autofocus
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Travel Comparison

Nikon D780 Travel photography highlights
Sony A7R III Travel photography highlights
71
good battery pack (2,260 shots)
environment proofing
has bluetooth
offers touch to focus
sensor resolution is great (25MP)
screen is not selfie friendly
73
great battery power (650 per charge)
weather sealing
connects via bluetooth
supports touch to focus
MP count great (42MP)
screen is not selfie friendly
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Landscape Comparison

Nikon D780 Landscape photography highlights
Sony A7R III Landscape photography highlights
81
focusing manually
change lenses (Nikon F mount)
decent sized screen (3.2")
sensor resolution is great (25MP)
big sensor size (Full frame)
above average ISO range (51,200)
supports RAW formats
environment proofing
good battery pack (2,260 CIPA)
two card slots
no image stabilization
87
manual focus
change lenses (Sony E mount)
pretty good screen size (3 inches)
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
MP count great (42MP)
big sensor size (Full frame)
does not have anti-alias filter
above average ISO range (32,000)
exports RAW formats
weather sealing
great battery power (650 per charge)
two card slots
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Vlogging Comparison

Nikon D780 as a Vlogging camera
Sony A7R III as a Vlogging camera
32
touchscreen capability
offers face detect focus
high res video (3840 x 2160 pxls)
includes microphone socket
screen is not selfie friendly
no image stabilization
36
has touchscreen
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
includes face detection autofocus
high quality video (3840 x 2160 pixels)
comes with external mic socket
screen is not selfie friendly
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Nikon D780 vs Sony A7R III Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Nikon D780 and Sony A7R III
 Nikon D780Sony Alpha A7R III
General Information
Make Nikon Sony
Model type Nikon D780 Sony Alpha A7R III
Class Advanced DSLR Pro Mirrorless
Introduced 2020-01-07 2017-10-25
Physical type Mid-size SLR SLR-style mirrorless
Sensor Information
Chip Expeed 6 Bionz X
Sensor type BSI-CMOS BSI-CMOS
Sensor size Full frame Full frame
Sensor dimensions 35.9 x 23.9mm 35.9 x 24mm
Sensor area 858.0mm² 861.6mm²
Sensor resolution 25MP 42MP
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 3:2 and 16:9 3:2 and 16:9
Full resolution 6048 x 4024 7952 x 5304
Max native ISO 51200 32000
Max boosted ISO 204800 102400
Lowest native ISO 100 100
RAW format
Lowest boosted ISO 50 50
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch focus
Continuous autofocus
Autofocus single
Autofocus tracking
Autofocus selectice
Center weighted autofocus
Autofocus multi area
Live view autofocus
Face detection focus
Contract detection focus
Phase detection focus
Total focus points 51 425
Cross type focus points 15 -
Lens
Lens support Nikon F Sony E
Amount of lenses 309 121
Crop factor 1 1
Screen
Screen type Tilting Tilting
Screen sizing 3.2 inch 3 inch
Screen resolution 2,359 thousand dots 1,440 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch operation
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Optical (pentaprism) Electronic
Viewfinder resolution - 3,686 thousand dots
Viewfinder coverage 100% 100%
Viewfinder magnification 0.7x 0.78x
Features
Lowest shutter speed 900 secs 30 secs
Highest shutter speed 1/8000 secs 1/8000 secs
Continuous shooting rate 7.0fps 10.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual mode
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Custom white balance
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash distance no built-in flash no built-in flash
Flash options no built-in flash Off, Auto, Fill-flash, Slow Sync, Rear Sync, Red-eye reduction, Wireless, Hi-speed sync
External flash
AE bracketing
WB bracketing
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Video resolutions 3840 x 2160 @ 30p, MP4, H.264, Linear PCM3840 x 2160 @ 25p, MP4, H.264, Linear PCM3840 x 2160 @ 24p, MP4, H.264, Linear PCM1920 x 1080 @ 120p, MP4, H.264, Linear PCM1920 x 1080 @ 100p, MP4, H.264, Linear PCM1920 x 1080 @ 60p, MP4, H.264, Linear PCM1920 x 1080 @ 50p, MP4, H.264, Linear PCM1920 x 1080 @ 30p, MP4, H.264, Linear PCM1920 x 1080 @ 25p, MP4, H.264, Linear PCM1920 x 1080 @ 24p, MP4, H.264, Linear PCM 3840 x 2160 (30p, 25p, 24p), 1920 x 1080 (60p, 60i, 24p), 1440 x 1080 (30p), 640 x 480 (30p)
Max video resolution 3840x2160 3840x2160
Video data format MPEG-4, H.264 MPEG-4, AVCHD, XAVC S
Mic port
Headphone port
Connectivity
Wireless Built-In Built-In
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB Yes USB 3.1 Gen 1(5 GBit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environment sealing
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 840 gr (1.85 lb) 657 gr (1.45 lb)
Physical dimensions 144 x 116 x 76mm (5.7" x 4.6" x 3.0") 127 x 96 x 74mm (5.0" x 3.8" x 2.9")
DXO scores
DXO All around rating not tested 100
DXO Color Depth rating not tested 26.0
DXO Dynamic range rating not tested 14.7
DXO Low light rating not tested 3523
Other
Battery life 2260 pictures 650 pictures
Battery type Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID EN-EL15b NP-FZ100
Self timer Yes Yes (2 or 10 sec; continuous (3 or 5 exposures))
Time lapse feature
Type of storage Dual SD/SDHC/SDXC slots (UHS-II compatible) Two SD/SDHC/SDXC slots (UHS-II support on one)
Card slots Two Two
Launch pricing $2,297 $2,800