Nikon D750 Review - More Than an Update
Keywords: d750, comparison
Making its US trade show debut at Photo Plus Expo in New York, Nikon’s newest full frame DSLR, the D750, wasn’t named the D710 for an obvious reason. It’s not an update to the D700 but a new, robust 24.3-megapixel camera with a variety of integrated technologies that slightly improve upon the specifications of its little brother — the Nikon D610.
Ergonomics
Let’s start with the feel of the camera. Closer in size to the D610 but 100 grams lighter, the camera is solidly balanced on a 600-series chassis but the major tangible physical difference is the articulating LCD screen. Flexible, although restricted to tilting upward or downward on one axis, the 3.2 inch, 1.299k LCD is ideal for Hail Mary overhead shots, waist-level street shooting or high-end video production. Once only the province of the prosumer cameras, this style of articulating LCD, when used in tandem with LiveView or situations when the camera is mounted on a steadicam or track, is a worthy, functional stylistic design.
Audio/Video
If you are working with motion, the D750 is equipped with powered aperture during live view and video mode. This feature, alongside with the camera’s ability to capture 1920x1080 resolution at customizable frame rates of 60/30/28 frames per second (fps), places the 750 squarely in the same professional class as the Nikon D810 or Nikon D4s.
The D750's innovative new articulating LCD
During video capture, you can now expect a better audio track than in the D610, as the camera features a stereo microphone and headphone jack similar to the D810. Features like “Frequency Response” and “Wind Noise Reduction” in the Movie Shooting Menu are a boon to mitigating invasive audio and wind hissing when harvesting audio tracks.
When working with video, an on screen histogram, zebra lines and Auto-ISO help to insure a well-balanced exposure with usable highlight details. If you are planning to handle your color grading in a linear editing tool like Adobe Premiere or Apple’s Final Cut, you can select “Flat” in the picture control and minimize in-capture color processing.
Everything “I” Want
A new navigation innovation that is highly useful in real shooting conditions is the “I” button, which appears at the bottom left side on the camera back. It’s a quick entry into a menu system that is both logical and efficient. Truly, it seems to provide fingertip access to everything you need on the fly — image area, frame rate, video dimensions, wind noise reduction, headphone volume.
The "I" button at the lower left of the camera back
WIFI Integration
One of my personal misgivings with regard to my D810 is the frames per second (fps) when hammering on the shutter button. Thought not quite in the range of the high fps of action cameras, the 6.5 fps of the D750 is respectable but barely an upgrade to the 6 fps of the 610’s speed performance with continuous shooting.
The D750 with the new 20mm/1.8 Nikkor lens
While Nikon’s WU-1b was not a major cosmetic hindrance to incorporating Wi-Fi into the D610, the D750’s WIFI nicely integrates into the camera directly. An option that required secondary accessories in predecessors like the D4s, WIFI integration is a hallmark of the 750. Working in tandem with Nikon Wireless Mobile Utility on a phone or tablet, you can easily trigger the shutter remotely and then share images electronically.
Time Lapse
When shooting intervalometer in the service of time-lapse photography, you now have Exposure Smoothing in camera and it makes a huge difference. Difficulties often associated with flickering in your transitions when combining these timed images are minimized as a result of Exposure Smoothing.