D750

The short: what a camera. It has everything that is necessary to take an endless succession of breathtakingly awesome shots. The ONLY limit will be your eye and the lens-range you´ve invested in.

The LONG: Had a D90 (another great camera) for the last 5 years. A workhorse. Shot over 150,000 shots so far on it, and all it has ever needed was a trip to the shop for ´´un-dusting´´ of the sensor. What DSLR doesn´t at some point? None. Anyway, we invested in FX lenses for the eventual day where the FX format would be affordable, and would be both fast (light sensitive, low noise) enough and compact enough (D90 size) to be an obvious upgrade path.

All through 2013 and 2014, we looked at the D600 / D800 lineup. They are very good and very different cameras. Both have had annoying little issues, all competently resolved by Nikon .. but still, in need of updates. Sure enough, came the D610 and the D810. Truly significant upgrades and ´´refinements´´ to the original D600/D800 ´´recipe´´. Being not imbued with Bags of Cash, we decided on the D610.

However, a friend ´´inside Nikon´´ leaked that there was going to be a camera known as the D750, which would not only offer higher resolution than the D610 (and less than the D810), but would offer MUCH higher sensitivity than either, and especially that always-problematic dark-level sensitivity. Heck... after using the D90 for 5 years, another few months wouldn´t bust our chops. So, we waited. Then the product became official. Then the reviews started pouring in from all the impartial, competent and exhaustive review websites. EVERYTHING that had been hinted to, was turning up to be validated. Wow!

Put in the order, and received the D750 2 weeks ago. Yep, 14 days ago (Its Jan 1 2015). The shots-taken counter is above 3,000 already, and we aren´t even using it for ´´gigs´´ yet. As I said in the ´´short´´ line: WHAT A CAMERA.

There are - at this writing date - 4 things that stand out.

[1] Useable ISO range
[2] Video, including pretty awesome time-lapse.
[3] Great in-camera lens compensation
[4] FAST (speed) multi-shot and action photography
[5] Magnificent JPEG color rendition
[6] Remarkable image ´´quality´´, for large print-sizes and high ex-camera cropping

I know, I said ´´4 things´´ and listed 6. Truly, I could list 10. But let me for a moment go into the list...

[1] Useable ISO range - on the D90, although it went up to ISO-6400, realistically, it had a top practical limit of about ISO-1600. Above that, color became noisy, images became grainy.

On the D750, we are able to shoot ISO-12,800 ... all night long at candle-lit parties, and get GREAT shots. The colors are saturated, the noise is very low, the grain just as low. The D750´s sensor is nothing short of amazing.

At the ´´other end´´ (ISO 100, 200, 400...) the shots are basically ´´creamy´´ in that way that only a sensor with remarkable dynamic range can achieve. Moreover - and this is both new for Nikon, and as far as I know, not-yet-achieved by any other DSLR or Mirrorless maker - the COLOR ACCURACY for highly-overexposed parts of a shot is excellent. Shoot a sunset, directly into the sun, and most cameras just blow out the sun. Not the D750: Its totally saturated, and perfect. Same goes for ´´oddities´´ like really bright pinlight sources, like LEDs on equipment chassis. D750 does ´em justice. No color blow-out.

[2] Video, including pretty awesome time-lapse. No comparison to the D90: the D750 WORKS, as expected, as advertised and as desired.

Moreover, the D750 has a built-in time-lapse taker, which is pretty awesome. Don´t need expensive and/or finicky external timelapse ´´stuff´´, to get some decent lapse video shot. The sensitivity is high (useable up to ISO-6400 without glitches in color rendition), and of course you get full-frame goodness, including astounding full-frame BOKEH.

[3] Great in-camera lens compensation - Didn´t appreciate this until we lashed an older Nikon lens on the camera that is known for having some chromatic aberration. Got the pix cross-loaded to the PC, took a pixel-peek, and Lo! Chromatic aberration was compensated, gone. Wow. Perfect! Nikon WISELY has chosen NOT to compensate for (what´s it called?) the drop-in-illumination-at-the-corners that F/1.4 and F/1.8 lenses produce when wide-open. To many photographers, its not a bug, but an artistic feature! Chromatic aberration, not so much so.

[4] FAST (speed) multi-shot and action photography - 6.5 shots per second. 6.5! That used to be at the TOP END for ´´photo-journalism´´ top-of-the-line cameras in the early 2000s. Having shot a LOT of action, lemme tell you - you don´t need higher than this. What you do need, is a sense of timing, and to take a lot of shots. Build up experience. This D750 just rocks. And, if you keep it in JPEG mode (without RAW which is mostly a big waste of time), you almost can´t exceed the buffering and write-speed of the memory chip. Just keep on shooting.

[5] Magnificent JPEG color rendition - This is a bit of [1] repeated, but different: All NIKON cameras are pretty remarkable at capturing accurate color. What separates the D750 from every other ´´D´´ camera I´ve so far used, is that it somehow uses all those extra pixels to ´´cast a vote for the right color´´ at every pixel. I don´t know how else to describe it. Its like the camera assesses each-and-every pixel cluster, and decides based on its neighbors, and the color-change trends around it, what color to assign. And the choice is perfect, since it is separate from VALUE (intensity). Thus, you get crisp, crisp, crisp pictures (if they´re in focus, LOL!) but with consistent, ´´un-noisy´´ color. Pretty remarkable.

The other side of this [5] point ... is that its not just enough to get great color assignments, but they need to be packed into the JPEG color space accurately as well. This, the D750 does almost incredibly well. I´m running out of superlatives! Lets just say, that when even deeply UNDER-exposed (too dark) images are loaded in the computer, and then ´´pushed´´ in Ph**oShop (or any of the competitors), there´s enough detail in all that dark-stuff to push up many stops higher. Without the colors becoming fictional. Without amplifying buckets of black-level noise. Now, friends, that IS an achievement. Take it, and run with it.

[6] Remarkable image ´´quality´´, for large print-sizes and high ex-camera cropping - So [5] was about color quality. [6] is about absolute image quality ... ´´the whole picture´´ if I can pull the pun.

Many review sites give ´´makes 20 x 30 prints well´´ type comments and assessments. I´m sorry - but these ´´standards´´ are a 3-dollar bill. They were giving ´´makes 20 x 30 prints well´´ to the 6 megapixel ´´pro cameras´´ of the year 2000. Now, they rarely give the designation to cameras producing less than 16 megapixels, and having ZERO sensor noise.

Anyway - all I can say here from practical picture taking, and the most feather-gentle post-processing (Photoshop) of the best images, is that even at ISO 6400, absolutely astounding large-format prints can be made. Especially if 20 x 30 is viewed, as it is supposed to be viewed, from a few feet away, hanging on a wall, or on a display easel. Don´t be fooled into thinking that the D810, with its 36 megapixels, will produce shots that are just oh-so-much-crisper on that 20 x 30 print, folks. I´ve used one of them, and under every circumstance where we were shooting side-by-side, the D810 actually did no better (and to my 4-foot-away-assessment, somewhat less well.)

CONCLUSION of this long review...

The D750 is GREAT. The price is remarkably attractive. The FX sensor ROCKS in a way that no other ´´D´´ camera I´ve used so far accomplishes. The sensitivity is nothing short of stunning, the technology being packed into the chassis, remarkable. I´m at a loss as to how this camera could be significantly improved actually.

CAVEATS ... because what would a review be without them?

[A] there is a bunch of nerdy, hubristic noise out there regarding the ´´D750 flare problem´´. Disregard it - it is fictional IN PRACTICE. We´ve intentionally tried to reproduce it, and it is both hard to do, and the shots are ´´stupid´´ anyway. All cameras have ´´flares´´ when shooting into the sun or really bright lights. Sometimes the effect is artistic, most often it is not. If you´re utterly sensive to the slightest hubris drummed up by all Nikon´s competitors, and the army of people who are fond of OTHER camera brands, well ... follow your heart. But I´d buy another 5 of these cameras in a second, with or without the touted ´´problem´´. It has not once occurred in practice.

[B] Nikon needs to have a crack-coding team write a better smart-phone / WiFi interface for those of us who use such software remotely. Most of us don´t. So, for now, this is NOT a significant limitation - especially to your creativity. Its more like saying, ´´I wish there were more knobs´´ on the back, or the equivalent.

[C] I can´t think of a [C].

NOW ... if you´re still with me and haven´t already gotten a D750 (and you have the funds!) then... go buy one. They´re awesome, and if you´re coming from the DX (smaller sensor) DSLR line, or even if this is to be your first really big DSLR camera buy, then this will be an AWESOME one, for years to come. Years.

Bob Lynch, January 1, 2015, Berkeley CA, USA

Amazing little camera! This is a wonderful all purpose camera. Great value for the money!

This is not a Nikon flagship camera body but if you are not shooting sports, racing or in extreme weather conditions you may never need a flagship body. I shoot weddings and this a great camera for me. I come from using D3, D3s and D4 combos and this is a dream to shed the weight of those bigger bodies!

The AF is every bit as fast as my D4 and perhaps even a bit more accurate in extreme low light situations having an AF detection range down to a -3EV. Love having the swivle display.

Small Cons:

1. Nikon, you need to work on the shutter/mirror slap noise of your DSLRs, they need to be much quieter.

2. Not a big fan of SD cards, so afraid that I will loose one of these on an assignment but I´m getting used to them.

3. Wish that the AF points cover more of the viewfinder giving us greater options for quicker non-certered subjects.

Looking forward to putting many miles on my new camera.

I got this camera a few weeks ago and I loved shooting with it. All the amazing things described in reviews are true - great auto focus, super low light capability, fast, compact, etc.

However the big negative described online is also true. When a light source is at the top of the frame (just out of view) a very noticeable band forms at the top of the frame. I was able to reproduce this effect by using the flash from my iphone and a Nikon 50mm lens mounted to the body (a quick search on YouTube will show that a number of other users have been able to reproduce this as well).

This problem does not appear of be lens flare, but rather a product of internal reflection from within the camera body (per a number of reviews/news articles online). I personally feel that after paying so much for a camera that has been marketed as a semi-pro body, an issue like this is unacceptable. Sure, the issue will not happen all the time as it requires the light to enter the camera at a certain angle, but even if a few of my shots are ruined due to a possible manufacturing issue, then that is unacceptable – specially at this price point.

Nikon USA has been slow to respond to this issue. Customer support claims that this is being looked into. As a loyal Nikon user, I am willing to wait for a while to see if Nikon acknowledges this issue, stands by its product, and corrects it. If it does not, it´s hard to recommend this camera to discerning users.

The camera has amazing IQ, amazing AF. The downside is that once in a while flare will have a dark line at the top of it, a banding line. This is something that I couldn´t replicate on any of my other cameras. A quick google search will shoe you many people talking about it on flickr, dpreview and fredmiranda forums. Sadly Nikon doesn´t have a fix for it and doesn´t want to acknowledge it.

I´ve had this camera for 3 weeks. I just switched from the Canon 6D. This camera and the f4 lens kit put the lights out on Canon. Better metering, flash, noise levels, and just plain build quality. If you´re debating switching fron Canon, stop debating and go for it.

It have all the functions and features I required.

I was looking for a good less expensive full frame camera to use as a back-up to my D4 for portraits and weddings. I didn´t go for the D810 because I really didn´t need all those megapixels and I wanted something that shot more FPS than the D810. The D750 fits the bill!

Honestly, the image quality between this and the D4 looks the same to me. Beautiful!

The only issue I have is that the camera is a little too light. I like a heavier camera body as it makes it easier to balance against the heavy pro lenses I shoot with. But, I plan on purchasing the battery grip for the D750 which should solve that problem.

With a nifty fifty attached to this camera, the light weight comes in handy as a walk around camera.

Very happy with my purchase!

I´ve owned the D750 for about two weeks now and have taken about 500-600 (mostly test) photos with it. I want to give it a 4.5 but I can´t so I´ll round up to the 5. I think its a great camera package for the price but there are a couple of that could be much better which I´ll explain in this review. Just a little background on myself: this is the first full frame camera that I´ve owned; stepping up from a D7000 that has been used since mid 2011 as well as various other film SLRs, and DSLRs that I´ve been using for more than ten years now. I´ve also rented the D700 from various stores a couple of times throughout the last couple of years so while Im not completely new to full frame cameras, I still have a lot to learn with them, and I´m looking forward to it.

The good: This camera is great. Its focusing system is lightning fast even in very low light. The images it produces using the Expeed 4 processor are awesome. I really enjoy the grip being deep because I do have big hands and I feel like I can get a good grip on this camera and that its not going anywhere. The 6.5 frames per second is pretty decent for birds in flight and the 24mp full frame sensor makes taking landscape shots great as well.

The not so good: There are a few things that I think should be different about the D750. The first being the max shutter speed of 1/4000sec. In my opinion, a camera costing more that $2000 should be able to have shutter speeds up to 1/8000sec. I know many people won´t think its that big of a deal but its something thats always in the back of my mind when Im shooting birds in flight against a bright blue sky. The second thing that peeves me is that the camera itself feels a little cheap in build quality. The buttons on the back left side of the camera all move a little (in there place) and the joypad feels slightly loose. The last thing that annoyed me about the D750 is the fact that there is no screen protector provided nor a hot shoe cover. A camera in this price range should have these included. The lack of a screen protector is disappointing and creates a need to be a little more careful and consider where I take the D750. I also don´t like how the screen wire(?) is exposed when the tilt screen is used. That´s something that should be hidden in the body where it can´t be damaged.

I did a LOT of extensive research on the D750 before purchasing it. I really wanted the D810 because I´m a landscape/architecture photographer mainly, however, I´m also a bird photographer. Both the D750 and the D810 have advantages and disadvantages for each so making this decision was really difficult. The two deciding factors that made me purchase the D750 over the D810 were the price drop with the lens kit (bringing it to $3000) and the fact that the D750 had the new focusing system that (I thought) would be good for capturing birds in flight. I purchased it as soon as I found out that the RAW processing was available from for my editing software. I figured that the lens kit was a good deal with the D750 because all of my landscape lenses for my D7000 were DX format so having the FX kit lens seemed like the right thing to do. As a side note, the tilting screen and ´´effects´´ mode on the dial had no impact on my decision to buy the D750. The last thing that I´m not thrilled with, and this is completely personal, is that this is not a professional grade camera, but it does perform like one which is a huge plus.

In my opinion, the D750 does 95% of everything I want it to do and does it well, and I am very happy with my decision. I still have to get a few thousand photos through it before I´ll really feel comfortable using it but as I said before, I´m looking forward to unlocking and using the full potential of the D750.

Own the D750 for about a month now, I upgraded from the D7100.
The standard set by the already excellent D7100 was very high so ,my expectations were just as high.
The first thing that blew me away was the low light high ISO performance, a BIG step from the D7100, shooting at 12800ISO is possible and while I would rather shoot at a lower ISO the results I am getting at this high ISO are very good and impressive.
AF system very good and responsive, for my needs its just as good as the AF on the D7100.
I did love the much bigger buffer compared to the D7100.
The D7100 could shoot 6 frames till the buffer filled, I tried once and got 14 shots till the buffer filled but I understand it can take 15 which is very possible.
I love the much deeper and narrower handle, its easier to hold on to the D750 then it is the D7100
Overall it met all my expectations, its a beast in low light, is good for sport shooting with its bigger buffer and 6.5FPS and overall a very good general use full frame camera.