Nikon D750 full-frame SLR breaks cover

Nikon D750
The Nikon D750 has the same sensor resolution as the D610, but a host of improvements and additions.

The new Nikon D750 has an awful lot in common with the existing Nikon D610, but when you look closer there are new features, enhancements and additions, with some from the D810 that add up to a very interesting proposition.

The big story (or non-story) is that the sensor resolution is the same. Both cameras have 24.3 megapixel sensors, though Nikon says the D750's is 'newly designed'.

Even the continuous shooting speeds are almost the same – the D610 can shoot at 6 frames per second, while the D750 can go a fraction faster at 6.5 frames per second. This will be a surprise to those who expected Nikon to produce a high-speed version of the D610 with the same sensor but a faster frame rate.

Faster, faster

There is still good news for action fans, though. The D750 uses Nikon's professional level 51-point AF system, together with the new Group Area AF mode first seen on the flagship D4s model. A new Expeed processor boosts the image processing power too, so that the D750 offers an ISO range of 100-12,800 (expandable up to 51,200), which is a whole EV better than the D610.

The Nikon D750 has a tilting rear LCD, too, and this is a first for a Nikon full-frame D-SLR. It tilts both up and down, so you can use it for low-level and overhead shooting.

Movie improvements

This will appeal to those who need to shoot movies – and the D750 adds 60p and 50p to its list of frame rates, which means it can shoot slow-motion video in full 1920 x 1080 HD. In fact the movie features are a big step up from the D610's, with manual control over lens aperture while filming and 'clean' HDMI output for simultaneously recording uncompressed video to an external storage device.

Nikon continues to work quietly behind the scenes on battery life, and the D750 can take up to 1,230 shots on a single charge, or 55 minutes of movie footage.

Best of all, the D750 comes with Wi-Fi connectivity built in, so you can control the camera from your smart device and copy images across, without needing the little plug-in WU-1a and WU-1b needed by other Nikon D-SLRs.

The D750 will be available from September 23rd for £1,800 (approx US$2,919/AU$3,212). It probably won't tempt you if you had your eye on a Nikon D810 or Nikon D4s, but if you were thinking of getting the D610, the D750 gives you a whole lot more versatility for a (relatively) modest increase in price.

Rod Lawton is Head of Testing for Future Publishing’s photography magazines, including Digital Camera, N-Photo, PhotoPlus, Professional Photography, Photography Week and Practical Photoshop.