Nikon D750 vs D810

It has not been 3 months since Nikon released the long-awaited update to the D800 / D800E cameras with the D810 announcement and we now have another camera in Nikon’s full-frame line-up. Without a doubt, the Nikon D750 is a very capable camera and most likely will be quite popular for a while. Thanks to its updated high-end autofocus system, which is supposed to deliver even better results than the high-end Nikon DSLRs (including the Nikon D810 and D4S), and excellent detection range of -3 EV, the D750 will be a tool of choice for many Nikon shooters. With its attractive price of $2300 MSRP, one might wonder what feature differences there are between the new D750 and the Nikon D810, which we highly praised in our 9 page review. While our upcoming tests and review will show image quality and other differences, meanwhile, let’s take a look at how the two compare in terms of specifications and ergonomics / handling.

Let’s take a look at how the two cameras compare in terms of specifications:

Nikon D750 vs D810 Specification Comparison

Unlike the D750 vs D610 comparison chart, where the D750 proved to be better in every way, the situation with the Nikon D810 is a bit different. First of all, there are big differences in sensor technology between these cameras. The Nikon D810 has a very high resolution 36.3 MP sensor, while the D750 has a 24.3 MP sensor. While we cannot yet draw any conclusions in terms of image quality differences, I am sure differences won’t be dramatic once images are down-sampled to the same resolution. Sensor technology has matured to the level where most sensors behave similarly, so I doubt that Nikon has done something different this time with the D750. The D810 will most likely hold its dynamic range crown with its impressive performance at ISO 64 and its pixel-level sharpness will be superior, thanks to the omission of the optical low-pass filter (OLPF). At its native resolution, the Nikon D750 is 1.5 fps faster than the D810, although the latter can potentially get up to 7 fps in DX mode. Sadly, the D750 does not offer any speed increase with the battery grip.

The Nikon D810 also leads in terms of maximum shutter speed (1/8000), flash sync speed (1/250) and shutter durability. The D810 also has the ability to shoot in sRAW mode, whereas the D750 does not have this capability (although as we have demonstrated in our previous articles, using the sRAW format is not a wise choice).

Let’s see how the two compare in terms of buffer capacity. The below chart is extracted from this page:

Based on the above, it is pretty clear that despite the slower speed of the D810, it would be a much more suitable tool for continuous shooting. The D750 has smaller files and yet its buffer is the same as on the D600/D610 cameras, fitting just 15 RAW files in 14-bit Lossless Compressed format. The D810 lasts about twice longer in pretty much every RAW mode.

When it comes to ergonomics, the D810 is a very comfortable camera to use. As you can see in the comparison image on the top of the page, the D810 has a slightly curved grip, which fits my hands perfectly. When compared to my D800E, the D810 is much more comfortable to hand-hold – its ergonomics are truly excellent. And although Nikon pointed out that the grip on the D750 has also been extended a bit more for comfort, I doubt that its smaller size and lack of curvy edges would provide similar experience. Due to space issues, Nikon moved the Function button way lower and closer to the mount on the D610/D750, which is not very easy to get to, especially with thick mount lenses.

The back of the camera is where one would notice differences in ergonomics and handling. Nikon decided to make the back of the D750 a lot like the D610 rather than the D810. There is no AF-ON button and if one chooses to use the AE-L / AF-L for focusing, it is located a bit too far from the rear dial, which is not a very comfortable location. Also, instead of the large and comfortable multi-selector switch, there is a smaller, plastic version that is not as comfortable to use. At the same time, Nikon definitely made the D750 more comfortable to hand-hold than the D600/D610 cameras. The side door got textured rubber just like the D810 and the grip got extended, as noted above.

Where the D750 clearly stands out is smaller and lighter camera body, superior autofocus system (although that remains to be seen), better focus detection range, tilting LCD screen, better exposure bracketing options, built-in Wi-Fi, slightly better battery life and best of all – a thousand dollar difference. In addition, I really love the U1 / U2 memory bank system on the D600/D610/D750 cameras. I rarely ever use the bank system on my higher-end cameras, because they cannot be saved and switching between banks is more painful, as there are two separate sets of banks in the menu system.

So which one to choose? I would say that depends on your priorities and budget. For a landscape or architecture shooter, the answer is pretty clear – the D810 is the way to go. For everyone else, the D750 is going to be an excellent choice. The reality is, most people don’t need 36 megapixels, so instead of spending $1K towards a better camera, why not spend it on better glass? I would pick a D750 with the 20mm f/1.8G, 35mm f/1.8G and 50mm f/1.8G any time over a D810 with the 28-300mm. Oh boy, I hope John Sherman does not read this, or he will be prepping a part 3 to his last post and I will not stand a chance!