Over the last few years top DSLRs have gotten so good that they’re not just for photographers; they’re used by filmmakers and producers to shoot high-quality video, too. The Nikon’s D750, though, is the first pro-DSLR to come with a tilting screen, a significant ergonomic improvement.
Tilting LCDs aren’t new on cheaper DSLRs and mirrorless compacts, but manufacturers have been hesitant to put them on professional gear because they’re liability when it comes to weather sealing, and they can add heft to what are already bulky cameras.
According to Nikon reps, the interior components of D750 had to be completely reworked and redesigned to add a tilting, 3.2-inch, 1.2 million-dot LCD. The LCD only tilts about 90 degrees up, and it doesn’t flip out at all. Still it’s a huge improvement over a fixed LCD, and it will make shooting video much easier.
As for the nitty gritty specs, the D750 has a 24.3-megapixel full-frame image sensor (that’s FX format, in Nikon parlance). It has the company’s latest Expeed 4 image processor, which enables the camera to shoot up to 6.5 frames per second. It’s got 51-point autofocus sensor, helping the camera find focus down to -3 EV, which suffice it to say is very dark.
The D750 also has the same improved video that was introduced earlier this year on the much more expensive D810. The new Expeed 4 processor helps improve some of the terrible moire and artifacts present back on the D800. What’s more, the D750 can record 1920 x 1080 video at 60p, in addition to the 24/25/30 frame rates that are almost universally available.
The Nikon D750 body’s $2500 price tag falls between the $1900 D610 and the $3600 D810, and that’s a good way to think about the camera’s positioning. It’s got the same resolution sensor as the D610 as well as a similarly compact design. For the extra cash, you get the D810’s superior video powers, but not its totally fabulous 36-megapixel image sensor.
We haven’t had a chance to fully check out the newly developed Nikon video on the D810 yet (working on it!), but if it’s solid and those improvements carry over to the D750, the compact design and tilting LCD on the D750 could make it a future video powerhouse lying in wait. The D750 will be available at the end of the month. We’ll report back after we’ve put the new video to the test.
Pictures: Michael Hession