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Field Review: Nikon D750 and Nauticam NA-D750

by adamhanlon

Field Review: Nikon D750 in the Red Sea

With Nauticam NA-D750 housing

By Alex Mustard.

The Nikon D750

The D750 is Nikon’s latest FX offering and their third full frame camera released this year. The other two, the D4S and D810 (reviewed in September by Adam Hanlon), are direct replacements for their predecessors. However, with the D750, Nikon want us to think of it occupying a new niche and it will be sold alongside its obvious predecessor, the D610, albeit at the same price that the D610 was launched at. The D750 is also Nikon’s fourth 24MP FX camera (after the D3X, D600 & D610), but the marketing message is desperate to stress the sensor is all-new, the autofocus is an improved mark II version of the 51-point Multi-CAM 3500 from the D810 and like the D810 and D4S, it has the new Group Area AF mode, which I was very keen to try. The D600 and D610 use the 31-point Multi-CAM 2700.

The D750 is highly specified matching excellent image quality, with a state of the art autofocus system, all packed into a small body.

Other technical highlights include the new EXPEED 4 processor and impressive video specs including full HD at 60p, 50p, 30p, 25p and 24p and uncompressed recording via the HDMI socket. I didn’t test the video. In my experience underwater stills photographers are much happier mounting a GoPro on their rig then bothering to use their camera’s video underwater.

The D750 is pitched at enthusiast photographers, offering almost all of the D810’s bang for quite a few less bucks. Personally, I find 24MP a more desirable resolution than 36MP. Although I accept my view is biased by how much I shoot (I fell just short of my 300th photographic dive of the year on this trip) and my professional clients’ requirements. I find the D800/D810 RAW files too hard-drive bloating, and while the resolution advantage 36MP is clear on my computer screen it disappears when my images are published, as magazines can only put so many pixels on the page. I have had many D800 images published now and they look no different on the page to those from my “lesser cameras” published alongside them.

DxO’s tests show that the D750 is endowed with amazing dynamic range and impressive high ISO performance. The southern Egyptian coral caverns are an ideal test of both. They are beautiful, but very dark in places and also incredibly bright where the desert sun spills through the ceiling. Taken with Nikon D750 and Sigma 15mm. Nauticam NA-D750 and Nauticam 140 dome. Magic Filter. 1/10th @ f/7.1. ISO 1600.

DxO sensor tests show the D750 at least matches the D810 for dynamic range at ISO 100-200 and exceeds it at higher values, it has considerably lower noise at a pixel level, although that difference all but disappears when the D810 files are down-rezzed to the same dimensions.

Its magnesium and carbon fibre monocoque construction means the D750 tips the scales at an easier to remember 750g (1.6lb) - a handy saving for the travelling photographer. Its smaller size means clearly smaller housings, yet the lightweight camera ensures that the housing is not too negative in the water. With my STiX floats on my strobe arms the Nauticam NA-D750 was impressively neutral with both my macro port and the new 140 dome. The D750 has a 100% viewfinder (the D700 is the only FX Nikon that hasn’t), a new tilting, higher resolution screen and also squeezes in build-in WiFi (which has very limited applications underwater).

The lightweight D750 was perfectly trimmed and neutral in the Nauticam housing with STIX floats on my strobe arms. This was with both the 140mm dome and 105mm macro port. Alex Mustard is less perfectly trimmed! Taken by Gabriel Jimenez.

The only D750 spec that feels a slight let-down is that the flash synch maxes out at 1/250th and you can’t sneak it up by a third of a stop to 1/320th, as you can on Nikons from the D810 to D7100. I also felt that the viewfinder was a little inferior to that on the prosumer D810. Another praise-worthy feature of the D810 is the dedicated buttons for ISO and WB, rather than the dual function buttons on the D750. However, Nauticam’s housing provides a neat lever to access the ISO button on the D750, negating, underwater, this ergonomic advantage of the D810.

Flash synch on the D750 is only up to 1/250th and cannot be pushed to 1/320th without a big black line appearing at the bottom of the frame. Taken with Nikon D750 and Nikon 105mm + Subsee +5. Nauticam NA-D750. Seacam 150 strobes. 1/320th @ f/22. ISO 160.

The D750’s sensor is tuned slightly for resolution over noise performance (the latter now being so good on so many cameras). I felt it noticeably out resolves the 24MP FX D600 (which I tested against the D800 in Norway), despite both being 24MP sensors, but also has a touch more noise. But make no mistake, both cameras produce absolutely stunning image quality.

In short the camera clearly outguns the D610 and does deliver on its promises, pushing the D810 very close in every department, at an enthusiast’s price, size and weight.

Page 1. Introduction.
Page 2. The Nikon D750.
Page 3. The Nauticam NA-D750.
Page 4. Autofocus Performance.
Page 5. Sensor Performance and Conclusions.