NIKON D750 vs D810 📸 Time To Upgrade?

On paper, giving a D750 owner a loan of a D810 should be met with indifference, (given the high spec of the D750) but after a month with a D810, I realise these cameras are two very different beasts.

I've owned the Nikon D750 for around 18 months and it has been very good to me. Switching all my kit from Canon to Nikon took a bit of getting used to. Compared to the 5D Mark 3, the D750 seemed very fiddly at first, but I just put it down to teething problems. Now after a month long loan of a D810, I realise the d810 is the camera I should have crossed over to all along.

Here's me with the D750, looking tired and bemused, which is how I look 99% of the time. The other 1% of the time, I'm actually asleep.

Firstly, let's look at some of the main advantages of the D750 compared to the D810.

The most striking difference is the price. Currently at BHPHOTO the D750 is 1800 dollars. 1000 dollars cheaper than the D180. Both cameras have come down in price since their introduction, when they were 2300 vs 3300, so now they are both more affordable, and the price difference is even less. There are also plenty of these cameras available now in the second-hand market

The D750 is also a bit smaller and lighter. This was a big selling point for me, though when I got the d810 I realised it's not exactly a huge hulking beast, at 880g, it's only 125g more than the D750.

Flippy screen. Handy for video and macro work. I use it sometimes for overhead subjects like this Purple Glory Tree Flower. (Nikkor 105mm VR Micro + Godox TT685n)

Dual SD vs CF/SD cards. I like that because I hate CF, but it's no biggy for most people.

6.5 FPS vs 5 FPS burst mode. I'm not gonna play that down. It's a meaningful bonus for the D750 if you're shooting moving subjects.

Oh and it has WiFi, which I am gonna play down. I've never used it.

So why do I think the D810 is worth the extra 800 dollars?

Short answer: ergonomics. The ergonomics on the D750 are terrible.

Unlike the D810:

• The top panel LCD doesn't show white balance or shooting mode information.
• Changing the ISO requires pressing a fiddly button while turning the dial on the same side of the camera.
• Changing WB requires using a menu button at the back, and looking at the LCD screen
• Changing from Single to Burst or Quiet Mode requires pushing a "lock" button, urgh!
• The AF point spread is narrower

Need more reasons to buy the D810?

• Higher resolution. 36mp vs 24mp
• The D750 has a known, and annoying bug where the shutter will lock if the first shot after powering on is at 1/4000
• 1/8000 vs 1/4000 max shutter speed. The D810 allows you to open wide on a sunny day.
• Native ISO 64 vs 100 - As above, more light-killing power from the d810!
• Did I mention ergonomics? Look at the top-down view of the D810

In summary:

Shooting with the D810 in pressurised situations like a wedding or for client work in studio, everything is at your fingertips. The dial on the left gives you all the controls you need, and the LCD on the right shows you all the info you need. I cannot stress what a huge difference this makes for me.

Sure, the D750 is more than capable of amazing photos, but the terrible ergonomics get in your way, where the elegant design of the D810 becomes muscle memory within hours of picking it up. Spend the extra cash. I didn't, but I will.

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Sources:
http://www.Nikon.com (Main pic)
http://www.kenrockwell.com/ (Top down view of D810)

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