Nikon D750 reaches DxOMark top ten in sensor test, nearly head-to-head with D810 and D610

When Nikon announced its new D750 full-frame (FX format) DSLR at this year's Photokina show in Cologne, Germany, many were wondering why the company was introducing another niche model in-between the budget-friendly D610 and the powerhouse D810. While mixing some of the specs of the D610 and D810, the D750 also sports a handful of features that neither of its cousins can offer.

Most notably, the D750 is equipped with a 3.2-inch tilting screen, which makes it the first FX format Nikon DSLR to come with such a display. In addition to that, the D750 comes with a built-in WiFi module as well as improved battery life that is higher than that of either the D610 or the D810. Most importantly, though, the camera is equipped with a new 24 megapixel sensor that's paired to the D810's EXPEED 4 processor, which should in theory give it a serious advantage over the D610.

Now the question is of course, how does the D750's sensor compare to that of the D610? This is what our friends over at DxOMark set to find out in their review of Nikon's latest FX format model. In their test, the D750 received an overall score of 93 points, which puts into the top ten of all DSLRs tested by DxOMark, but it's one point shy of the D610's score of 94 points. And when we take a look at DxOMark's performance analysis, it becomes clear that in terms of pure image quality, there's not much difference between the two cameras.

 

Image courtesy of DxOMark

The Nikon D610 and D750 receive almost identical scores in all three main departments, dynamic range, color depth and ISO performance. And the detailed measurements that DxOMark performed also show basically the same performance for both sensors in ISO sensitivity, signal-to-noise ratio, dynamic range, tonal range and color sensitivity.

So while the D750's sensor alone doesn't give it an edge over the D610, there is still the newer (and faster) imaging processor that should give it a serious speed advantage, in theory. However, when comparing the Nikon D750 to its immediate competition such as the Canon 6D or the Sony Alpha-series cameras such as the A99 and A7, it becomes evident that Nikon's technology is class-leading.

If you'd like to find out how good the Nikon D750 really is, you'll have to wait a little longer until we had a chance to put it through its paces -- it's currently underway! You'll find our full review of the camera here once it is completed.