D750 coming from Df

[RobOK]

It seems a Df2 is not coming sadly. I am considering a D750. Anyone who has both, can you compare? Is the low light AF better? What is the viewfinder like on the D750. I think the D750 may get replaced soon, so I might wait for discounts.

Thanks,
Rob

[richardHaw]

The D750 is going to be a very good camera for many years to come.
i regret selling mine.

lowlight, they seem to perform the same.
the D750 is the better camera but comparing it to the Df is not fair because the main reason for getting the Df for using it with non-Ai lenses

[Bill De Jager]

Amplifying Richard's remarks, the two cameras are not very comparable.  I've hardly shot with my D750, but in terms of controls it's a near clone of the D7xxx cameras I've used for years.  Those cameras have a very decent control system, though now that I've been exposed to the pro controls I find these ones a little bit lacking.  The D750 is a much better camera for typical digital shooting with autofocus lenses. It offers a lot of other nice features.

By comparison, using the Df is a mixture of joy and frustration. Joy in that it's easy to focus old manual-focus Nikkors using the ground glass, making my collection once more readily accessible for handheld shooting.  It reminds me a little of my film days using an FE, except that back then I had a split screen to focus with.  The controls are a mixture of F3 and D750.  While the shutter speed dial is nice enough, the ISO and exposure compensation dials look nice but are not as easy to use.  The mode and front command dial are awkward and frustrating.  The front grip is nowhere near as nice as with other Nikon DSLRs.  I end up tolerating this camera's shortcomings so I can gain its access to manual focus lenses including the pre-AI ones.  It's not a camera for fast shooting or adjusting settings on the fly.

So IMO it comes down to what kind of lenses do you have/want and how do you want to shoot? 

-Slow, contemplative handheld shooting, sometimes with manual focus lenses?  Df for focusing on the ground glass and access to pre-AI lenses.  The quirks will be tolerable because you won't be in a
 hurry.
-Shooting on a tripod with magnified live view focusing?  D750 for the resolution, features, and flexibility.  Better yet, get a D810 or D850.
-Shooting on the fly using autofocus (action or street)? D750 for better AF and ability to quickly change settings while keeping your eye to the viewfinder.

[Akira]

I had used D7000 and D610, and D750 was the first Nikon DSLR whose AF I could trust.  The ground glass is not as efficient as that of Df for manual focus.  But if you primarily use AF lenses, D750 is still a very good camera I can recommend.

[Jakov Minić]

I have been using the Df for years, and then I moved over to D750.
I never looked back.
Low light high ISO is about the same.
AF with the Df is troublesome to awful, while the D750 flies.
The ergonomics, the tilted LCD screen, video, the pop-up flash, and the additional pixel count are all advantages in favor of the D750.
The advantages of the Df for me are: better view finder for manual focusing, lighter, and it looks better

[Akira]

The AF module of Df is essentially the same as those of D7000 and D610, so I know I cannot expect too much from it.

I'm not big fan of the classical film camera design (which is solely personal taste, of course), so what I think better about Df over D750 is, again, its manual focus convenience and maybe its softer and simpler shutter sound.

[Erik Lund]

The difference in resolution is rather big, if you are able to utilise it,,,

[RobOK]

I have been using the Df for years, and then I moved over to D750.
...
AF with the Df is troublesome to awful, while the D750 flies.
The ergonomics, the tilted LCD screen, video, the pop-up flash, and the additional pixel count are all advantages in favor of the D750.
The advantages of the Df for me are: better view finder for manual focusing, lighter, and it looks better

Interesting that some say AF about the same and you highlight improvements. I have struggled with low light AF (indoor, evening events) with the Df.

Can you or others say more about the viewfinder, is the size different, or just the glass?

To address several of the comments, my style is generally slower and I was drawn to the Df for form and function. I like the dials on the outside concept and use them, but in reality, I am not a fan of the actual implementation of the dials (the front one and the unlock buttons i have never mastered). I had hoped to get more into manual focus and do occasionally but not much.

My previous camera was a D300. What I really want is a D750 (24M full frame) with the controls of the D810/850. It's really frustrating how Nikon mixes the UI up. I think the D850 is too much camera for me, in terms of cost, file size, and weight,

It will be interesting what the next set of cameras brings (750 iteration and potential mirrorless).

thanks for all the input,
Rob.

[Jakov Minić]

I don't believe that anybody could argue that the AF is not improved with the D750.
I am surprised that you have read somewhere that they are the same.
Certainly not my experience.
I have shot the Df in low light at a jazz festival in 2015 and had to focus manually the entire event.
Had I only the D750 then...

If you are used to the D300, which I still own and have also used extensively, the D750 will fit right in.

[RobOK]

Thanks Jakov, I think I misread a comment where someone said lowlight performance the same, I now think they were talking about image/noise, not AF.

Thanks for your thoughts - any where for you where the D750 comes up short?

[Bjørn Rørslett]

I briefly tried the D750. It did fit neither my way hands nor my way of interacting with a camera.

Undoubtedly the Df has its quirks. It wouldn't be a genuine Nikon otherwise. For me it is so straightforward intuitive to work with that I hardly ever think about the badly implemented front dial, which I rarely need to use anyway given the lens line I set aside for the Df. Otherwise it'll work like a charm -- for me.

[Akira]

Thanks Jakov, I think I misread a comment where someone said lowlight performance the same, I now think they were talking about image/noise, not AF.

Thanks for your thoughts - any where for you where the D750 comes up short?

I'm pretty sure that the comment that the performances of D750 and Df are similar is about the high-ISO noise performances.  D750 is a clear winner in terms of AF in every aspect: coverage, low light performance (-1ev vs. -3ev), accuracy and response).  Again, I do have used D610 whose AF sensor is the same as that of Df, so I can say it from my own experience.

FWIW, my images of this thread was largely possible thanks to the better AF performance of D750.  With Df (actually D610 in my case), I would have missed a lot of moments captured here:

http://nikongear.net/revival/index.php/topic,6226.0.html

[RobOK]

I'm pretty sure that the comment that the performances of D750 and Df are similar is about the high-ISO noise performances.

Yes, thanks. I loved your concert pics -- I have some in my portfolio at home, but not taken with my Df. Concert light is a unique kind of "low light" as there are blasting hot lights and areas of total darkness (extreme contrast), so I think the AF system gets good contrast but in that case has to be FAST!

I am getting a warm feeling from the group here on the 750.

[Jakov Minić]

The only drawback that I found is the multiple exposure feature.
With the Df you can make up to 10 multiple exposures into one image, while with the D750 you can only choose 2 or 3.

Yes, high ISO capabilities are very similar. I have limitted my Auto - ISO for both cameras at 12.800 and I am very happy with the results at such heights.

[richardHaw]

if you don't plan on using non-Ai lenses then get the D750. it also has video just in case you need it.