On the right hand side is a small cover for an SD/SDHC card, and on the left is a second cover for power, the mini USB port, accessory terminal and a mini HDMI port. The latter, of course, is designed for connecting the D90 to an HD TV. Nikon kindly provides a mini-USB-to-USB cable and even gives you a composite-video cable. But if you’re going to use the HDMI port, be sure to purchase a mini-HDMI-to-HDMI cable before leaving the store, because for some unfathomable reason, Nikon leaves this as an optional extra.
Ready for HD output... when you buy a cable
True, people are going to use the D90 primarily as a stills camera, but if you’re making a song and dance about it offering HD video too, Nikon, you ought to make it easy for users to view it. Rant over.
The D90’s instruction book is almost 300 pages long, so apologies for a rather brief overview of what you get for your money. But these include a 12.3-megapixel DX format CMOS sensor measuring 23.6 x 15.8mm which, Nikon says, offers low-noise performance up to ISO 3200. Also included are an eleven-point AF system; built-in sensor cleaning; "Active D-Lighting", for improving contrast in certain conditions; live view; face detection; scene detection; several scene modes, including portrait, landscape and sport, plus several video modes including an option for 720p at 24f/s video - the D90 uses Motion JPEG in the AVI file format.
There are also lots of in-camera image processing tools, including RAW processing. These are rather basic - you can tweak image quality, white balance and exposure compensation, and add some picture affects - but they're nice to have. Images can also be copied, re-touched, trimmed, have effects like barrel distortion reduced or appear to have been shot with a fisheye lens. Oh, and there’s also an optional wireless remote control.
The D90 can shoot in RAW (NEF format), JPEG or both. Resolution ranges from 4288 x 2948 to 2144 x 1424. A RAW file comes in at around 12MB in size, or roughly double the size of a JPEG shot at the highest quality. Shutter speed ranges from 1/4000-30s, with a bulb option. ISO speed ranges from 200-3200, although in fact, you can go down to 100 or up to 6400 using additional settings, which Nikon calls L and H, respectively. There are two continuous-shooting modes offering a maximum of 4.5f/s in the fastest setting.
USB connectivity
In terms of handling, the D90 is a joy to use. Switch-on is lightning fast, with the camera ready to shoot in about 0.2s. The LCD control screen and button layout means it’s very quick and easy to adjust many parameters, including image quality, ISO, shutter speed, aperture and white balance, without resorting to the menu. The Menu button takes you to a vertical row of menus, such as shooting, playback and movie settings, and after a bit of practice, you can soon find your way around the D90. The viewfinder provides about 96 per cent coverage of the frame, and the Live View function is handy for times when you need to hold the camera at odd angles. The LCD screen is also clear and bright and has a wide viewing angle.
Next page: Sample Shots
COMMENTS
Re: How does the Nikon D90 compare to the Canon 40D?
Under a grand? I'd try and find a Canon EOS 5D, mk I. There are some available new for around that, obviously you can pick a used one for less.
Why? Excellent per pixel sharpness, over and above the cameras you listed. Full frame, so no FOV crop, which makes wideangle easier. Of course that's only a major advantage if you tend to shoot wideangle; the 1.6x FOV Canon 40D/50D (1.5x Nikon D80/D90) crop factor is an advantage if you tend to prefer telephoto; as it effectively gives you a free 1.6x teleconverter built-in ;)
The only thing missing from the mk1 is live view. If you're into tripod based macro, or astrophotography then that's a pain. Of course the mk2 has it, but it's way over a grand.
Incidentally the noise levels on the D90 are low because it appears to be applying some pretty aggressive noise reduction.
http://adrianwarren.com
could some one please tell me...
is the Casio EX-F1 a DSLR?
How does the Nikon D90 compare to the Canon 40D?
I am due a new camera (overdue actually!) but I am still undecided on what to get. I have been looking at Nikon D80/90 (or possibly the 300) and the Canon 40/50Ds. How do fellow Reg readers rate the Nikons to the Canon cameras? What are the Nikon lenses like?
If you were going to get a DSLR under a grand, which would you get and why?
Cheers for any comments :)
Nice camera, miserable service and warranty
Nikon makes a nice camera. It's not perfect, but it does a solid job as a camera.
And then, something happens. Under the original 1 year warranty terms, or under the optional time-of-purchase two-year add-on warranty from Nikon, you have to send it in for service.
Once service gets it, they will examine it with a microscope, and look for the slightest exterior damage (such as a scratch). If they find it, then your warranty is VOID. Just like that. And now you're paying full price for repairs.
Except that their service techs are apparently about as well trained as a room full of monkeys. I sent a D-80 back for repair three times, and they never fixed it properly. They keep saying they will just replace the camera, but they haven't done that, either.
God help you if you actually try to call and talk to the customer service reps. You'll get all kinds of promises for updates, emails, return calls, return calls from a supervisor, you name it. But absolutely jack will come of it -- you're still left in a black hole with a vintage 1995 web site "tracking" the lack of progress of your repairs.
Due to their customer service, warranty "honoring" terms, and inability to actually repair a broken camera, I'll never buy another Nikon product. It's that simple.
HD video example (from Canon 5D II)
I'm the happy owner of a D90, and agree that the video feels like a 1.0 feature. Fun, though, and nice to have.
