 Designed for serious shooting, but fun to use! Lots of customizations. |
| Review Date: October 20, 2008 |
| Reviewer: Alan G., Brooklyn, NY |
Several months before the D90 came out, I bought a D60 to hold me over until the D90 was released. Well, I've enjoyed using both cameras, but this one is a huge step up and more suited to an advanced enthusiast, like me. It's a real pleasure to use.
ERGONOMICS - The D90 is solid, tight, and well-balanced with the 18-105 VR lens. It's always ready and it shoots very fast. I love all the direct access buttons; they're easy to press, with good tactile feedback. And since you're not going into the menus as much, you can work faster. It's heavier than the D60, but that's OK. It's still very manageable to carry around and it fits my average-sized hand better too. The shutter sounds different than the D60 (if that matters to you). It sounds more like a professional camera; more like a fast "whoosh" than a "click-click". And there are so many internal customizations that you can set it up exactly as you want.
LENS - Biggest surprise was the 18-105 VR lens which I expected would be ho-hum, but turned out to be pretty sharp and clear. Better results than the 18-55 VR. We've really come a long way from the days (30 years ago) when you were cautioned to ALWAYS to buy a prime lens, NEVER the kit lens because of it's poor image quality. With computer-aided design and new technology, that's not true anymore.
IMAGE QUALITY - I shoot RAW for maximum detail and the ability to adjust settings afterward if necessary - like exposure or white balance. Image quality is very good to excellent depending on your RAW converter. To my eye, best results are obtained with View NX/Capture NX, but Adobe ACR/Lightroom still do a very good job (2010 UPDATE; After using Lightroom the past year, raw conversions are beautiful and far quicker to achieve than Capture NX). When shooting JPGs using the Standard Picture Mode, images are sharp and colors are true, without over-saturation. You can always use different Picture Modes and customize any of them to get closer to the in-camera results you want. For example, you can boost saturation and contrast and save the setting as your default if that's what you like.
LIGHT METER - Metering is fine and seems to be quite accurate in most cases. I use matrix metering mostly. As with any camera, you have to get to know the meter. If I had to be VERY critical, I'd say when it's pushed, it's more likely to preserve shadows than highlights, usually when Active DLighting is on. To me that's a good thing. Another website mentioned a slightly "over-enthusiatic" meter in its review. The good news is: if you really feel exposure results are not to your liking (whether over or under exposed), the meter is fine-tuneable, so go ahead and customize it as you see fit. I would just work with the meter first -get to know the camera and adapt yourself to it before you start making any adjustments. That said, I've used the D90 in a very wide range of lighting conditions and I can truly say that while exposures may vary occasionally, they've always made perfect sense for the situation. I've never been shocked or puzzled by the output.
LIVE VIEW - is great for the occasional high or low shot. I didn't think would need it, but when I had the D60, I found myself in many situations where I really could have used it. Unlike a point-and-shoot, focus is slower in this mode and shooting seems somewhat clunky. I wouldn't use Live View if I were in a rush or trying to get an important shot. It's just a nice little extra.
MOVIE MODE - this is a nice novelty and may be handy in a rare moment, but I'm generally not a video camera person. I'm surprised to read that some people have made movies and commercials with the D90. I keep promising myself to use this feature more, but I don't have a tripod and I'm just too jittery and uncreative to get good cinema-like results. Moreover, from the little I've tried it, I'm not impressed - there's no autofocus during filming and the movie comes out over exposed and far from HD quality. The user manual is not very helpful either. But I didn't purchase the camera for this feature, so I'm not disappointed.
ISO - I really like the new wide range of ISO settings, especially when coupled with the Auto-ISO setting. Mine is customized to keep the camera at ISO 200, but kick in at 1/30. In this example, anytime lighting decreases enough for the shutter speed to drop below 1/30, the D90 will automatically compensate by raising the ISO high enough (up to an ISO limit you set) to help keep your shutter speed at 1/30. Once the ISO maxes-out at your limit, the camera has no choice but to start bringing down the shutter speed. Noise at high ISOs isn't an issue. In fact, you have to zoom in pretty close for it to be even slightly noticeable. I use Auto-ISO mostly all the time. Its an amazing feature! I only turn this feature off when I want to stick to a particular ISO at all times (if its on a monopod or I've stabilized the camera in some way).
ACTIVE D-LIGHTING - helps camera to preserve shadow and highlight detail. More important to use when shooting JPG because the exposure has to be right at the time of shooting, when the camera creates the JPG. RAW shooters can always adjust exposure in post processing. Even though I shoot RAW, I usually leave it on Auto so I can double check the exposure details on the LCD screen. It's available in various strengths from Low to Extra High. Again, another great customization.
CONS
-At this price, Nikon should include a robust image editing software, or at least a decent discount on Capture NX2, which works great, but costs extra.
-Kit lens is thick in diameter (67mm). Also, the front glass of the lens seems somewhat exposed, as if it's not recessed that much (it's just enough for a lens cap). I worry that it'll get scratched easily. Good thing Nikon included the lens hood.
AUTOFOCUS TIP - I customized the D90 to autofocus using the AF-L button instead of the shutter release. Now I can focus with one press of my thumb on the AF-L button and shoot with my index finger on the shutter release. This allows me to focus first, let go, then take the shot. Since the subject is already in focus, I can take multiple shots, recompose or go vertical. I'm not forced to continually re-focus for every shot or move the AF point around in the viewfinder. This minimizes AF mishaps on unintentional subjects. And since the VR system remains off until you half-press the shutter (it activates only when you're ready to take the shot, not while you're focusing) you save on battery life as well.
Also, with the D90 set to AF-C mode (continuous autofocus) you can keep a moving subject in focus by holding down the AF-L with your thumb and shooting with your index finger. If the subject becomes still, simply let go of the AF-L button; focusing stops and is locked where you left it. Then shoot when ready. Now your D90 can act as if it's in Single or Continuous AF mode without you having to change settings all the time. This gives you more immediate control over the behavior of the AF system Try it and you won't go back!
SUMMARY - Overall I'm extremely happy with the D90! It's designed for serious shooting, but it's still fun to use; noticeably heavier than the D60, but still not a burden. You do need to be committed to carrying around a solid DSLR in the first place. Once you get used to that, you'll come to appreciate that it's more substantial because it'll be less shaky during shots. Nikon really packed it with a ton of features and customizations. Now I finally have everything I want in a DSLR, without it being overblown and overpriced. I'm actually surprising myself with some really spectacular shots.
If you have your basic photography skills down, you can make any DSLR sing, however, I believe THIS camera, because of its superb sensor and spot-on feature set, can actually help you improve your technique and get better results. You'll take more chances and push yourself farther because now you have the tools (ie. features) to help capture more difficult, more creative shots. And you didn't have to spend $3,000 to get there!
8-MONTH UPDATE: Still love this camera which hasn't lost any of its original excitement. Very reliable - never frustrating. I'm not craving an upgrade - not contemplating a switch to Canon either - I'm perfectly content. Haven't discovered any hidden quirks. In fact, the longer I use it, the more I realize how well engineered it is. The only extras I bought so far were a light monopod and a 50mm 1.8 lens. |
Great camera for the money
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| Review Date: October 18, 2008 |
| Reviewer: Jeff Balbien, |
I bought this dSLR after reading a bunch of positive reviews online. Overall I'm extremely satisfied with the purchase. As others have mentioned, it's not perfect, but it's probably the best available right now in this price range.
This is my first dSLR and I was impressed with how quickly I was able to jump in and start using it. You can get excellent images right out of the box using the Auto or scene modes. I took it to the USC football game last weekend and was able to get great shots using in Action mode. The images were very sharp, noise free, and because of the 12.3MP resolution, I was able to crop them while still having plenty to work with.
The movie mode is very cool, but the limitations (no autofocus, 5 minute limit for HD) are a bit annoying. It's definitely not a replacement for an HD camcorder, but it's good enough for general purpose.
The lens is nice because it's light and compact, but the 18-200mm lens would be a lot more useful. I'll probably end up either buying that or the 70-300mm lens so I can get close-up shots.
I'd highly recommend this camera to anyone looking for a dSLR in this price range. Even if it's your first dSLR, you'll be able to get great shots with it out of the box, and as many users have pointed out, image quality is nearly on par with the more expensive D300. I kept postponing my dSLR purchase because they kept getting better and cheaper, but this one was intriguing enough to make me bite the bullet. |
So impressive
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| Review Date: November 7, 2008 |
| Reviewer: B. Edwards, |
Switched from the Canon Xsi to this, and the difference (for the better) is amazing.
Things I love about the D90:
-size is perfect, ergo is great, fits really nicely in the hands
-hi res LCD screen is amazing
- AF is very accurate, if a little slow (but I will take slower but accurate over faster and missed focus any day)
- interface is great
-lots of hard buttons on the outside (possibly too many?)
-high iso noise performance is outstanding
-top LCD is much better than having to solely rely on back LCD
Things I don't like so much:
-priced on the high end
- video is pretty poor, unless you are doing studio or very controlled shoots, and you REALLY know what you are doing (I have seen some amazing videos using certain lenses with the D90 video, but for the casual videographer, I think you will get much MUCH worse results
-Live View is almost worthless except maybe for macro situations. Slow slow slow, and the screen does not move. Sony has the best LV system by far on a DSLR imo.
-weight...though this is a MINOR pick. It's really not that bad, but noticeably heavier than say a Canon Rebel or even the D80. If the LV and video caused the extra weight, I would be upset! ;)
-almost overwhelming amount of customization and control. I have read the manual a couple of times and still do not understand all the linked menu setting changes (you change something on one submenu and you might cancel out something else that you didn't want to) This could also be a positive, but I am not sure I would recommend this camera to a first time DSLR owner. I appreciate the amount of customization, but it does make the learning curve very steep.
Overall , I have to give it 5 stars for performing in spades in the area I bought it for: still pics using the viewfinder. If you are looking for the best camera in this price range with that same criteria, look no further, imo. I've tried a few and the D90 is by far the best.
I even like the kit lens.
UPDATE: After almost a year of ownership, I am still amazed at the technical ability of this camera. I STILL find myself shaking my head in disbelief after viewing a seemingly impossible shot in post. This is a camera I will keep until it dies. |
Epic leap forward
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| Review Date: September 10, 2008 |
| Reviewer: Weston Rieckenberg, Minneapolis, MN USA |
| Awesome picture quality, same as my D300. It is much more plasticy than a D300, but I like it because it's much lighter and fits my hands perfectly. There isn't an obvious video button, but it was easy to figure out once you hit the LV (live view) button it prompts you to press OK to start recording. The top LCD screen is smaller than the D300. The 3 inch screen is amazing, just like the D300. This is a huge leap forward compared to the D80. It's an even bigger leap that they've pulled off high quality video that's user friendly! Put a Sigma 10-20mm or the Nikkor 10.5 fisheye, and you'll have some epic video shots. The 18-105VR lens is lighter than it looks, much lighter than the 18-200VR, feels very solid and is quite smooth. The standard definition video is good (haven't watched it on a large screen yet), and gives you 20 minute clips vs 5 min clips in HD mode. The zoom also worked when in video mode, but the Autofocus is fixed. Once in LiveView it takes a second to autofocus, then you can press OK and start recording. Sound isn't stellar of course. It has a small microphone and speaker, so you can actually hear the video your reviewing. So far this is my favorite new gadget of 2008. Wedding Videographer's rejoice! (i'm shooting one next week) |
Hands on review
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| Review Date: September 14, 2008 |
| Reviewer: Hiram Grant, |
I start by stating that we are still waiting for those that can do the most critical of reviews concerning image quality (IQ), etc. Therefore, this will be a general reference of the features based on experience, the competition, and my own 2 cents.
For those of you familiar with the D80, this camera is very similar. The 3" LCD is the first obvious difference. Besides being larger, it's much sharper, allowing more critical examination of photos, and, combined with live-view, a much greater ability to use for critical focusing. The only, very slight drawback, is the larger size seems to have required the toggle on the back to be slightly redesigned, and I feel it is a bit more uncomfortable (on my thumb joint) to toggle with the camera raised to my eye than on most Nikons.
A closer look of the externals show a bit of difference in the plugs. The place for a remote control cord now is also an input for an optional GPS device. Cool, but Nikon hasn't released pricing for this piece yet, nor do we really know how well it will work, nor any of its complete functions. The camera now can output HD, which is a big boost if that feature is used.
Going into the inside mechanics to things we can't see, the frames per second (fps) has been increased from 3 on the D80 to 4.5 on this camera. That's a tremendous advantage to budget oriented sports photographers. Going hand-in-hand with that feature is that the shutter has been upgraded to a 100,000 cycles. We like to think that shooting extra frames are "free", but shooting at high speeds puts a big burden on the camera's durability. We like to joke about 100,000 being a lot, but at 4.5 fps, that's about 6.25 hours until you camera's toast!
Also inside inside is a cleaning system to keep dirt and dusk off the imaging surface.
OK, so now let's go to the image quality. From the samples I've both shot and seen, they look good. But we really need to wait for critical reviews to be absolutely certain. From the D80, we've upgraded from 10 to 12 megapixels, which is nice, but the better part is we've gone to a CMOS sensor. This should have two results: 1) lower power consumption; and, 2) better low-light performance. The former is a certainty, CMOS sensors are way more power efficient than CCDs. The latter is based on experience. CMOS sensors tend to have nicer performance in low light shooting when we have to crank up the artificial "film" speeds to things like 1600 ISO. However, adding more pixels seem to make the situation worse. Based on previous experiences, and with the advances made in technology, the D90 should produce both sharper images and better low-light noise control than the D80.
From just "looking" at the images I've shot, they look great in all kinds of conditions, although nothing I've shot would be considered "demanding". Sharpness is great, colors look real.
From a spec point, the only thing that might be a bit disappointing is that the images are 12-bit and not 14-bit (like the D300). For those of you who shoot only JPEG (.jpg) images, that's no concern. For those who shoot RAW (.nef on Nikons), then 14-bit means that more data is recorded in the process of turning the image (taken by an analog sensor) into a digital file (called A/D conversion). If we go back to work with these files, there is more data available. This has some, limited, practical practice today. The biggest difference will be somewhere down the line when computer monitors allow more info to be displayed, and when printers allow more to be printed, etc. Twenty years from now you'll probably be able to make much better prints from today's images.
Now let's touch on video. I think it's a great thing that video is included, because, at worst, you don't have to use it! What little I've done with the camera looks good (but I've only played it on the LCD), and the sound playback, although mono, was MUCH better than I expected. But let's not try to compare this with the best camcorders on the market. First, the HD clips are limited to 5 minutes. That simply won't work for many events, and even though you don't see many continuous 5 minute clips in "serious" productions, most of what you see are edited down from longer clips. The 24fps is a trendy thing today on BluRay players, because that's what feature length movies are shot in traditionally. However, 30fps is more typical video, which helps stops action better. Autofocusing is not available with video, which might be a hindrance for some people.
My biggest disappointment was that Nikon didn't include "voice memo" capability, available on all Coolpix cameras. Since you have a microphone for the video, this feature allows you to attach voice memos of about 20 seconds to a photograph. This is a great way to connect a name to a face or place. Boo, Nikon, for not including this simple feature!
OK, so how does it compare to the competition? We first must look at their biggest competitor, Canon. Price wise, the D90 is between the Rebel XSi and the soon to be released 50D. For budget minded photos, the XSi (which sells for about $300 less body to body), offers, again, a 12 megapixel CMOS sensor, which is also 14-bit. You'll give up the video completely, and drop to 3.5fps. The 50D is 15 megapixel (14-bit), 6.3fps, built into a metal and more weatherproof body. Once again, you'll give up the video, and $400. I do, however, think the built quality difference here might be a critical difference if buying this to make money.
Sony has some nice cameras, too. The Alpha 350 is $200 less, and is a 14 megapixel CCD sensor. It'll probably be a great fit for outdoor photographers, but will not be as good a choice for low light use. The heavier built Alpha 700 (12 megapixel CMOS) can be purchased for about $200 more than the D90.
The D90 should do just great. Many fine features at a popular price point, with a great camera line standing behind it! |
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