Nikon D90 DSLR Camera Review

So you’re in the market for a solid DSLR and you noticed the offering of the D90 from Nikon, but you’re not sure if it’s all its crapped up to be. Well you can decide in the end but we will warn you that most of the PR is true.

Design

Those familiar with the Nikon line of cameras especially the D70 will easily recognize this camera. And if you’re happy with the current design of Nikons’s cameras, than you won’t find much fault with this design.

The camera features a 3.0 inch LCDdisplay that boasts 920,000 dots. This is an upgraded from the previous 2.5 inch 230,000 dot offering on the previous models.

The body is solid and although the camera is just a bit heavier than usual it still carries a solid feel. The D90 supports SanDisk 30MB/sex Extreme III SDHC. This allows the camera to capture 54 full sized JPEG’s in less than 12 seconds with an average shooting burst of 4.5fps. RAW support is also available and 9 frames can be done in 2 seconds in this format.

Performance

Since DSLR’s are all about performance and not so much looks we’ll get right into that. The CMOS has been upgraded from previous versions and THANKS TO THE 12.3 megapixels underneath the camera takes crisp photos with accurate colors that are professional quality.

The ISO has also been upgraded and can go to 3200 or as low as 200. This matches the performance of its pricier sibling the D300. Auto focusing is quick and sharp. We got an average of just under a second in low light, 0.46-0.49 second in mid light, and just 0.4 seconds in very bright light.

The camera also supports a feature called live view and can focus without blanking out the screen. Although a good step it’s still slower than using the viewfinder so for those once in a lifetime shots, you had better not use it.

The D90 was the first DSLR camera to introduce HD video shooting and this can be done at 720p with 24fps. This has probably been one of the most touted features of the D90 and from most of our tests and that of others we can safely say that it’s a great option.

The camera also supports the full range of Canon’s image stabilization lenses so even those with shaky hands can still do their video projects with out many problems.

The only drawbacks to the HD video shooting, is the space required for such video footage and the fact that the camera cannot automatically focus during video recording. This is a bit of a drawback as it requires the person to stop recording, refocus and than continue.

Conclusion

The camera retails for $999 (body only) and $1299 for the body and an 18-105mm VR lens. This of course makes the camera one of the best options for an entry level camera and while it might lack a few features that you will find on the Pro DSLR this one is fully capable of giving them a run for their money.