Nikon D90 Review

Folks who've been paying attention to Nikon DSLRs for the past several years have noticed a trend: a high performance Nikon comes out, followed some months later by a lower priced camera that offers a chunk of the performance at a fraction of the price. When the D2X was introduced it was the undisputed Nikon pro camera. Ten months or so later, the D200 shows up, and while it provided a 10 megapixel sensor to the D2X's 12.4, it matched the 5 fps continuous shooting rate and produced better high ISO images to boot.

The D300 came out and immediately eclipsed the D2X/Xs, becoming the new Nikon DX sensor flagship – again at a fraction of the price. The full-frame D3 is introduced, followed by the D700 which packs a lot of the punch for about 60 percent of the cost. And now the D90 arrives shooting D300-quality stills and packing a decent movie mode for about two-thirds the cost of the movieless D300. If you really dissect the D90 shots they might be a tiny bit noisier at higher ISOs than the D300, or it might just be my eyes are tired. The D90 continuous shooting rate won't match the D300, but in reality, this is not a shootout between the D90 and the D300.

Comparisons are tempting since both cameras probably share the same sensor, might share the same processing pipeline, and do share identical ISO sensitivity ranges, but the D90 is targeting folks looking for something just a bit above an entry-level body, not the high end of the performance spectrum. In this regard the D90 offers sparkling performance at a bargain price, and movies if you want ‘em.

Pros:

* Good image/color quality
* Good AF and shutter performance
* Good build quality
* Good high ISO performance
* HD video capability
* Good flash performance/recycle times

Cons:

* HD video time limited
* No AF for video
* Limitations of current technology mean video is via Live View only


J. Keenan

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