Nikon D90 12.3MP DX-Format CMOS Digital SLR Camera with 18-105 mm f/3.5-5.6G ED AF-S VR DX Nikkor Zoom Lens
by Nikon
Our Price: $1,299.00
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Category: Digital Camera
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Digital Photo Product Details
Manufacturer: NikonModel: 25448
Color: black
Product features:
- 12.3-megapixel DX-format CMOS imaging sensor
- 5.8x AF-S DX Nikkor 18-105mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR lens included
- D-Movie Mode; Cinematic 24fps HD with sound
- 3-inch super-density 920,000-dot color LCD monitor
- Capture images to SD/SDHC memory cards (not included)
- Adobe Photoshop CS5 Upgrade [Old Version]
- Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 3 [OLD VERSION]
- Joby GP2-D1EN Gorillapod Flexible Tripod for Digital SLR Cameras with Bubble Level
- Serif PhotoPlus X3
- Aperture 3
Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of Nikon D90 12.3MP DX-Format CMOS Digital SLR Camera with 18-105 mm f/3.5-5.6G ED AF-S VR DX Nikkor Zoom Lens
Customer Review: A highly capable camera for the price
Summary: 5 Stars
I bought this camera 2 months ago at my local camera shop, with the 18-105mm kit lens as a complete kit as I had the IRS and the Gov't to thank for the opportunity and no, it was NOT the least expensive price but buying locally was worth more than mere cost savings IMO.
As to the camera itself, I chose it based on my photographic style in that I shoot a lot of city based landscapes, street scenes and the like and like to get arty every now and then and wanted a camera that could be flexible, had good image quality and would allow for good high ISO performance and had already the Nikon Cool Pix P5000, an advanced P&S with full manual exposure but alas, no RAW or manual focus but I could tell it what to focus on however and was very familiar with the menu system and decided to stick with Nikon. Budget being an issue here in that I could not go much over $1200 for the kit, which would include the sales tax so that left out anything above the D90.
My research revealed a lot of good about the D90, things like better viewfinder, able to auto focus more lenses as it has the in body focus motor, built in flash commander and a better ergonomic layout amongst other things - and has many of the features also found on the D300 as well and I'd also checked out the D5000 too but in the end, liked the D90 better with it's more direct access to the more common features via the 2 command dials and less menu diving for the basics, the better penta prism viewfinder was a boon since I oftentimes find myself shooting in low light, dusk/night while out and about using what available lighting there is and the camera's superb high ISO performance, something cameras like the D80 with it's older CCD based sensors just don't do as well as with cameras that have the newer CMOS sensors.
All that said, here are my thoughts on this camera, based on just over 8GB of images or just over 400 shots taken in 2 months time.
Metering, the camera even when the E/V is set to 0.0, it still sometimes slightly underexposes things when in either center weighted or spot metering, and it's especially true when using Matrix metering (really good for certain situations where spot or center weighted won't do) so I usually use either spot or center weighted, even though I shoot RAW. Overall a lot of that is what you meter on that will affect how it meters and by that I mean, meter of the bright area of the image and use that to set your exposure or you risk blowing out the highlights if you meter on something dark. One negative is that this camera can be prone to blowing highlights if you are not careful when metering in the first place.
Auto focus, from what little I've used it, it seems to work fine but some claim it tends to back focus some (some even claim it front focuses some too), which means that if you focus on the eyes, the focus may NOT be right on them, but just behind or in front of them. I have not used it enough to notice if my particular copy does either as I shoot mostly in full manual mode. Now, to ensure it WILL auto focus, you have to put the camera's switch in AF mode and the switch on the lens to AF to ensure it works, also, you won't see it focus until you half press the shutter to activate it and it is fairly quick to focus in most situations.
Ergonomics, I find this camera quite intuitive to use as it has plenty of quick access buttons for dedicated things like the menu, the image playback and buttons with dual functions such as the WB/help/image lock button, the ISO button just below it that also zooms in on images taken and QUAL(ity) button to set the image from RAW to RAW+Jpg or Jpg and their 3 levels from fine to low that are on the left of the LCD screen, the joystick is a pleasure to use and adjusts it's function depending on what you are doing, the LV (live view) button to turn that on and off and a sensor lock switch below the joystick and below that is the info button. On either side of the viewfinder are 2 buttons, one is the delete and the other is the AE-L/AF-L lock button and on top around the top LCD display are buttons to access things like the remote sensor, the burst modes etc, the metering, E/V and Auto Focus settings and lesser used buttons on the front such as flash (flips up the flash), exposure bracketing and the DOF preview along with the lens lock button when un-mounting the lens.
This camera has 2 command dials, making it much easier to set shutter and/or aperture or they can control other functions such as when you press down the metering button on top, the back command dial rotates through the metering options, the WB button will allow you to set the WB to either Pre or one of it's other settings (pre allows you to set the WB yourself by taking a photo of something white or gray and it stores it to reference from for WB) are just 1 example. If you press the ISO button and rotate the back command dial, you can adjust your ISO. It may take a little bit to bet used to where everything is but it will fall naturally to your fingers and thumb. I found it quite intuitive to use and now, most things come naturally to me.
Grip, the camera's size and thus it's grip to me is just right but I'd recommend you get into a brick and mortar store to fell them out as even within a particular brand, the camera bodies will vary and so will the grip to see if they fit your hand or not. I've heard some people with smaller hands find the D90's grip quite nice, others, not so much (and weight is a factor too) I like that it's a good, solid grip, one that is comfortable to hold - and again, it it all depends on what you are after and what feels comfortable to you.
Size/weight, I find that since this camera is 1.6Lbs sans battery and lens, it's not the lightest out there but certainly not the heaviest. I find it about right and can lug it around for at least a couple of hours on foot with relative ease. Size wise, the camera is 5.2x4.1x3.0 inches and with the 18-105mm kit lens mounted, it's more like 2Lbs or close to it as the lens is just over 14 Oz in weight and its size makes for a well balanced kit for everyday shooting.
Overall, I find the kit lens itself very sharp, the downfall is when at full wide or at full zoom with the aperture wide open, some vignetting in the corners occur, but it's easily reduced in post processing but otherwise, it remains quite sharp through most of its range and with VR, one can gain up to 2 f stops zoomed in and allows you to shoot hand held and keep the shutter at, at least 1/60s to obtain crisp, sharp images even in low light, something that is not always possible with out it and it's very effective for such an inexpensive lens.
Overall I can get some really great quality images shooting at dusk or at night with this combo even though the widest aperture is f3.5 at the wide end and that's possible as I can shoot up to 1600 ISO with relatively little noise, it begins to become noticeable when you hit 3200 and up (6400 is a modified setting where the pixel count drops to keep the noise in check) and is simply called Hi, 100 ISO is the same thing, simply called low. Shutter speeds are plenty, ranging from 30 minute exposures to 1/4000s and you also have bulb mode for long exposures where you press the shutter to open, press again to close it.
Live view is a new feature to the DSLR and some manufacturers have implemented it better than others and Nikon could've done better but what I've found is if you want to use it, you have to think ahead and pre-focus, pre-set your exposure before going into it to compose and shoot and I find it helps when shooting up high or low which is really it's intended purpose - and for video shooting but it's crippled greatly in that mode however. I have not used the video mode on the camera as it's not of interest to me. I bought this camera simply to take still photos, nothing more.
Overall, I find the camera quite useful, versatile, intuitive and a joy to use and the resulting image quality is really good and that I take my camera with me practically everywhere says a lot about its usefulness and the 18-105 kit lens's range is very useful for street photography and there are very few times I wished I had a wider lens or a longer zoom so it works for 90% of what one may want to shoot in the way of general photography.
Overall, a very good camera for the bit more advanced shooter. One thing to caution is that it may overwhelm some of the less initiated out there as it has so much to offer that a D5000 might be a better choice for some but for the rest, the D90 may well suit you well for most types of photography, just don't expect to get a lot of keepers if shooting pro sports or anything demanding like that for it's burst speed is a mere 4.5FPS while a D700 I think does 8fps and has a much better auto focus system (51 area focus points Vs the 11 on the D90) but overall, the D90 is one powerful - and capable camera for the price.
More Nikon D90 12.3MP DX-Format CMOS Digital SLR Camera with 18-105 mm f/3.5-5.6G ED AF-S VR DX Nikkor Zoom Lens reviews:
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Description of Nikon D90 12.3MP DX-Format CMOS Digital SLR Camera with 18-105 mm f/3.5-5.6G ED AF-S VR DX Nikkor Zoom Lens
Fusing 12.3-megapixel image quality inherited from the award-winning D300 with groundbreaking features, the D90's breathtaking, low-noise image quality is further advanced with EXPEED image processing. Split-second shutter response and continuous shooting at up to 4.5 frames-per-second provide the power to capture fast action and precise moments perfectly, while Nikon's exclusive Scene Recognition System contributes to faster 11-area autofocus performance, finer white balance detection and more.Digital SLRs
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