Review of Nikon D90 DSLR

Do you want your DSLR to come with exceptional video-recording functions? Victor Chick from the Photography Club reviews the spanking new Nikon D90 DSLR, the first DSLR ever with HD video recording.

Nikon said it "represents a new era of digital SLR fun and creativity".

Resembling the D80 with an output to match its big cousin, the D300, the D90 comes with a newly-designed 12.3 mega-pixels DX-format CMOS image sensor supported by the comprehensive EXPEED image processing technology, similar to the D300.

What attracted my immediate attention is the very bright and clear 3" LCD monitor with 920,000 dot high-resolution LCD monitor, as used in the D300. This is a great aid for the Live View and other functions.

Camera settings can also be displayed on the LCD monitor. This is handy especially when the camera is mounted on an elevated tripod and you cannot see the top display. However, the display will turn off the moment you press the shutter-release button. It will be nice if the info is still displayed until the time a photo is taken.

Focusing is done on the screen with three different modes: normal area Auto Focus (AF); wide area AF and Face Priority, which detects up to five faces and focus on the closest. Through the viewfinder, an interesting focus mode is the 3D 11-point AF system. It begins with focusing on the subject with the centre point. As the subject moves, or your camera moves for framing, the 11 points are activated to locate the new position of the subject and maintain focusing on the subject. This is useful for sports as well as taking photographs of kids.

Live View is also the key element for the first-ever movie from a DSLR. The motion JPG format is shot at 24 frames per second at 3 levels of resolution, including high definition at 1280 X 720 pixels. Advantage is the larger sensor in the DSLR versus the sensor on camcorder. There is also the support of the whole range of Nikkor lenses to use. One drawback is that focusing is totally manual on movie mode.

The first negative I want to note here is the relatively small handgrip on my average-sized palm. My thumb seems to out-reach some of the buttons on the right back. Creativity on the D90 goes beyond taking quality photos. The big, bright LCD allows a good view of images in playback. If you are into post-processing manipulation of images, you will like the extensive palette of in- camera Retouch Menus. There is a total of 13 main selections with some sub-selections, including converting and adjustments of RAW files. There are more in the camera waiting to be explored!

Do you like to see the world through the lenses of your DSLR? Then, head down to Photography Club, where you'll belong perfectly! Or if you're looking into buying a new camera but lost amidst the many choices, your fellow in2it members can help you at the forum!

Have something of your own to share? Contribute it to us This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it and walk away with TWO free magazines of your choice if you are one of the first 60 each month!

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