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April 1, 2009

Nikon D90 review

Product Code: VBA230A

Nikon's top consumer contender, the 12Mp Nikon D90, was the first DSLR to announce its intention to shoot not just photos but 1,280 x 720 pixel, 24fps, 16:9-format video clips too.

Then Canon's higher-resolution Canon EOS 5D Mark II stole the Nikon D90's limelight.

Targeted at both enthusiasts and family users the Nikon D90 is lightweight and compact for its class. Our review unit came with a new 18-105mm f3.5/5.6G ED VR kit lens - the ‘VR' standing for Vibration Reduction - as, like Canon, none of Nikon's camera bodies feature built-in anti-shake.

The Nikon D90 does, however, come with an in-camera retouch menu, continuous shooting of up to 4.5fps and 11-point auto focus. Its results are sharp and naturalistic, with any telltale grain almost invisible at its maximum ISO6400 setting.

Other attractive features include: a 3in TFT screen with Live View, with its own clearly marked button and refreshingly clear 920k dot resolution; new portrait and landscape picture control settings; a scene recognition system, with a focus point that follows subjects via 3D tracking; a battery that delivers around 850 shots per charge; and the ability to display up to a whopping 72 thumbnails at once on screen when playing back images.

Like its bigger brothers the Nikon D300, Nikon D700 and Nikon D3, the Nikon D90 features HDMI output for hooking the camera up to an HDTV or monitor.

Video sound quality is strictly mono, which is something of a shame.

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Another blow is that it records up to 5 minutes of footage at full resolution or up to 20 minutes at a lower resolution setting, rather than letting the user record as much video as can be stored on the available SD card memory.

(Nikon's UK spokesperson suggested on launch that this was down to tax laws rather than technical specifications.)

However, there is a silver lining in that users have access to a wide range of compatible and interchangeable lenses - the zoom and manual focus configuration of which can also be used when shooting video.

Macworld.co.uk

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Independent customer reviews from

Nikon D90 scored:
9.2 out of 10 100% real reviews

The 2 most helpful reviews based on 15 reviews:

09 Sep 2008 John, Sunbury-on-Thames

10

Good Points

Everything, but maybe not for your first DSLR. Image quality overall-superb!

Bad Points

Not exactly a bad point, but the 'video' feature is tricky to use. Using a wide angle lens overcomes the problem of manual focus when your subject is on the move using telephoto. HD quality.

10 Jan 2009 Christopher, Ealing, London

9

Good Points

• The quality of available Nikkor lenses • The quality of final photos • The Camera body quality • The quick speed of focus and metering • The speed shooting at a high resolution

Bad Points

• Would be great if it had 1080P and was able to auto focus while recording a movie file. • Nikkor Lenses are great but expensive. • Would love the CMOS chip to be built to the ratio of 35mm so the move from 35mm film photography to digital didn't involve lens conversions

See more Nikon D90 reviews on Reevoo.com

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User Reviews

Monday, 20 July 2009

Reviewed by CURLYKALE

Star Rating: rating of 5

Duration of ownership: 8 months

Strengths:
Great high ISO performance. Superb metering. Long battery life. The video is a bonus.

Weaknesses:
The video is good but no auto-focus. Live-view focus is very slow.

Overall Evaluation:
A brilliant camera and a good move up from the D80. I love this camera, it can take great photos in all conditions. There are more features than I need but that's not a complaint. It's not a great video camera, the sound is good even in mono but it's hard to manually focus with an 18-200 lens. I didn't buy it for video so it's a great picture taking machine.

Wednesday, 01 April 2009

Reviewed by Exco

Star Rating: rating of 5

Duration of ownership: 4 months

Strengths:
Out of the box, this is one of the best cameras I have ever come across and I speak as a retired professional photographer. The tests on the VR lenses have proved that they work.

Weaknesses:
Difficult to find a weakness.

Overall Evaluation:
I don't need 400 words. Just one will do: 'Superb'.

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