Nikon D90: Review

Rating:

4.4 out of 5

Features

The D90 offers users face detection that recognize up to five faces in one frame. Face recognition, which once existed only on a wide range of point-and-shoot cameras, has now jumped ship and made is place in the world of D-SLR's. Nikon also offers a wealth of quality D-SLR functions that you would expect in a high end camera. Nikon has a built in focus motor in the D90 which allows you to use compatible lens that may not have the autofocus capability. The D90 offers a Dust Reduction system that vibrates to keep dust off the low pass filter. Nikon provides the option to either have this feature run when the camera is turned off and on or you can opt to run it manually. Either way it's a good feature to have. There is also a mini-HDMI port which allows you the ability to hook up your camera to a HDTV, but if you would like to use this functionality you will need to purchase the required cable separately. Nikon also includes their Nikon Transfer and Nikon ViewNX software with the D90. The transfer software gives users the ability to easily transfer photos from the D90 to their PC or Mac. The ViewNX software provides users the ability easily organize and share all their photos. The software ups the ante by providing users with the ability to convert their RAW images into JPEG's. A new great feature is Nikon's Movie mode that is actually HD capable. It provides you with the option to record at 1280 x 720, 640 x 424, or 320 x 216 resolution with a frame rate of 24 fps. The latter two will allow you to record up to 20 - 25 min of video, although at a lower resolution then the available 720p which will only allow you to record up to 5 minutes of video.

Performance

The D90 provides the performance of a point-and-shoot and a D-SLR all in one package. Beginners will love this camera because it gives them access to Auto and Scene modes which allows you to just pick up the camera and start shooting. But this camera is for more than just the beginner. Advanced users will also love it because it provides them with full manual controls which include active d-lighting, otherwise known as contrast enhancement, in camera RAW editing, and customizable buttons and menus, plus picture controls. The picture controls include the ability to play with sharpening, contrast, brightness, saturation, hue, filter effects and toning. The D90 also offers users Active D-lighting. Although D-lighting has existed on Nikon's cameras before, this is the first occurrence of Active D-lighting which will improve the contrast of your photos while taking them instead of having to apply it after the fact like what is available on its predecessors. With this function you can set it at low, normal, high, extra high or you can even turn it off.

Summary

In conclusion the Nikon D90 is a great camera for beginners and experts alike. A mid-range D-SLR with the quick startup and functionality of a point-and-shoot and high end functionality of any interchangeable lens camera, the D90 is the best of both worlds. If you are an advanced photographer looking to upgrade your camera or a beginner just starting out and looking for a camera that can grow with you then the Nikon D90 would be the way to go.

Pros

• 12.3 megapixel
• 3 inch LCD
• Active D-lighting
• HD capable movie mode
• Face detection

Cons

• There are no cons for this product

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