Nikon D90

Print

Email

Bookmark

Share

The much-rumored and even more longed-for update to the Nikon D80 has done its predecessor proud. The 12.3-megapixel Nikon D90 doesn't replace the popular 10-megapixel D80, which moves down Nikon's dSLR product line, and unsurprisingly, provides some significant enhancements over that two-year-old model. Most notably, the D90 is the first dSLR to support movie capture.

Though the inevitable comparison tends to be new versus new, the D90's main competitor isn't Canon's significantly cheaper EOS 450D, but rather the older 10-megapixel EOS 40D, as well as the 12.2-megapixel Sony Alpha DSLR-A700 and 14.6-megapixel Pentax K20D.

Editors' note:

This review is based on tests done by our sister site CNET.com. As such, please note that there may be slight differences in the testing procedure and ratings system. For more information on the actual tests conducted on the product, please inquire directly at the site where the article was originally published. References made to some other products in this review may not be available or applicable in Asia.

Design

At 620g, the body is considerably heavier, but it also feels sturdier and more substantial. The slightly more expensive A700 and K20D have more advanced dust and weather sealing. It's about the same size as the D80 and takes the same battery and vertical grip. It also has similar wireless flash controls and high-speed flash sync features. Nikon improved the shutter durability and integrated the same dust prevention system as that of the D300. While it uses the same LCD as that camera, it's covered by a polymer rather than glass.

The D90 has a comfortable grip and shooting with it was an enjoyable experience.
(click for larger image)

We really enjoyed shooting with the camera. It's comfortable to hold, and the control layout and navigation should be familiar to anyone who's shot with a Nikon dSLR recently. If you're making the switch from another brand, there might be a bit of a learning curve. For example, Nikon puts the white balance, ISO, and quality buttons to the left of the LCD on its cameras, while other manufacturers tend to place them under the control of your right hand. As we've complained about with the D80, we wished the buttons were more easily identifiable by touch and the labeling a bit less cluttered.

To the right of the LCD you'll find the dedicated Live View button, four-way navigation switch plus OK button, a switch to lock the navigation from moving the selected AF point, and a context-sensitive information button. In Live View mode, it cycles through a grid and two information displays and in standard shooting mode it displays the now-common settings summary and lets you change a limited number of parameters. The parameter selections are a bit odd, though. You can only adjust settings you don't normally change that frequently--such as Assign AE-L/AF-L button behavior, Assign Fn button and Long exposure noise reduction--while options you'll likely need more often, like the AF mode choices (Single point, Dynamic and Auto) or self-timer delay remain buried in the custom settings. True, you can assign at least the AF mode choices to the Fn button, but there's a lot of other stuff you may want to assign to that as well, most notably the one-touch RAW format toggle.

Features »