Tuesday, April 14, 2009

Nikon D90 Digital SLR Camera Review

Nikon D90 DSLR
As of March 2009 this is Nikon’s latest DX digital SLR camera. The DX just means it uses the 1.5 crop factor like the D300 and all the rest of the amateur Nikon digital SLR cameras. The 1.5 crop factor just means you get a little more zoom or reach from your lenses than you did in the old film days or with the newer pro full frame cameras like the D700. The D90 is almost as good as the D300. The D90 still has the feel of Nikon’s other amateur cameras. It’s light and easy to handle and mostly plastic. It has the same great huge LCD display as the D300. It’s about the same as the D300 in image quality and low light. The cool thing is that it’s about half the cost of the D300. $890 body only at B&H Photo.

This is the best camera Nikon makes that still has the dummy settings. Dummy settings are fantastic! Most people that buy the D40, D60 and D90 will only use the Dummy settings.

If you want the best Digital SLR camera that Nikon makes, that anyone can use, this camera is for you.

The D90 even does video. It’s the first Nikon DSLR to have this feature.

I recommend buying the D90 with the 18-200mm VR lens kit. You may not ever need to take this lens off the camera. Nikon’s 18-200mm is not a pro level lens, but any beginner or amateur will have a blast with this lens. You can shoot large group portraits and sports with this lens. This lens will be enough for 75% of the people that buy the D90.

The only reason you may want to upgrade the 18-200mm lens is to take better low light photos without the flash or you need a bigger zoom.

If you need more zoom and your not to worried about low light photography check out these lenses.
Nikon 70-300mm Zoom AF VR F/4.5-5.6 IF-ED
Nikon 80-400mm Zoom AF VR F/4.5-5.6 IF-ED

If you want to shoot low light sports like nighttime football, baseball or softball your going to have to pay up and read up. You will need a 2.8 zoom lens. You will also need to read up on your camera settings. You will have to use a high ISO like 1600 or 3200 and make sure the aperture is wide open. i.e. 2.8...

Here's the best Nikon lens for shooting outdoor low light (Nightime) sports.
Nikon 70-200mm f/2.8 VR Lens
If you own the D90 don't freak out... This lens cost about twice as much as your camera.


If you have read my other reviews you know I only recommend shopping at one place. That's B&H photo. These guys will treat you right and they are always competitive on the price.

Buy from B&H photo:
Nikon D90 (Body Only - No Lens)
Nikon D90 with 18-200mm VR lens

Would you like to try it out for a few days before you buy it?
Nikon D90 Digital SLR at borrowlenses.com
~

8 comments:

  1. "If you have read my other reviews you know I only recommend shopping at one place. That's B&H photo."

    Thank you. We really appreciate this.

    --
    Henry Posner
    B&H Photo-Video

    ReplyDelete
  2. the Nikon D90 is a great camera when it comes to portraits, landscapes and other still images. but when you shoot on action shots in lowlight, most of the time, all you get is blurred images which is really frustrating.

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  3. Mugen,

    If you are shooting sports in low light without the flash you must crank up the ISO to 1600 or 3200 and use a f2.8 or lower lens. The lens must also be able to focus quickly in low light. I recommend the 70-200mm 2.8 Nikon zoom for outdoor sports.

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  4. I shot some night shots of a local dirt track car race with the D90 and the kit lens. They turned out quite good. I shot at 2500 ISO @ 125th of a second and most were at max zoom on the 105mm. They aren't my best shots, but they are better than any other camera I've used at that level of light/speed.

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  5. With the introduction of the Nikon D300s, do you think the Nikon D300 will come down much in price? I like the D90 and the D300, but would perfer the 300, if the price was reduced.

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  6. I would expect the price drop on the D300 to be gradual over the next 3-6 months.

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  7. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  8. Thank you for this article. Very helpful in learning about my new D90

    ReplyDelete