The Nikonian Academy Nikon D90 Review (Part 1)
by Pro Trainer Chew S C
Why can't this be launched earlier than the D300?!?! That was my reaction the moment I laid hands on the latest DSLR from Nikon. In short, my thoughts on D90 – a D300 performance in a compact D80 body. Akin to putting a 2 litre engine in a 800cc car. The D90 is set to replace the D80 which has enjoyed a very successful 2 years. So what's to be liked about the D90?
On the outside
It feels very comfy to hold as the grip size is just right for both sexes. I held the D90 with only my right hand without the strap and yet, it never felt as if it would drop. As for the weight of just 700g with battery, it never felt a burden holding it for 6 hours in a stretch.
There's now a dedicated INFO button that switches on the enormous 3” LCD monitor to access all the information that would normally be a strain to read off the tiny Top Control Panel. The huge screen actually makes the D90 optically “smaller” than the D80 even though both share the same dimensions. The previous “occupant” of this knob was the OK button which has been thankfully moved into the center of the Multi Selector.
Compared to the D300, the Live View (LV) button is a blessing as it's now conveniently located just a short hop away from the right thumb. No fumbling in the dark, yeah. Also, after capturing an image, the LV comes on automatically unlike the D300 where one needs to re-activate it by half shuttering.
LV serves dual purposes, e.g. shooting from a difficult angle to peer through the viewfinder such as overhead shots and as a screen for video. And as the OK button is just a couple of centimeter below the LV button, capturing video is a breeze.
What has improved on the inside
ISO ISO ISO
When one can push it to 3200 (max is 6400) and still get away with acceptable noise, if you absolutely must get that shot and the lighting is less than favourable. More acceptable level of ISO would be a maximum of 1600 which is still good enough to print.
Continuous Shooting & 3D Tracking Autofocus (3DAF)
Unless one has a child with the name Usain, one would find the 4.5 fps coupled with a 3D Tracking AF, more than meets general requirements such as capturing the little hero from blasting off the block to chesting the tape of the century sprint at the school field. The speed is a 50% improvement over its predecessor.
White Balance
Traditionally, Nikon's Auto White Balance is reliable and accurate, and the same can be expected with the D90. Auto white balance mode works flawlessly across various lighting conditions without breaking a sweat.
Video
But what sets the D90 apart from all DSLRs is the video recording capability, a world's first in DLSR. The operation is so simple, just turn on the LV and press the ergonomically placed OK button placed in the centre of the Multi Selector and record away for 5 minutes. However, one drawback of the video is the lack of auto focus while recording. Nevertheless, one can now shoot short movies like what big budget Hollywood / Bollywood do, one can alternate the focus point from one subject to another without panning away. A little trick to get some sort of focusing for video - while in LV mode prior to recording, use the auto focus function by selecting the focus point and half depress the shutter button to focus!!
Summary
The D90 is positioned as a replacement for the immensely popular and successful D80. What one gets when upgrading from D80 are:-
- 18-105mm f/3.5-5.6 VR kit lens
- 12.3 million effective pixels CMOS
- Sensor Cleaning
- 3D Tracking AF
- 4.5 frames per second continuous shooting
- Usable ISOs 200 – 3200 (100 – 6400 with boost)
- Active D Lighting
- Making Fisheye effect from a normally shot picture
- A huge 3" screen with Info Display
- Life View
- Face Detection
- And of course, video recording with voice
As it is meant to replace the D80, accessories such as the MB-D80 battery grip as well as the EN-EL3e batteries and SD cards can still be used.
The drawback, only, would be the lack of AF in video recording and a short 5 minutes of recording time but overall, the D90 is something to behold to appreciate.
Sample shots taken with the Nikon D90:
Come back next week as we hear what our other Nikonian Pro Trainer, Braendan Yong, has to say about the new D90
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