This Nikon D90 SLR camera review offers detailed information on this digital camera's features including 12.3 megapixels, D-Movie mode, lighting, focus, lenses and more. If you are shopping for a nice quality digital or SLR camera you should compare the Nikon D90 SLR.

The Nikon D90 digital SLR comes on the heels of the Nikon D80 as its very similar looking replacement.  While the D80 continues to sell well, the D90 is essentially a totally new camera on the inside.  In fact, it is the first D-SLR with a movie mode - and it shoots HD video to boot.

A few of the other highlights of the D90 include a 12.3 megapixel CMOS sensor, continuous shooting at 4.5 frames/second, active D-Lighting for improved dynamic range, a plethora of in-camera retouching tools, HDMI output, an extra sharp 3-inch LCD display with live-view, and optional GPS.  All in all, the D90 has the looks to be a very impressive D-SLR, but how does it perform?

Inside the box you'll either find a body-only configuration ($999) or a combo that includes the new 18 - 105 mm VR lens (usually around $1299).  Both of these kits come with the same 12.3 effective megapixel Nikon D90 camera body, an EN-EL3e lithium-ion rechargeable battery, battery charger, body cap, LCD cover, eyepiece cap, USB cable, A/V cable, shoulder strap, Nikon software suite CD-ROMs, and a 278 page hard copy camera manual. 

You'll be able to start shooting right out of the box if you purchase the body plus lens combo kit.  With the body only kit, you can purchase a lens from pretty much the entire collection of Nikon F-mount lenses.  The D90 is different from the D40 or the D60 in that the lens doesn't need to have AF-S in order to use autofocus, as autofocus is built into the D90 camera body.  Regardless of what lens you use there will be a 1.5x focal length conversion ratio because the D90 has an APS-C sensor.

You may have noticed that a memory card is not listed among the items that are included with the D90.  This is common of all D-SLRs.  The D90 supports both SD and SDHC memory cards and it's worth it to spend a bit more for a high speed card when you're using such a powerful D-SLR.

As far as battery life, the D90 comes with the same exact battery as the D80 which actually has the best in its class at 850 shots per battery charge.  Compare this to 450 or 530 shots per battery charge for the Panasonic Lumix DMC-L10 and Pentax K20D respectively.  The EN-EL3e battery that comes with the D90 is expensive, however, and purchasing a replacement or buying a back-up could set you back at least $30.  Also keep in mind that it takes a little over two hours for the battery to fully charge.

As previously mentioned, the design of the Nikon D90 is essentially the same as its predecessor, the D80.  There are a few minor changes on the back of the D90, such as the larger LCD and somewhat different button positions.  Overall, the D90 feels very comfortable and substantial in your hand in spite of being made of plastic on the outside.  There are quite a few buttons on the D90 though, so make sure you feel like you know where everything is so you'll feel truly comfortable.  The LCD display is also larger than that on the D80 and it features live-view.

The D90 features a dust reduction system, which is one way that it differs from the D80.   Enabling this feature, in theory, will send ultrasonic waves down the low-pass filter which removes the dust from it.  You can choose to have this automatically done when you turn the camera on and off or you can operate it manually.  The dust reduction system doesn't seem to slow down the time from turning the camera on and taking your first shot which is a plus.

Other features that can be operated automatically or manually include flash and focus, just like a point and shoot camera.  Unfortunately, we found the contrast detect autofocus on the D90 to be a tad slow, though it isn't awkwardly so.  The D90 can also use face detection and detect up to five faces while in live-view mode.  You'll also record movies and sound while in live-view mode.

Just like all D-SLR cameras, the D-90 has controls for playback, white balance, ISO and image quality.  Many of these functions can be found on the D90s easily navigable menu or using the buttons on the camera body.  The mode dial also includes the following modes: auto (basic point and shoot), program (still automatic, but allows you access to all of the menu options so you can control shutter speed and aperture), shutter priority mode (you choose the aperture, the D90 chooses the shutter speed), aperture priority mode (you pick the aperture, the D90 picks the shutter speed), full manual mode (you choose both the aperture and shutter speed), and flash-off.  The D90 also has a number of scene modes such as night portrait, sports, close-up, landscape and portrait.

As far as image quality, the D90 produces quality macro images with no noise which is great for a D-SLR on the cheaper side.  On your average shot, the Nikon D90 performs well at lower sensitivities (ISO 100 on the low end), with increasing noise at the higher sensitivities (ISO 6400 on the high end).  ISO 200 is the default sensitivity; the D90 produces relatively noise-less images up to ISO 1600 that are suitable for large prints.  Even at ISO 6400 there is very little noticeable noise.  Overall, the image quality of the D90 is well above average.

The Nikon D90 is a fantastic D-SLR that we highly recommend.  The camera is solidly and thoughtfully designed with great photo quality, performance, and very few negatives.  There are a nice mix of features for both the beginner and the enthusiast at a very reasonable price.

Recommended: Yes.

Nikon D90 Features:

• Nikon's 12.3 megapixel Nikon DX format CMOS sensor.
• Nikon's EXPEED image processor.
• D-Movie mode (720p, with mono 22kHz sound).
• Active D-Lighting (4 levels and Auto).
• Automatic correction of lateral chromatic aberration for JPEGs. Correction-data is additionally stored in RAW-files and used by Nikon Capture, View NX and some other RAW tools.
• Vignetting ("Vignette control") and lens distortion ("Distortion") correction as well as image rotation ("Straighten") via playback ("Retouch") menu 3-inch TFT LCD with 920,000-dot resolution (VGA) and 170-degree ultra-wide viewing angle.
•  Live View shooting mode (activated with a dedicated button).
• Continuous Drive up to 4.5 frames per second.
• 3D Color Matrix Metering II with Scene Recognition System.
• 3D Tracking Multi-CAM 1000 autofocus sensor module with 11 AF points.
• Face detection autofocus in live view mode.
• ISO sensitivity 200 to 3200 (100-6400 with boost).
• Nikon F-mount lenses
• i-TTL flash exposure system with built-in wireless control (Commander-mode).
• Compatibility: SB-400, SB-600, SB-800, SB-900, R1C1 and third party manufacturers[18][19]
• Built-in Sensor cleaning system (vibrating low-pass filter).
• HDMI HD video output
• Support for GPS unit direct connect.
• File formats: JPEG, NEF (Nikon's RAW, 12-bit compressed), AVI (Motion JPEG).
• EN-EL3e Lithium-ion Battery, Battery Life (shots per charge) approx. : 850 shots (CIPA).
• Weight: Approx. 0.620 kg (without battery), 0.703 kg (with battery).

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