Nikon D-90 is a 12.3-megapixel digital SLR camera, which was announced at the end of August 2008. By the number of pixels, the device caught up with the more professional model D300, and also reached its sensitivity range from ISO 200 to 3200, plus L1 (100) and H1 (6400).
What changed?
Another significant update to the Nikon D-90 was the move to a 3-inch high-resolution LCD screen. Display with 0.92 million pixels. It has a 170 ° viewing angle and is not inferior in quality to the screens of the D3 and D300 models, making it much more pleasant to check the focus and use the Live View mode.
New to the mid-price segment, Live View offers some new features, including face recognition technology. However, in this mode for some reason there is no phase detection autofocus, only three contrasting ones: “Face priority”, “Wide area” and “Normal area”. In the first case, the detected faces are enclosed in a frame that follows them all over the screen. The device can track up to 5 persons. Live viewing is activated using the dedicated button to the right of the LCD.
Face Detection has become an integral part of Nikon's Scene Recognition System. Thanks to the 420-pixel sensor, you can combine color metering with the data of the auto focus sensor and adjust Nikon D-90 for white balance and exposure so that faces look properly.
The 11-point AF system is diamond-shaped and now includes 3D tracking, the same as on the D3 and D300.
Nikon D-90 records AVI video at a speed of 24 fps with a resolution of 1280x720. Other supported formats are 320x416 and 640x424. Focusing is done manually, the aperture remains fixed during recording, sound is captured through a monaural microphone.
The Nikon D-90 kit kit includes a Nikkor 18–105 mm F / 3.5-5.6 ED VR lens with an ultra-low dispersion lens.
Nikon D90 is similar to D80. Even the lens resembles its predecessor, only a little shorter. The dimensions of the case are identical, 132x103x77 mm, and the weight is only 35 g heavier. But what is received in return is really noticeable.
Appearance
Although many elements underwent a slight change, the front of the device acquired only one new feature - 3 microphone holes, above and to the left of the logo for the new video recording mode. All buttons are in the same places and perform the same function. The auto focus drive screw is still in place, which indicates the ability to control both old autofocus lenses and new electronic ones. In less expensive models D40, D40x and D60 this is not.
The controls on the back have also changed a bit, and the LCD has become larger. To the right of it is the Live View button. Below is a new navigation cluster with the OK button in the center. Below it is a switch to lock the focus area selection. The Info button brings up the camera status screen, and pressing it again leads to a new OSD menu.
The upper part has not changed, except for the shape of the buttons and the layout of the upper LCD screen. A significant update here was the 18-105 mm lens. Although it lacks the additional coverage of 18–135 mm D80 optics, the D90 is capable of suppressing vibration through optical image stabilization.
Capture and Shoot
The Nikon D-90 camera is similar to the D80. The camera is smaller and lighter than the D300, but it has a good handle, with notches for the fingertips.
The new status display, called up by the Info button, includes various elements designed for enthusiastic photographers - noise reduction during long exposures and high ISOs, active D-Lighting, image management mode, and setting function keys.
You can also change most of the other significant settings with a simple click, including setting the ISO, white balance, changing the metering method, exposure compensation, setting the Drive mode and auto focus (on the top panel). Even flash exposure compensation is integrated into its button located to the left of the lens mount. All these important functions that need their own shortcut key are located where they can be easily found.
The location of the power switch near the shutter button is always preferable because you can turn on the camera without taking your eyes off the viewfinder.
Like other devices of this manufacturer, the shutter sound is relatively quiet.
According to the company, the Nikon D-90 camera has a performance characteristic that in some cases exceeds the speed of its predecessor, including the launch time (0.15 s versus 0.18 on the D80), shutter lag (0.065 s versus 0 , 08), as well as the viewfinder dimming time, which was reduced to 120 ms from 150.
Optical viewfinder
Like the D80 viewfinder, the Nikon D90's 11-point AF system is diamond-shaped. The Multi-Cam 1000 AF engine has been updated to include 3D tracking and face recognition, which adjusts the AF to focus on the eyes and not other parts of the face.
LCD display
Another important improvement of the Nikon D-90 is its display, bright, clear, 920000-pixel LCD screen, like the D300, D3 and D700. 3 inches in size, it allows you to more confidently view images; and AF in Live View has also become more accurate. The D80 screen was not bad, but the higher resolution speaks for itself. The menu benefited from this, and the screen color became more saturated. Now it is possible to use smaller fonts to create more informative headings and increase the volume of explanatory text.
A removable screen cover is still included with the D90, although the rear window is tempered to resist scratches and other mechanical damage. Its main advantage is that, at a cost of $ 20, it is easier to replace it than an LCD.
Live View Shooting
This mode on other Nikon SLR cameras to fix the mirror required turning the dial and pressing the shutter, which is not very convenient. In this unit, on the rear panel to the right of the LCD, within the reach of the thumb, there is a special Lv button, with one click of which the mirror flips over and the Live View turns on.
The Lv-AF of the Nikon D-90 camera is called user reviews as slow, without the phase detection option, and the increase and resolution are not enough. The camera allows focusing only in contrast detection mode, while the Nikon D300 and D700 allow the choice between handheld and tripod shooting. Phase AF in Live View SLR is always noisy, as it usually involves lowering and raising the mirror twice (once to focus the image, and the second to take the picture), but it is usually faster than contrasting, especially in the implementation of “ Nikon D-90. "
If face detection is turned on, the camera starts the search by placing a yellow frame around each of them, up to five at a time. After hovering, the field turns green.
Nikon has pioneered live view video recording. To start it, just click on the "OK" button. The focus should be set in advance, but this can also be done manually when shooting, like the zoom. Along with the sound, the noise of the zoom ring will be recorded.
Video resolutions are 1280 x 720, 640 x 424 and 320 x 216. Recording time is limited to 5 minutes per clip for HD mode and 20 minutes per clip for the last two formats. Most likely, this is caused by the problem of heating the sensor, which degrades the image quality. The frame rate is 24 fps, audio is mono, not stereo. The approximate maximum file sizes for the two modes are –588 MB for video with a resolution of 1280 x 720, and up to 2 GB for 640 x 424.
Prior to this, Nikon had never released a special camcorder, and was the first to overcome this barrier in the world of SLR cameras.
View images
Playback enhancements include a new calendar, a 72 thumbnail display, 12, 9 and 4 thumbnail screens, as well as histogram viewing. New features have been added to the retouch menu, including the Cross screen and image overlay options, the ability to rotate photos and create a fisheye effect.
Sensor
Compared to the 10.2-megapixel D80 sensor, the CMOS sensor in Nikon D-90 (see photo below) has improved to 12.3 megapixels. Its size is 23.6 x 15.8 mm. The output is 12-bit, so neither the same beautiful 14-bit images in RAW, nor the 14-bit analog-to-digital conversion, as on the D300, can be obtained.
Sensor cleaning is multi-frequency, the optical low-pass filter vibrates in the perpendicular direction, and not parallel, as in most sensor cleaning systems. Due to the extreme variability of the types of dust, full cleaning should not be expected, but thanks for that.
Scene recognition
Scene recognition is what Nikon has been working on for years, and its quality is constantly growing.
The 3D Color Matrix system uses a 420-pixel RGB light meter that covers most of the image area (D300 models and above use an RGB sensor with 1005 pixels). As in previous models, Nikon D-90 compares examples of photos with a database of 30 thousand photos to make a decision for each scene. Earlier calibration of white balance and moving objects was added, and now it is possible to track faces using SRS.
AF sensors have become another part of the SRS puzzle, each aspect of which informs and tunes each other. Detecting the eyes and focusing on them, and not on foreground objects, or even other parts of the face, such as the forehead and nose, has become one of the advantages of this integration. Another distinguishing feature is the improved 3D tracking of objects moving throughout the image area. The RGB sensor may not be able to focus on the subject, but it adds the data set needed for the AF system to work. For example, if a red object crosses the frame from left to right and increases in size, SRS will add this information to the AF sensor data to quickly adjust focus.
Active D-Lighting
In addition to the “Active D-Lighting” automatic mode taken from the D700, the D90 received an ultra-strong setting, which allows for even more detailed shadows. At the same time, JPEG files are modified in such a way that the unchanged original, which could be returned to, is no longer available. To save the original image, you need to shoot RAW + JPEG or even use D-Lighting after capture.
Picture Control
In the Nikon D-90 camera, the image optimization setting was replaced by the image management system. Available options include Standard, Neutral, Saturated, Monochrome, Landscape, and Portrait. Each mode includes adjusting contrast, sharpness, saturation, brightness, hue, tinting. The same is true for video.
Connectors
The new HDMI connector, which connects to a high-definition TV, and an audio / video output connector, are new. A remote control port is also located separately, which also allows you to connect the GP-1 GPS prefix and the MC-DC1 remote cable.
Battery and memory
The EN-EL3e battery allows you to take up to 850 shots (CIPA standard), which does not take into account the use of Live View or video capture. You can increase battery capacity with the Nikon MB-D80 Multi-Power Battery, designed for the D80. For photographers with big hands or when shooting in portrait mode, the battery grip can really enhance comfort. You can also have 2 EN-EL3e batteries or 6 AA batteries in it. Adding a pen does not increase the frame rate, as occurs in the D300 and D700, but gives greater controllability, increasing, however, the weight of the device.
Images are saved on SD cards. Some were disappointed that Nikon switched to SD in digital SLRs of this level, but other manufacturers began to follow this example, including Canon. The cards provide ample storage space and have reached the performance of UDMA CompactFlash cards. In addition, they are more reliable, less prone to bending the contacts of the reader, which leads to its jamming and failure of the camera.
GPS option
Along with the announcement of the release of the D90, Nikon also presented a new GPS accessory. GP-1 is a small gadget (50 x 45.5 x 25.5 mm) installed on the “hot shoe” and plugged into a new dedicated GPS port on the side of the camera using the optional GP1-CA90 cord. The power comes from the camera’s battery. The device writes latitude, longitude, altitude and time to the EXIF headers of image files. GP-1 on average only takes 35 seconds to search for satellites and 5 seconds for a hot start. The latter is tied to the settings in the GPS menu: you can set the device to turn off power when the exposure metering system is turned off. This saves battery power, but takes 5 seconds to wait after activating the exposure meter.
Equipment
The composition of the Nikon D-90 camera kit:
- User's manual.
- Warranty and registration card.
- Case cover.
- Front lens cap.
- Camera strap.
- Eye cup.
- USB cable
- Power cable.
- Charger MH-18a.
- Battery EN-EL3e.
- Plastic protector for LCD panel.
- The Nikon D-90 camera.
- Getting Started Guide.
- Optics Nikkor 18-105 mm F / 3.5-5.6 G ED VR.
- CD-ROM
"Nikon D-90": reviews of professionals
Among the positive qualities of the camera, users note high-quality optics with image stabilization, automatic correction of chromatic aberration, excellent dynamic range, good work at high ISO. Among other advantages, the camera has a beautiful interface, fast AF and high shutter speed, AF operation at low light levels, bright AF backlight that does not require a flash, information content, support for old lenses, the presence of a new dust removal system, measurement accuracy even in the dark. Users note a convenient grip, the presence of programmable buttons, a built-in retouch menu, quick download to a PC, the ability to wirelessly remotely control, connect a GPS receiver, etc.
Among the shortcomings of the device, professionals note involuntary shutter movements during video recording, the lack of an external microphone input, lower than that of competitors, flash synchronization speed and photographing speed, poor white balance artificial lighting in the room, limited support for old lenses, the possibility of accidental AF shift. In addition, the increase in Live View is insufficient, and the bundled software has limited capabilities for processing RAW files.
The Nikon D90 is a great mid-range photographer camera and a good choice for D200 or D300 owners. Adding video has become innovative and opened up new possibilities. The only disappointment was the slow shooting speed, although it increased to 4.5 fps from 3 in the Nikon D80.