Hi guys

Just had my D90 for a few days now with the Nikkor 16 - 85 VR.

The new dynamic range is great and also the new color modes. You can now save and name your own color modes. You can also fine tune the WB modes.

ISO is great even at 1600 as is the new 3" screen.

I sold my D200 to get the D90 and I don't regret it. It's also lighter to carry around :)

Have you tried video yet? There are a lot of technical reports on it, but it would be nice to have some feedback from some "real" photographers :)

In any case, it's probably my next camera, unless a D400 is around the corner.

Sorry for the non-techie question (I don't keep up with these things), but ... is the D90 the replacement for the D200?

No, it's the replacement of the D80. D300 replaces D200, D60 for the D40/D40x and D3 for the D2x/D2h.

Ahhh, thanks! :)

Congrats Pascal, nothing like opening the box and pulling out a shiny new camera out. Such fun.

Yes I have also tried the Video Mode. You can make a video in the Live view mode. I had to buy a HDMI cable to plug it to my LCD television, because it's not included. Videos look great. Like television :)

The problem is the D90 won't focus while filming.

The new "info" button is also great. Push once and you have all the infos from the top screen and other infos like ISO and color modes on the big screen. Push again and you can change settings like color modes and other things.

As I also had the D80 before handling and getting used to the camera is easy.

I just traded my D80 in and thought about the D90. But it lacks a few critical features for how I shoot. Mainly the ability to set Focus + Release as a priority mode for continuous focus tracking mode with continuous release - as opposed to fast FPS and no focus or no fps and perfect focus.

Plus once holding a metal camera - it makes all the plastic that went before feel just so - well disappointing - but you are right - the weight is a nice feature of such camera bodies like the D80.

So I went with a D300. ;-)

Having the ability to change focus modes with one button and not having to use a function button assignment and also changing metering mode too - is a god send. I tried using a canaon recently as well.... crikey!

IMHO the D200/D300/D700/D3 handling/back is the best laid out camera format ever. Also those shooting banks are the best. I can set one shooting bank for different quality settings and then custom banks for different operating modes. For example, one with 51 point 3D tracking in Auto mode and 11 points in manual. And then one for dark times, where I set it for 21 points auto, 11 manual with release priority.....

Personally I'd have kept the D200 over the D90. Or kept the D200 and purchased a film body to go with it. Or kept both....the AF motors are so fast in the D300. It drives my 85 1.4 much better than the D80 did.

I wish they could put the D300 button layout on a D90 sized body. That would be ideal. :-)

Just remember to turn ADR on.

No need for ADR. I shoot raw and do it myself later anyhow... ADR just slows your FPS and reduces the buffer. ADR like most other features are mainly for pro's that shoot straight to JPG.

... And eliminates the need to shoot raw and do it yourself later. But hey, if you've got the sort of life where you can throw time away, I envy you greatly.

There is much, much more to raw than simply what ADR does. And modern software like lightroom or aperture make using raw a breeze, not at all a waste of time.

For me, post-processing is part of the production of an image, not more or less than the capture itself. And if I can find time for one, I can for the other.

Yup 50% camera, 50% dark room.

RAW is nothing. I still soup up my own 120 and 135 film. Since this is a hobby, I like doing the work and it is fun - not a drag at all. If I was a pro - then yeah - the details are not as important as getting a 98% good shot and getting it out the door quick. Pro's also have more time to practice and also a list of the shots that are needed.

I have no list of shots that are needed. I just go out and shoot whatever and then come back and edit whatever - I never know if I "have what I need" and I never have a deadline.

Not to desend into the a whole debate but they both have pro's and con's. And it depends what you do. When I shoot stuff that I don't care about (say an event for a friend - and by care - I mean no nit picking artistic syndromes of mine plague my though) I do shoot straight to JPG. As I just want to shoot and print or shoot and burn DVD.

For my "art" (I still find that hard to say given my history as an Australian Male) I really do need to be pedantic about it. ;-)

What??? Give it a try! Or at least, set your cam to raw+JPG, store the raw for later, when you change your mind... You will!

Eh.. your film is "raw", next scanner does a better job.. just to compare..

I meant that RAW is no effort for me to use.......that is why I use it...

Sorry, I misunderstood..

All these choices are giving me such a headache! I can't make up my mind. :((

I would love to have a D3 which is as light as a D40 and at the price of a point and shot. ;)

Too greedy, perhaps!!

I don't find the D300 much heavier than the D80. Nor larger.

What is a shock to me, is that I used primes f 1.4 ones that I thought were heavy (85mm) and consumer zooms and a 12-24.

I purchased a 17-35...... THAT is heavy. REALLY HEAVY. I did not think I would care abbot weight, being thr big baffoon that I am - but that 17-35 is really, really, really heavy.

When can they used plastics or other materials that are as good as glass.... but a tonne lighter?

Yes it is heavy, but it has become my favorite "normal zoom". Excellent glass! And metal.. I have ruined some lightweight lenses over the years, also some glass/metal ones, but that takes more..
I'm happy for all the metal, in the cam body, and in the lens. I'm not a careful person.. and I'm happy that someone makes gear for me too..

I don't get it. You're concerned about losing time and shots while actually out, y'know, shooting, but don't care that you're losing shots while fiddling with unnecessarily bloated images on your computer?

Actually a RAW file and a JPG file from the D300 are the same size. As for wasting time back home - you don't. You just open them up and work on them.

I run all images through DXO first and that does pretty much all that needs to be done basic adjustment wise.

For BW photo's you must use raw because it is best to send completely de constrasted and flat images to the BW converter. Easy to add contrast later - hard to remove it. So in this case JPG is a problem as that has already been done and the removal of contrast is problematic at best.

I shoot for a day and carry a camera everywhere - even when walking to lunch at work. When I have time, I download the images. I may not process them for a few days or weeks. I wait for a time when I am at home, not busy, don't feel like going out and feel like manipulating images for a few hours on the PC to churn out what I want.

For my style of shooting, I don't know how many shots I am wasting while fiddling at 11PM at night through to 2AM.....?

Anyway - enough baiting, use what you like and we can use what we like. Hao ba?

Either you're misunderstanding something or there's something very wrong about the D300's compression scheme.


Which does essentially everything done in-camera to make JPG's, except not as slow.


Hey man, if you like what you're doing, keep doing it. But surely you can recognize that your expressed behavior is very, very puzzling at the least.

Oh, and this:


The irony being that if you shot in ADR you'd have exactly that... without the slowness (which you stated you try to avoid) of RAW.

I have to say I find your posts quite offensive. I don't want to get into the big RAW vs JPG debate all over again, but I would appreciate that you respect my choices, even if you don't agree with them.

To take an analogy, in the days of film you would be advocating getting prints from your local store as soon as the roll is finished, while I would prefer doing all the stuff myself in the darkroom. Sure it's much slower, takes a lot of effort and sometimes the results is actually worse than what a store could have done, but I have a lot more freedom to work with the image and make it look the exact way that I want. I don't really care about being fast, but I do care about having the best possible image.
Now, if someone were to come to me and explain me how "puzzling" my behavior is and how I should completely change the way I work based on some criterion that I don't even share, well I probably wouldn't put with him for very long. And I don't think you would either.

Look, you're not saying you like to do stuff in the darkroom while complaining about doing stuff in the darkroom. The guy says he doesn't want to waste time, then turns right around and says he likes to waste time. I'm not allowed to be puzzled?

Look, I don't care if people do things "their way". A person can make great pictures with a shoebox and a needle, as long as they recognize that they're taking a very awkward path towards making a photo. If that offends you, I suggest some thicker skin.


I never advocated changing anything. If you like to make stuff up, at least make up something interesting.

I do not see any reason to be angry or rude over such trivial subjects.
Plus this is a thread on the D90, not on your preferred method of capturing and editing photos and which one is right or wrong.
If you could stick to the topic this would be much appreciated.
Thank you.

Umm.. no. When I mean no contrast - I really mean no contrast. As flat as can be. Almost looking like there was sun shone right into the lens. Not possible without raw.

Also look up irony in the dictionary. A heart surgeon having a heart attack is ironic. Me doing something that I said I don't do or is bad to do is "Hypocrisy". Poetic at worst.

"The guy" that is me.. has a name. And I did not complain about wasting time. I did not complain at all. I mentioned that some in camera features slow the FPS. They don't slow me or slow my time. If I want to capture the moment and do it with a burst or many bursts and I do care about FPS and buffer size - I don't do in camera stuff like ADR.

You are free to represent yourself - you are not free to misrepresent me.

He guys. A big discussion going on here :)

The D90 is running great. So far I did 1500 pictures. I even dropped it accidentaly last weekend while shooting on a mountain lake here in Switzerland.

I thought now it must be broken but no scratch on the 16-85mm lens and everything runs fine.

As for the RAW discussion. I set the D90 to ADR Auto and JPEG Normal. If I have a really great motiv, then I make an extra RAW picture of that.

How is the 16-85 going?

I mainly use a 17-35 and 85 1.4 with a 35 2 that is use on film for street or my D300 when I just want light.

I am thinking of a lens that I can put on for shooting when photography is not the main point of the trip. Since return flight to Thailand is now something like 240USD - I am thinking of going in the next couple of weeks with the Missus. So far I am torn between picking up a 18-200 or 16-85 for the D300.

Or just taking a heap of film and the F80 + 35 F2 and do a lot of nice BW film shooting of people and streets and save the hassle of worrying about theft and then also even more weight due to the tiny size of that prime and the F80.

Then I go back and think about landscapes - which are not my thing - but what if I want to capture some nice colour - then the D300 would be good. But dammed if I can going to carry around the 17-35 and 85 1.4 that apart from being heavy are each worth the same or more as the D300!

I even thought about a D40 - but the lack of a focus motor us a bummer....

Anyway - how is the 16-85? What did it replace for you or do better for you?

I had the 18 - 200 VR from Nikkor but for my type of photography I prefer the 16 - 85 VR because I shoot 50% of my pictures on the widest, so 16mm and the rest between 17 and 50 mm. VR is also great and it survived the drop test ;)

Back in my film days I used a 24 - 85mm lens and I really liked the 24 wide end.

The 16-85 VR also fits great with the D90, this means the proportions between camera and lens look and feel right.
On my D200 the 16 - 85 looked a bit small ;)

I just got yesterday my D90 along with the 18-105 VR. The jump up from the D50 is amazing, and my eyes water with emotion every time I look at the gorgeous LCD screen. Also had some fun with video, but I think it will be a challenge to get anything worthwhile with it (the problem comes from the user, not the camera).

I can't wait to get mine. I've ordered it 2 weeks ago together with a 18-200 nikkor. Should arrive any time now....

How are the D90s doing nowadays?
I'm really thinking of getting a D90 with a lens or two, not sure which though... something wide-ish. Sigma 17-70?
I have the good fortune that my current school's photo teacher is an absolute photo buff, and all of the extra revenue from our yearbook department goes towards new equipment. Just the other day I was shooting a basket ball game with the 17-70 on a D300 (with vert grip) and I damn near fell in love! Also the sigma lens is rock solid and everything just works so perfectly. Out of the D70, D90, D200 and D300 I really love the D300. It's so sturdy and everything is so easy to manage and adjust on the fly. It's so quick to focus and it's so painless to change focus points in a split second without even thinking about it. I daresay I can critique DSLR cameras with my meager knowledge of them, I really only get to shoot with one when I borrow one for the weekend or am shooting for an article, and I can't say I have enough time to really have some fun when doing articles. As I said before I don't know much about digitals, and there are probably much better cameras out there but I don't get much time to spend with each (How's the D3, I'd like to know, I've only used it for about an hour to catch a soccer game). To end my rant let me say the D3 just works.

Regrettably, as a High school student I am not wealthy, so most of the cameras I've mentioned are a wee bit out of reach. But with what money I've managed to scrape together the D90 is close, oh so close. What photos I do take currently are on my Contax with 50 or 35mm Carl Zeiss lenses, and I do my developing by hand so I can actually afford to get more than a few rolls developed.

I would much appreciate any feedback or suggestions on what to buy to get the 'most bang for my buck.'

My D90 is doing great, I fell in love with the camera and it's pushed me to go outside more often than I would usually do (especially considering the fine Danish weather we currently have ;)
I can only compare it to my other DSLR, the three years old entry-level D50, and the cameras are a world apart. The D90 feels much more, well, pro. Everything falls under my fingers when I need them and I very rarely have to take my eye away from the viewfinder (except to delete images, I really don't like the top left placement of the button). I've also operated it with thick gloves without any trouble, which might be useful to you if you're from Vancouver :)

Unless you need one of the features of the most advanced cameras (D300: weather sealing + AF system, D700: high iso, full frame), I think the D90 is by far the best "serious" camera for the buck. As for lenses, I'm in love with my Sigma 18-50 f/2.8, it's just brilliant and amazingly sharp and fast. They gave me the 18-105VR with the camera and apart from the VR (which is really nice), I don't think the lens is that great.

I hope that helps.

I'd love a contax! For me, going from a contax and film to a crop sensor dslr is a downgrade...and a BIG one at that too!

Why not just put some money towards a good second hand nikon or epson scanner? Buy a bulk loader and continue to shoot film and scan it. You get the best of both worlds and none of the digital draw backs like poor dynamic range, poor high iso, sensor burn in, large camera size, depreciation in value, excessive DOF, flat looking images, etc, etc, etc.

Of course it is more convenient - but if you know what you shoot and like to shoot, film is fine and a scanned 135 negative will still out resolve a D3X!

Cheers,
RF.

PS: I am still angry that I got suckered into this whole digital thing. It really is to the camera makers benefit and not the photographers. Such a waste of money like upgrading computers every 2 years... :-s

I am with you on this.
Digital has made it so much more seamless the flow between shooting and the "finished product". But I agree that the beauty of a nice negative in your hands from which you print your own images is a pleasure that digital will never be able to give.

There is so much popularity of digital that fewer and fewer shops are selling film and developing agents. Which is really sad.
Film photography is a zen discipline: you take your photo and wait: minutes, hours, days. You learn the art of patience and to put up with failures, which are unavoidable and cannot be corrected. You end up shooting with more care and attention.
I think it will not disappear and it may as well return in vogue soon.

I wonder how a 6x7 negative would appear once scanned, compared to a digital image from a "full frame" camera.

Well, I just got my first 4x5 slides, so as soon as I get access to a real scanner, I'll tell you :)
From what I've read here and there, people say a good 4x5 is somewhere between 100 and 200MP.

Thanks for the quick feedback.
I do really love my Contax, and will never stop using it, but during the summer or when I travel it's nice to have the flexibility of a good digital as well as the sheer volume of photos that can be taken. I find that I just don't have enough time to set up and frame everything perfectly when I'm rushing through some exotic land with my family and I think being able to take a few photos then pick the best one later would probably speed things up. Plus with VR I wouldn't have to lug around a tripod, and that's a plus when you walk most everywhere on your vacations. :)
There are somethings that just can't be done with the same results when using digital, compared to film, but the reduced cost involved with digital I think would make up for it. Film is just so expensive to get developed nowadays and the only place I can do it by hand inexpensively is at my school, and they are only set up for B/W prints and I can't access it during the summer. :\
A good print is a marvelous thing, but I do enjoy the versatility of digital. I love to photoshop photos, I fiddle with stop motion, and time lapses don't have the best results with webcams.

Thanks again, I think I'm going to go with the D90 + Sigma 18-70, or 18-50.

PS. The D300's weather proofing would be an ENORMOUS plus in Vancouver. :)

I have my medium format negs scanned 6x6 at 8000x8000. So that is a 64Megapixel image. If I print at 300DPI that means a print of 68cm square. If I print at 200 DPI which is also to 99% of people the same as 300 DPI, that is a 1 metre square print.

I did one like that of this image:

http://sinoperture.1x.com/photos/5210/wrong-turn/

Looks awesome!

At last! My shiny new D90 arrived last week. Together with a 18-200 VR nikkor lens, it's a huge improvement over a D60.
Still, some glitches. Every now and then, a spooky Err pops up on the top lcd along with a crazy f90 aperture. Pulling out the battery is the only way to reanimate the camera.

Haven't had that problem at all or anything like it. But I don't have that lens?? Mine has been dead nuts so far!!

The 18-200 is the only lens I have. From what I've found on the net, it could have to do with the lens contacts. I've wiggled and remounted the lens, but it doesn't help. Oh well, it's only every 300 shots.

Yeah, but could only get worse, I would make Nikon replace either the lens or both!!

Yes, please! I would like to know.

Impressive!


I bet it does! :)

Hi Joris,
I also have the D90 with a 18-200 VR lens but have never experienced the error you describe. I know that there was a similar issue with the D200 when using larger lenses and it was solved by a firmware upgrade. So I can't immagine that it is caused by the same problem (lens contacts). I would contact nikon for support and eventually have it checked or repaired.

regards,
Michael

Michael,

Thanks for the info.
I've contacted Nikon and the Belgian Nikon service center. Both told me that this was not a known issue. They advise to send the camera in for service.
Since I had to wait 5 weeks for the camera and I haven't got the error for some time I'm not going to send it in right now. After all, I have 2 years of warranty.

Also, every time I got the error (Err + F90) I tried to shoot another picture and THEN camera locked up with Err + [CHA]. Nothing but a battery pull could get the camera back up.
The last time I got the error (Err + F90) I stopped shooting. Everything seemed to work. AF still worked, menus still worked,... Then I gently wiggled the lens in its fitting, and the error was gone. This makes me think it's the lens contacts after all.

Joris.

I am on the tempting verge of buying a D90!

I would love to hear some more feedback from you guys... How is the 18-200 doing on the body? Hows the Live view, video and new in camera editing?
I am currently using a D80, which is a great camera. I guess I am wondering if it is worth the jump for the price.

I heard some rumors there are some soft issues with the D90... Is this true? Can anyone compare with the D80?

Thanks guys. This thread is gold!

I moved up to D90 from D70s a couple of months ago:

Video is cool but just a novelty for me. I work in television and the quality is NO WHERE NEAR HD (again only from my perspective) others will disagree. The lateral panning artifacts are just awful. A motion jpeg encoded movie would not be considered HD anywhere I have ever worked. The term HD has lost a lot of its luster. Anybody that can record video in 16x9 format and 720 pixels high can now claim HD.

I don't have the 18-200 although I hear it is pretty nice lens. I bought just the body. Works great with all my lenses. The autofocus is much better than the D70s and that is one area I was reluctant about. I was considering the D700 vs. the D90. My Tokina 12-24 would not autofocus on much of anything with the D70, but does great with the D90. When I was shooting with the D70s I pretty much manual focused everything, now I am confident to rely on the D90's autofocus.

I LOVE the gird you can turn on in the viewfinder. VERY NICE for my landscape work.

The live view is nice but also still kind of a novelty. The autofocus is totally different in live view and not so great.

I don't do any in-camera editing, so can't help much there.

I LOVE the "Info" button, especially when on a tripod.

The lack of any available remote cable release is a bummer (still not available the last time I checked) I am using the timer, works pretty well instead.

The viewfinder is much better than the D70s but I think so was the D80, so may not be much better for you.

If your computer is marginal in performance you will want to upgrade about a week after you start working with the larger files!!

more if I think of it...

Valdor,

I came from a D60, and the D90 is a big step up. I can agree with most of Clyde's remarks.
I never use LiveView. Autofocus is way to slow in LiveView, and when you think to press the shutter, the mirror first has to flap down before flipping up again. I may use it when I'm low to the ground or when shooting overhead.

Video is, like Clyde says, a bit crummy.

I have the 15Euro IR remote, so I've no problem with a cable release.

The 18-200mm VR is a charm. Besides a fast 35mm or so to shoot in low light, I don't think I'll need any other lens.

Thanks for the replies guys! Good to hear some info on the D90.
Bit dissapointed with the movie comments but I didn't expect the movie mode to be any good to be honest. Considering it is a high end SLR, to have any movie mode, must have been a challenge for Nikon to add. Have you guys tried the dust vibrator? This is also a concern of mine.

My big question is whether to buy the D90 or the D300... Being similar in price it really is a difficult decision.
I guess I am ultimately after the one with the better image quality, but they seem so close. Has anyone used both? I have seen some previous information on the differences but can someone point out the main difference between the D300 and the D90 for me?

Thanks again guys.

Hi Valdor,

the dust thing works automatically every time you turn the camera on and off. After a month, 2000 frames and lots of lens changing in varying conditions, I still have to see a dust spot on any of my D90 images... Not a scientific test by any means, but so far I'm very happy with this system (it used to be a big problem of mine too).
Video is fun and sometimes welcome, but I'm not a moving images myself, so I am having trouble doing interesting stuff with it.

As for the D300 vs D90 thing, it was also a big question for me (solved by the fact that I got the D90 for free ;), but I think the equation goes something like : if you need the difference in AF system (i.e. you are shooting sport or wildlife) or if you need the extra build quality (metal vs plastic body, some more weather seal), get the D300. Otherwise, and especially if weight is important, get the D90. Judging by the photos you have on 1x, I'm guessing you have somewhat similar shooting practices than me, and I would definitely go with the D90, if only for the lighter weight and cheaper price.

I would not consider a D300. If I had the extra cash, I would go straight for the D700. But you then probably need (expensive)FX lenses.

D300 is metal and not cheap plastic and is weather proof. It also has the buttons on the outside and not in menu's and has a 100% view finder - plus nice things like setting focus priority on AF-C so that you get streams of focused shots and not machine gun out of focus ones. Plus the metering having it's own button like all film camera's previously did. You don;t need to go hunting to change from matrix to spot or centre weighted.

The 3D tracking and scene recognition and 51 af points are also dreamy to use.

I am selling my D300 as well as I am done with digital - it looks like crap and has too many distractions during shooting - plus doesn't hold details well like film does - though the tones are smoother - one good thing of a bayer sensor that has to extrapolate each and every pixel out :-s.

Anyone want a 3 month old D300 with box and all manuals and less than 2K frames shot on it? Nary a scratch or mark anywhere!

Cheers,
RF.

The D90 also has a button for metering mode, and I programmed the Fn one to change focus mode, so everything is driven by external buttons and not menus. It also has focus priority.

True - but I guess like the D80 - you have to press the button AND twist a thumb dial - that can't be done without then looking at the LCD to see what you are on. With the dedicated thumb wheel on the D300/D200, etc. You can twist it all the way up, or down, or in the middle with yout thumb without having to look.

I also did the Fn button (on my D80) for the focusing mode - that is the best use of that Fn button for sure! And it does work well... but you still need to take you eyes off the subject and look at the screen.

There is a certain certainty to physical clicks that mean top is this, bottom is that and middle is this. Though this is a purely personal thing of course. The D90 is a great camera.

If they made a D40 sized camera with motor drive - and/or Nikon comes out with an AFS 35 prime - I would be all over that as a small casual thing. Much better than a P+S. I forgot how small it was (held one today).

I also tried the new AFS 50 1.4.

Crap.

It is sloooooooooow to focus on my F100. It rotates like molasses - compared to my AF-D 35/2. And the manual focus ring - the whole reason for AFS as you can just grab it and turn - is VERY stiff and can't be moved with the tip of your pinky finger. You HAVE to use two fingers and a fair bit of force... :-(

I've recently added a D90 to my equipment. First impressions are: it offers, in terms of image quality output, same or better quality than D300, in a lighter, smaller and more compact body. If you are thinking about a D300, you can spare some money and get instead a D90, in case you don't need a tough metal weatherproof body for heavy duty pro work...

I've bought my D90 a week ago, together with the 18-105VR kit lens. To those who previously owned a D80 (like me), the D90 body itself is a real progress, 'cause it's far superior, mainly according to its sensor, which offers a better image quality at ISO-3200 than the D80 did at ISO-1600.
Although it apparently has inherited the RGB sensor of its predecessor, the matrix metering and the Auto-WB work much-much better in the D90.
Plus it has a few new features.
As for the video... come on, is this really the important for a serious amateur photographer? This is a "marketing-feature" not more. Accept it as is (e.g no AF) then forget it :-))

Hint for D80-users: upgrading to D90 worth every cent.

Upgrade to an F6 is much better! ;-)

Snow Leopard - Wow... You say the image quality is coming out the same or even better than the D300? Have you used both?

Do both these cameras use the same censor? I forgot the name but the D300 uses the same or similar to the D3 right? Does the D90 use that as well?

It's decision time for me. My D80 is sold and this weekend I will be buying one of the two... Leaning to the D90 after all this positive feedback!

Apparently, the D90 has the same sensor than the D300 but a smaller metering chip (420 zones instead of 1080) but I can't really find good sources about those. Real life tests (not by me) suggest that its image quality matches, if not surpasses, that of the D300.
Now, what I'm pretty sure about is that the D300 has a different sensor than the D3, seeing that one is DX and the other FX (and it's much more complicated than just adding more pixels on the sides to go from one to the other).

The D90 should be a little better. It is the march of technology. While the D300's sensor is in the D90 - there is a whole extra year of tweaks, adjustments and changes.

This is one of the reason why I sold all my digital stuff (D300 goes today and a new F6 arrives).

This way I can just rescan my negatives as scanners get better (maybe one day we can all have drum scanners at home?).....

I have a recently acquired D90 and I have no way to compare it to a D300, but what Richard says is pretty much what I confirmed from lots of reading and talking before I bought. I had just barely enough money to get the D300 or enough to get the D90 and a couple of new lenses. I opted for the latter and haven't been disappointed (well except for the video, but didn't expect much there).

Ok guys... You pinned it! D90 here we come!

Damn now I have to wait till the weekend to get it! Damn work...

I cant wait to jump on this growing 'D90' wagon!!!
Thanks so much for the feedback on this camera guys.

I am thinking about a D90 if I decide on a DSLR. One thing that it is lacking that all of the Canons and also the lower (in the line) D60 has and that is an automatic shut off of the LCD when you bring the viewfinder up to your eye. And the fact that is will not go on automatically when you are looking through the viewfinder is another benefit.

I do not understand why Nikon is thinking. Here the D60, out before the D90 and the more expensive camera does not have this great feature.

The D90 is the consumer version of the Pro D300. The body is lighter weight and the AF has 11 as opposed to 51 focus points but nobody has complained that the camera AF is lacking. As a matter of fact the word is it is better and more accurate than Canon.

I owned a D60 and I'm glad my new D90 is lacking this crappy (on a D60 at least) feature. On the D60 this only worked when I was using the camera indoor. Outdoors, when looking at the lcd, your have the camera pointed down with the eye detection pointing up towards the bright sky. This confused the detection and the lcd started to go crazy. On-Off-On-Off... I sometimes simply could not use lcd in bright outdoor situations.
My D90 doesn't have that feature, and I'm not missing it. Pressing the release button half way, shuts off the lcd.

Lightly press the shutter button and the back screen goes off. Easy.

Most shooting nfo you can see on the top screen and through the viewfinder.

I had a D80, very similar to the D90, and never needed the function you talk about.

I never set the image to "Preview" when I had digital - so that it comes on all the time. One of the reasons that I hated digital so much. It wasted my shooting time by teasing me into doing a review of every shot all the time....

Also the screen goes off when you half press the shutter - or more normally when you press the AF button to start the AF process if you have done what most people do and split the focus locking and the exposure locking from each other AND the shutter releasing......

Just got the Nikon D90!

Very very impressed so far! Image quality is awesome... The screen on the back is superb! Huge and images look almost too good on it!
The D-lighting feature and some of the other options make shooting outdoors a joy!
The camera feel exactly the same as the D80, but I think the inside of this camera is worth every penny of the upgrade!

Awesome machine

Congrats Stefan.

Stafan, wellcome to the D90 Club ;)

Hello D90 owners!
In the D90 topic of a very popular Hungarian forum, not so long ago, there was a busy thread about focusing problems with D90 and non-AF-S lenses.
At least two-three guys experienced very bad front-focusing with popular lenses like 50mm f/1.8D or 60mm macro that worked perfectly on older camera bodies (D70, D80, D200). The local Nikon service staff do not seem to be able to solve the problem.
I personally don't have such problems, thank God all my lenses (including the 50/1.8) work pretty well on D90.
Have you experienced such focusing problems?

hello attila szabo and other nikon d90 users, im also a nikon d90 user and regarding to your post about problems with focusing the 50mm 1.8D i myself also own this glass and have no problems with it in my d90. :)

hello all
I also nikon d90 user now, but why use Tamron 70-200 lens focus less good ? What should in the firmware upgrade!!!
but if a lens can be another good result :D

I've also acquired the D90, together with a Tokina 11-16 2.8 lens. Still waiting for a Tamron 17-50mm. Haven't gone out yet because I'm also waiting for a camera bag. But inside I've played around with it. Feels very decent and firm (build quality), both the Tokina as the D90. And it's heavier than I thought :). I have been shooting somewhat with a friend's D40. That's probably why. Can't wait to get my other lens and the bag, so I can go out.

Just bought one of these beautiful machines, arrived two days ago. I have yet to figure out what all the abrevations mean. Just a question, does anyone know how to turn the sound off when taking a photo, or at least reducing the noise if possible? I tried taking street photos yesterday and it did ruin a few...

I read about the quiet mode on new D5000, but I think D90 does not support it. But you can turn off the beep sound when it autofocuses.

Really? Oh bugger that will end up challenging my patience, but as far as I can see, that and the slow focusing in live mode which I do not use anyway are the only irritating points. Right I'm going outside with my new toy, thanks a lot for your help David! :)

In the menu set up you will be able to turn off the beep when it auto focuses and you could select manual focus so you will not have the lens focus motor sounding then all you'll be left with is the sound of the shutter. Don't know if the D90 has a silent shutter option, my D300 hasn't.

JP

No, the D90 doesn't have a quiet shutter option.

Hi. Long time listener, first time caller.

I have a D5000 and wanted to comment on Quiet Mode. Yes, it's really quiet. Nikon achieves this by slowing down all the internals, especially the mirror. Also, the mirror stays up as long as you hold down the shutter button. This is great if you want to time the "click" of the mirror return with some other noise to minimize the sonic impact on others. Stealthy photographs are very easy with the D5000.

BUT ( and there's always a but ) I wouldn't recommend a D5000 for any serious hobbyist. The controls are not really set up for fast use The D5000 is missing a slew of buttons ( ISO, Shutter Mode, WB, etc... ) that are present on the D90. For a few hundred bucks more, the D90 is a much better camera. I will be trading up my D5000 as soon as I can swing it.

Jeff

I am thinking about upgrading my extra camera = D40 to the D90, too.

Long time D90 user here. I wish I had just bought the D300 or D700 instead. D90 is a good camera, but I've hit some limitations with it.

What are those limitations? I'm trying to save up for a D90 (I have a D60 now) but is there something I should know?

Hi John. Why do you want to upgrade from D60 to D90?

John I use one and I love it. If you want to be extremely nitpicky, then there are a few points.
-Small amounts of digital grain at ISO 100 and occaisional banding
-Slow focusing on live mode
-When the weather drops under 0°C everything becomes much much slower.

I spent a day with the D60, the D90 just feels better to hold. I can't see myself ever buying a replacement digital camera.


Printing at higher sizes for instance?

I finally pulled the trigger and ordered my d90. I looked at used D300s, but decided the extra savings on the d90 could be used for lenses. Probably Nikon will announce a replacement for the d90 any day now, but I think I made the right decision for me. It will be nice to be able to use older lenses without motors in them and the better low light performance of the d90 over my current d60 should be a help. I got the body only (new) for $779 from amazon and even splurged on a 50mm 1.8 lens.

John, you do know that the d90 will be in total manual mode with no metering at all w/ AI and Ai-s lenses...don't you? The d90 has TTL metering turned off in software, thank you Nikon!! The d300 will work fine with these lenses, my F100 will but only in spot metering, no matrix metering. Same with my Lensbaby no meter at all on d90 and F80 but ok on F100 and FG

how do you do this? I've been reading through my D90 manual and cannot figure this out. Also, is there a way to save preset shooting settings, like aperture, ISO, shutter speed, etc? so that I just have to switch to one of my custom settings instead of dialing each one in individually?

Thanks!

Well, I was just looking to use the AF-D lenses, not the AI lenses. It works just fine with the AF-D--I have a new 50mm now and I'm looking at an 80-200 as well.

Check for setting the EA AF button on the back of the camera I believe there are five options one is assigning AF to that button which disconnects the AF mode from the shutterrelease button

I got it four months ago as my first dslr, not one single problem so far. It seems to be a great camera :)

All the best with your new buy :)

Thank you for the post.

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