Nikon D90 and me
While it may look a lot like its predecessor, the D90 is essentially an all-new camera on the inside. The D90′s most talked-about feature isn’t its sensor, continuous shooting performance, or anything like that. Rather, it’s the fact that it’s the first D-SLR with a movie mode — and in High Definition, no less.
Some of the other highlights on the D90 include:
- A 12.3 Megapixel CMOS sensor
- Continuous shooting at 4.5 frames/second
- Live view on an ultra-sharp 3-inch LCD display
- Active D-Lighting for improved dynamic range
- Numerous in-camera photo retouching tools
- HDMI output
- Optional GPS for geotagging
If you buy the D90 with the 18-105 kit lens, then you’re ready to start shooting right away. This lens features Vibration Reduction, which is Nikon-speak for image stabilization. With the body-only kit, you’ll have to supply the lens, and you can choose from almost the entire collection of Nikon F-mount lenses. Unlike the D40 and D60, the lens doesn’t have to be AF-S in order to use autofocus, as there’s a focus motor built into the camera. Being that camera has an APS-C sensor, there will be a 1.5x focal length conversion ratio with whatever lens you use.
Like all D-SLRs, there’s no memory card in the D90′s box, so you’ll need to pick one up (if you don’t have one already). The camera supports both SD and SDHC memory cards, and I’d recommend starting out with a 2GB card. It’s definitely worth spending a little more for a high speed card when you’re using a digital SLR.
The D90 uses the same EN-EL3e lithium-ion battery as the D80 that came before it. This battery packs 11.1 Wh of energy, which is on the higher end of the spectrum. Ladies and gentlemen, the D90 has the best battery life in its class!
