EmailBest Reviewed
Digital SLR Cameras
- Best-value digital SLR camera Canon EOS Digital Rebel Xsi *Est. $700
- Best entry-level digital SLR Nikon D40 *Est. $470
- Best semi-pro SLR camera. Canon EOS 40D *Est. $950
- Digital SLR with movie mode Nikon D90 *Est. $1120
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Digital SLR with movie mode
- 720p HD movie mode
- Extra sharp LCD
- Chromatic aberration correction
- Excellent image quality
- Low light performance
- Video limitations
- Live view limitations
- Extra software needed for editing RAW files
The 12.3 MP Nikon D90 builds on the success of the earlier enthusiast-level D80 and also incorporates some of the features of the more expensive Nikon D300. The Nikon D90 is also the less expensive of the two digital SLR cameras that can take movies -- which are composed in Live View on a big high-resolution LCD. The 720p HD video format is good, but its features are so limited that reviewers say to think of the movie mode as a fun addition – not as a substitute for a camcorder. To get better video features in a digital SLR requires stepping up to the Canon 5D Mark II (*Est. $2,700 body-only). For faster action shots, consider the Canon 40D (*Est. $970 body-only, $1,480 with lens).
We found the best comparison tests of the Nikon D90 at five sites and publications aimed at photography enthusiasts. These combine objective lab tests with hands-on usage, sample photos and experience comparing many digtal SLR cameras. Our top reviews come from Imaging-Resource.com , Popular Photography -- and its UK counterpart, What Digital Camera -- and DPReview.com and DCResource.com. The review at CNet is shorter but brings up some useful criticisms, as does the even briefer entry in the electronics blog at Consumer Reports -- whose main report on digital cameras doesn't include the Nikon D90.
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This detailed review of the Nikon D90 is especially useful, since it compares it with the Canon Rebel XSi, Canon EOS D40 and the new Canon D50. Based on hands-on testing and experience with many digital SLR cameras, the review recommends the Nikon D90 as a good upgrade from the D80 -- better LCD, chromatic aberration correction and faster -- and a close competitor with the Canon 40D thanks to the D90 video capacity.
Review: Nikon D90 Full Review, Shawn Barnett, Dave Etchells and Zig Weidelich, Aug. - Nov. 2008
2. PopPhoto.com
Based on a combination of objective lab tests and hands-on usage, this review finds the video capability of the Nikon D90 "clunky" but useful since you can use a variety of lenses with it. The Nikon D90 performs better than the Sony A700 in low-light situations, and provides video capability lacking in the Canon 40D and 50D.
Review: Nikon D90 Camera Test, Philip Ryan, Nov. 2008
3. DPReview.com
This detailed review provides almost as vivid an experience as examining the Nikon D90 at a camera store, concluding that "it's hard to think of a better enthusiast-level camera." The highest rating is for features -- chromatic aberration correction as well as video.
Review: Nikon D90 Review, Richard Butler & Simon Joinson, October 2008
4. What Digital CameraDetails/Subscribe
This publication is the U.K. equivalent of Popular Photography, with detailed lab tests and reviews. The Nikon D90 is one of eight current digital SLR cameras to earn the top rating here, the editors' Gold award -- with praise for its LCD screen, viewfinder, image quality and burst speed. Criticisms include the video limitations and "fiddly access to AF modes."
Review: Nikon D90 Full Report, Matt Golowczynski and Editors of What Digital Camera, 2008
The Nikon D90 is one of three highly recommended digital SLR cameras here in the "over $1,000" price range. The full review includes loads of useful details and sample photos, with praise for the camera's battery life, "stunning" LCD, and a long list of other advantages. The main drawbacks are the slow and limited live view and the need to buy extra software to edit RAW images well.
Review: DCRP Review: Nikon D90, Jeff Keller, Sept. - Oct. 2008
6. CNET
CNET gives the Nikon D90 a rating of four stars out of a possible five, with a slight edge over the Canon 50D and Pentax K20D. The reviewer criticizes the layout of the controls, and finds the movie mode inferior to that of most point-and-shoot digital cameras, but praises the Nikon D90 performance overall.
Review: Nikon D90 Full Report, Lori Grunin and Editors of CNET, Oct. 2008
This brief blog post reports on the video capabilities of the Nikon D90, comparing them with that of HD camcorders. Other posts in this electronics weblog describe the Nikon D90 in more general terms, and describe how editors have refined their testing methods for digital cameras. The main Consumer Reports ratings of digital cameras, based on tests in July 2008, don't include the Nikon D90.
Review: Claim check -- Nikon D90: The first SLR with hi-def video, Editors of Consumer Reports, Sept. 30, 2008
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