I've owned this thing for 4 years or so now. Nikon has introduced a few models since then, but this thing is still just about perfect for the picture taking I do. Lots of lens choices, tons of features, ergonomics just fit my hands like I designed it for myself. I've looked at the newer stuff, and for the few things they've "improved" on, I still think this was and is the best fit for me. Only reason I could ever see moving it to second camera status is if I ever decide to go full frame. I'd love too, but tough to justify the price when this D90 does such a fine job even with the reduced sensor size.
Here's some points to consider if looking at one of these to buy. Its a 12.3 megapixel camera. Smallish by recent new cameras, but more than enough to print very nice pictures 11x14 or larger in some cases. If you are using it for 4x6, you will have excellent results. The camera does shoot HD video, but it is limited to the 720, it will not shoot 1080. In my experience, autofocus during video shoots leaves something to be desired. The camera, with the kit lens, 18-105, has very decent low light capabilities. Of course, the kit lens is slow, so a faster lens would improve low light capabilities. On a nice bright day, without using flash, the camera pops off 4.5 or 5 frames a second. I have used this camera a lot at the drag strip and have captured lots of great wheelie action using the continuious shooting. My daughter was also a polevaulter, and this feature allowed me to catch lots of great action shots as she went up and over the bar. I used it a few times, indoors, for high school basketball, with the 18-105 lens, it was slow and not so great. With a faster lens, excellent results indoors shooting action shots. The camera itself has lots of choices to select the type and heat range of the lighting you're shooting in, so great results are possible with incandesent, florescent, halogen, sunlight, moonlight, you name it, the camera can shoot in it.
There are quite a few in camera editing functions to correct, um, operator error. LOL. Camera shoots in both color and black and white. There are various settings which allow quit, low grade snapshots, fine picture quality, and up to RAW settings. RAW allows, actually demands, that you have computer capabilities to edit the photos. RAW prints cannot be processed at your local Wal-Mart. The detail possible and editing possible in RAW is unbelievable. Be forewarned tho, RAW eats up lots of storage on your SD cards. There is an option to shoot both fine and RAW at the same time, which allows easy printing of the fine, and the capability to edit and change appearances in the RAW format.
This camera has an internal focusing motor for the autofocus lens'. Nikon 3000 series does not have this feature. What does this mean? Not all lenses will autofocus on a 3000, where practically all autofocus lenses will function on the D90. There is also an auto/manual switch on the camera body which allows you to manually focus any lens attached to the camera if you desire more control than the autofocus feature allows. Speaking of lenses, the mounting design Nikon is using has been around since the late 70s. This means that some really nicely made Nikon lenses that you may have laying around from the 80s or 90s have a really good chance of working great on the D90. In the first part of my review, where I give my personal likings of the camera, I mention its a reduced sensor camera. This sorta works to your benefit. The reduced sensor has a multiplying effect on the lens rating. This is approximately 1.5 times. So, a 100mm lens on a D90 is equivalent to a 150mm lens on a full framed camera. 400mm is equal to 600mm, and so on.
The camera has a nice large screen on the back to select options in the cameras menu. You can also change to live view which allows the screen to function as the eye piece. The screen is stationary, it does not tilt, swivel, flip, etc. Using it in live view also slows down the reaction of the shutter a bit. On top of the camera is a small simple screen that shows many of your settings at a glance. Using the small screen and function buttons you can switch shot quality, ISO, check battery charge, number of shots taken and number remaining on card, F stop, flash, etc.
The camera also has two dials in very well placed positions. A front dial right below the shutter release, and a rear dial behind the shutter release. These dials do quite a few things, such as changing ISO, flash, and using both front and rear dials, you can change F stops and shutter speeds without pushing any other buttons first. So, for those desiring manual operation instead of auto, everything is very easy to change while looking through the eyepiece.
The camera has a pretty decent built in flash and the capability of adding external flash attachments.
In this review, I've only touched on a fraction of this cameras capabilities. I highly recommend this camera if you can get ahold of one new or used.
This product is available as Renewed.
Nikon D90 12.3MP DX-Format CMOS Digital SLR Camera with 18-105 mm f/3.5-5.6G ED AF-S VR DX Nikkor Zoom Lens (OLD MODEL) (Renewed) $599.00 & FREE Shipping
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This Item  Nikon D90 12.3MP DX-Format CMOS Digital SLR Camera with 18-105 mm f/3.5-5.6G ED AF-S VR DX Nikkor Zoom Lens (OLD MODEL) |  |  |  |  |  | |
| Price | $267.50 | $859.95 | $1,225.99 | $1,696.95 | $398.99 | -20% $1,596.95 Typical: $1,999.95 |
| Delivery | Get it May 16 - 17 | Get it as soon as Thursday, May 9 | Get it as soon as Monday, May 13 | Get it as soon as Thursday, May 9 | Get it as soon as Wednesday, May 15 | Get it as soon as Monday, May 13 |
| Customer Ratings | ||||||
| Auto focus | ||||||
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| Image stabilization | ||||||
| For landscape photography | ||||||
| Quality of material | ||||||
| Sold By | The Red Cup | Web Offers | BYDEALS | Green's Camera World | Port Hole Renewed | Amazon.com |
| display type | LCD | LCD | LCD | LED | LCD | LCD |
| display size | — | 3.2 inches | 3.2 inches | 3.2 inches | 3 inches | 3.2 inches |
| lens type | zoom | Fisheye | Zoom | Close-Up | Zoom | — |
| zoom type | Optical Zoom | Optical Zoom | — | Digital Zoom, Optical Zoom | Optical Zoom | Optical Zoom |
| shooting modes | Close-up, Landscape, Portrait, Night Portrait, Vivid, Neutral, Monochrome, Custom | Automatic | Automatic | Movie mode, burst mode, manual mode | Movie | Auto, Program, Shutter, Aperture, Manual, Effect, User 1, User 2 |
| connectivity tech | HDMI, USB | Wi-Fi | Wi-Fi | HDMI, USB | wired, wireless | Wi-Fi, Bluetooth |
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Our Point of View on Nikon D90 Digital SLR Cameras
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PRO PHOTOG Review Nikon 90 REAL USER REVIEW
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Review from Wired.com: Nikon D90 Takes World Champion DSLR Title Belt
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Nikon D90: Highly recommended by dpreview.com
The D90 viewfinder is amongst the best you'll find on any APS-C camera and it sits above the highest-resolution screen we've yet seen on a camera of this class. The buttons are well chosen and sensibly positioned, and the two-dial interface is a pleasure to use. (Buyers coming from other systems can even reverse the operation of the meter and dials to make everything that bit more familiar).
Reviews with images
Great Camera
This is my first DSLR, and I couldn't be happier. I read endlessly about different cameras before I decided on the D90. In the end it came down to the D90, and Canon's 50D, mostly due to their price points. Both are truely awesome and feature packed camera's. I loved the feel of the 50D, as I have pretty large hands. The 50D is about a half inch wider than the D90, and a slightly larger grip. The D90's grip is great as well, just a little smaller. Because of this, I purchased a battery grip along with the camera (Zeikos ZE-NBG90), and it feels great. (If you're wondering why I'm only talking about Nikon and Canon, it's because both companies have an extensive range of products for all skill levels, so plenty of room for me to upgrade bodies and lenses in the future. They are also both extensively used by professional photographers, so there must be something good about them.)A few things made me ultimately buy the Nikon D90.....First, the included kit lens. Nikon includes a 18-105mm VR lens, and Canon includes a 28-135mm IS lens. Both have Vibration Reduction/Image Stabilization, and both cost about the same if you bought them separately. On a crop frame camera (aps-c size), which both of these are, The 18-105mm is more usefull and versatile as an all purpose lens. I felt that it would serve better indoors, in smaller spaces, than the Canon lens would. For other beginers out there, on a crop frame camera you have to use a multiplier to figure out what the actual range is of a lense. For Nikon, it's 1.5, and for Canon, it's 1.6. So my Nikon 18-105 lens functions like a 27-157 on my D90 crop frame (18x1.5 , 105x1.5)The included lens on the Canon 50D is 28-135mm which, on the 50D, would function like a 45-216mm lens. This would be a great range for outdoor use, but I felt it didn't get wide enough for indoor use. This lens mounted on a full frame camera would be more appropriate (no multiplier). In Canon's defense, there are two other 50D kits available, one with a 17-85mm lens, and another with an 18-200mm lens. In my opinion, both lenses are inferior in quality to the 28-135, and they both are more expensive. The 17-85 kit was about $200 more, and the 18-200 kit was about $400 more. This made the 50D to expensive for me, especially when you could step up to the Canon 7D for $1500(body only) and $1900(with 28-135mm).Second are the number of buttons, and button placement. Everyone is different, and has different ideas about how cameras should be set up. For me, I like the idea of having more buttons on the outside, as the Nikon does when compared to Canon. If I have to go into a menu to get at a certain function, chances are, I'll forget I have that function. Being a beginner, I wanted as much in my face as possible to help me learn. This also makes for very fast adjustments for beginers and advanced photographers alike. As for button placement, the Nikon just felt more natural. Again, everyone is different.Lastly, I considered both Nikon's and Canon's full line of cameras. I do plan on upgrading in the future, so I looked at the upper end cameras as well. Whatever lenses I buy for my D90, I want them to work on whatever body I might upgrade to in the future (lenses are expensive!!!) I think I just liked Nikon's take on photography tools a little better. From styling to functionality, Nikon just seemed more... me. I may regret this, as Canon also makes outstanding products, and it seems like they have a lot more lenses, although I havn't actually counted. For now, I'm looking forward to a long relationship with Nikon, expecting that their more pricey camera bodies function as naturally and comfortably as the D90 does.I absolutely love the Nikon D90, and am very happy I bought it. I feel it's a great camera for beginers, and it'll grow with me as a photographer. I was able to create amazing images right out of the box. It's very easy to use. I sat on the couch with it that first night and just played with menus and settings, and learned my way around the camera very fast. I'd recomend the D90 to anyone, beginners and advanced amatures alike.I used cameralabs.com extensively before I decided on anything. Outstanding website with a lot of writen and video reviews on a great many cameras and lenses. Thanks Gordon!!A few tips if you buy the D90...*an 8g memory card will give you about 350 RAW+JPEG shots, or 1000+ JPEG shots*the D90 shoots video... barely. If you want to shoot video, buy a video camera.... seriously.*if you're going to shoot video, or are going to use live-view a lot, you NEED an extra battery.
