For the Nikon SLR enthusiasts, who have read the Nikon D90 reviews and learned that the latest SLR captures not only stills, as every Nikon model before it has, but also high-definition video, the revelation must have been bitter sweet.
On the one hand, the prospect of being able to capture video with the same device that allows you to capture superb photographic images sounds mighty convenient. On the other, Nikon has just embarked on a new course for all future mid to high end Nikon SLR models. The SLR camera then, is not so unlike the VCR recorder that suddenly found itself also sporting a DVD player unit. One device, now forced to share two technologies.
It is not hard to guess what might bother the Nikon SLR purists. Nikon's engineering team must now divide its time between advances in digital photography, and the improvement of a video technology which extends its maximum recording duration with each release. The Nikon D90 shares a good deal of its digital photography technology with the higher end model detailed in Nikon D300 reviews - the same 12.3 megapixel resolution, and the huge and bright 3.0-inch LCD viewscreen that formerly had Nikon lovers drooling.
Now Nikon's client base can have the best parts of the Nikon D300 for significantly less cost. And they get high-definition video. But that begs another question. How much cheaper might the Nikon D90 have been had the video unit been left out of the design? I guess I must be one of those nikon purists I mentioned earlier because I would have no problem giving up high-definition video in exchange for an even more affordable camera.
I doubt that I am the only Nikon fan to wonder about this, especially as the video capability of the Nikon D90 has received some serious criticism. For the most part this stems from two problems present in the D90. The first is that auto focusing is disabled in video mode. So you can expect blurred portions of your video shoots if your subjects are moving around a lot. Well, unless you happen to be very adept at manual focusing - a skill that is on the wane these days. The second problem is that you cannot use the Nikon D90's viewfinder in video mode. It blacks out. Instead you must use the LCD display to compose your shooting. All five to twenty minutes (in low resolution mode) of it.
But this does not mean you cannot use the Nikon D90 to capture fantastic video sessions of you kids playing soccer, or shoot memorable dialogues with family members. You just have to appreciate the current limits of the technology. You will, however, have to stock up on high-capacity memory cards if you plan to get busy shooting video. You will need at least an 8-GB SD card to avoid quickly running out of memory.
And don't forget that compared to the much cheaper Nikon D40, and even the slightly cheaper model discussed in Nikon D60 reviews, with its vibration-reducing 18-55mm Nikkor kit lens, the Nikon D90 is a huge step up. Not just in the performance of the camera body, but also in the optics. The kit lens for the Nikon D90 is the image-stabilizing 18-105mm Nikkor, which means you can photograph wide-angle to portrait-range telephoto and achieve some of the sharpest photos that you can imagine.
In summary, the Nikon D90 is a superb digital SLR which throws in a bonus in the form of high-definition video for those who would like to try their hand at mini movie making sessions.
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