Nikon D90 Body Only

It is only fitting that my 100th review on Amazon is for my D90.

I bought it at Christmas time to replace my Nikon D40 which I had for 2 years and died on me.

Very pleased I paid the money to go for the D90 rather than the D5000.

I did a LOOOOT of research before I decided on the Nikon D90. Initially it was a fight between Canon and Nikon. I decided to stick with the Nikon as I already had some Nikon accessories. There are some cheaper models of the Canon that will allow quick change for things like ISO settings and so on.

Then it was a fight between D5000 and the more expensive D90.

The D90 spec was obviously higher than the D5000. But everyone everywhere was advertising the D5000. And the D5000 has the tilt screen and so on.

After all the research I decided that although the D90 did not have the tilt screen, everything else was worth paying the extra money.

The D90 is built better than the D5000. The D90 feels and is aimed at those who are slightly more than just the rich casual photographer. The D90 is aimed much for the 'prosumer' market. People who enjoy photography as an art, a hobby and take it that little bit more seriously than just someone who wants nice holiday snaps.

The thing that really sold it for me (as a budding wedding photographer) was the fact that changing settings on the D90 is really easy. There are dedicated buttons for ISO, Quality, Flash Settings, Picture mode (i.e. self-timer, burst), Exposure compensation.

With the two dial jogs, it is really easy to change the settings. So for example, if you wanted to change the flash settings, you press the dedicated flash button with your left hand. With your thumb you rotate the back jog to change from 'Red-eye' to 'Rear', 'Slow' and so on. And with your forefinger of your right hand you can dial up or down the level of the flash! As easy as that! And the process works similarly for other settings!

For wedding photography this is brilliant, rather than having to dive into a Menu like I used to with my D40.

It has endless other options and features which would be too lengthy for me to write about. One of the other useful feature is 'bracketing'. This is where you set the camera to take a series of photos each at different exposure levels. That way you can quickly take the same picture three times, without having to constantly adjust exposure compensation. Hopefully at least one of them will be the right exposure. Fantastic again for when a Bride is walking down the aisle with her father etc or trying to take photos of a sunset.

The other great thing about going for the D90 over the D5000 is that the AF motor is in the body. So for example, I bought only the body and for the time being I am using the body kit lens from my D40. On the D5000, that would render that lens non-auto focus. However, because the AF motor is in the D90, my D40 lens still has auto focus!

It also worked fine with my Nikon SB-400 flash.

When I bought it, I didn't think I would use the video all that much and in fact was worried that by adding video, Nikon might compromise on the still photography. However, I have found for personal use the video quite fun. There are times when you wish you had a video camera - and now you do!

Sure, the video doesn't autofocus, so I always flick it onto Manual AF and use it that way. The sound and picture quality are fine and I love the option of being able to capture a short video as well as taking stills.

Just recently, I shot a wedding with a friend of mine. He was using a Canon 50D (which is a lovely camera too - more comfortable to hold than the D90), however, he said to me at the end of the 4 hours or so that he had changed his main camera battery twice! I, on the other hand, had only lost 1 bar on my battery indicator!! No idea what the Canon 50D is doing but the Nikon D90 does seem to have a considerably better battery-life!

Overall, this is a fantastic camera. If you just want a nice camera for taking pictures when on holiday then I would probably save the money and buy the D5000. However, if you want more from your DSLR and want to develop your photography skills, you want to photograph fast-changing subjects like birds, try new things out or start out in wedding photography etc then this is fantastic camera and gives you amazing value for money.

To be perfectly honest I'm not sure what I can add to the many glowing reviews of this terrific camera! I have used lots of cameras over the years from SLR 35mm film, compact digital, bridge cameras and DSLR's but the D90 is the best I have owned. What impresses me is that everything is where I want it to be...all the buttons for me are in the right place. Things that on some cameras are hidden away in menus are accessed through dedicated buttons on the D90. If I want to change the ISO it's very easy as there is a button which allows me to change without getting involved in the menu at all, it adds up to one fantastic camera! I like to take night shots and the lack of noise is an absolute dream, it really is that good! It also gives me confidence knowing that this is a very special piece of high quality engineering. The 3 inch high resolution screen is very effective and appears to be much better than most DSLR's I have seen plus the handling and the 'feel' of the D90 for me is oh so right. At the moment I have it partnered with a Nikon 35mm prime which can achieve fabulous results. I believe this is a camera that can deliver great pictures if left in the auto mode and truly staggering images if you have the knowledge and imagination to go beyond the norm! An exceptional DSLR and I highly recommend the Nikon D90 without hesitation!

I decided to go for the D90 as my first DSLR. like other people have said, i spent ages, and i mean ages, deciding which camera to get. After owning this camera for several months now, i am delighted to say that it has gone above and beyond my expectations.

The camera itself is so easy top use and even has a help button if your unsure what something is (e.g. changing flash settings, you press one button and it tells you everything you need to know about everything to do with that setting. The buttons are very well laid out and easy to use and the camera feels very comfortable in the hand. and i love how the two dials on the front and rear side of the camera are used for nearly everything, and both work very well.

Being Nikon, both the body and the 18-105 VR lens that i got with the camera, are exceptionally good quality. Everything feels sturdy despite the plastic material that they are mostly made out of. The D90 has the perfect weight, not too light (doesn't feel cheap) not too heavy (doesn't break your neck), I love it!

I am extremely impressed with the pictures that I've managed to get from my D90. I do a lot of long exposure photography and it works really well. In addition to this, the wide array of compatible lenses from Nikon mean that there's something for everything! I'm getting the 70-300 VR soon and the fixed 50mm f/1.8. The 50mm is under £100 on here, and with such fantastic reviews and amazing results, who could resist?

My only issue was me (A 15 year old boy), worrying about the safety of my equipment. So, i searched for a few weeks into camera insurance. I chose a company called 'Glover and Howe' which specialize in photography insurance and i think telescopes. anyway, i pay £35 per year to insure up to £1000 of photography equipment. I chose this company due to the very positive reviews over the interweb. anyway, i am not trying to advertise the company, they just seem like an excellent company who are easy to deal with (don't try and get out of paying up if you make a claim). I highly recommend insuring your gear, it will be worth it if something ever happens.

Very happy chappy overall, best Christmas present EVER!