Nikon D90 review

Though it incorporates a 12-megapixel DX-format sensor, Nikon stresses that it's not the same sensor as in the D300. The pixels are the same size, however, and though it uses only 12-bit processing rather than 14-bit like the D300, Nikon claims high-ISO quality as good as the D300's, thanks to the same on-chip noise reduction. Our numbers don't exactly bear that out -- the D90 seems to perform better up to and including ISO 400, and then the numbers reverse.

Details begin to degrade slightly, but not significantly, at ISO 1600, and ISO 3200 looks soft but is usable

As usual, it depends upon scene content, but the photos are quite usable up to and including ISO 3200. And as usual for Nikon, the D90 tends to underexpose, and the dynamic range of bright shots fares better than dark, but you can easily compensate. Overall, the tonal range is very good and colours are quite accurate, as well as nicely saturated.

D-Movie doesn't match the best of the snapshot-camera movie modes. We shot flags blowing in the breeze and a fountain that we typically use to test camcorder and camera video. The clips themselves look okay, although for some reason Nikon bumps up the saturation beyond the photo settings, and we wish the camera shot 30fps instead of 24fps. You also need three hands if you plan to use the zoom -- which requires manually focusing -- because it's hard to hold this relatively heavy dSLR out in front of you steadily while shooting videos in Live View. But problems and quality aside, we still like the creative potential of the mode.

Shooting speed (in seconds)
(Shorter bars indicate better performance)

Time to first shot

Raw shot-to-shot time

Shutter lag (dim light)

Shutter lag (typical)

Nikon D90

0.2 

0.6 

0.9 

0.4 

Pentax K20D

0.2 

0.4 

1 

0.4 

Canon EOS 40D

0.3 

0.4 

1.2 

0.4 

Nikon D80

0.1 

0.3 

0.9 

0.5 

Sony Alpha DSLR-A700

0.5 

0.6 

1.2 

0.5 

Conclusion
Ultimately, the Nikon D90 gets high marks because it's a fast camera that delivers a great shooting experience and first-rate photos for the money. If your budget can't stretch quite that far, the D80 remains an excellent deal at its price.

Edited by Marian Smith