Equipment Review - Nikon D90 - Part 1

Sitting at the top of Nikon's consumer camera offerings since Fall 2008, the D90 offers a powerful combination of performance and compact-size. It has quickly become a favorite "carry-around" camera, offering stunning shots without the bulk of one of Nikon's professional bodies. When I decided to write this short review, I realized that there are a plethora of technical sites where you can read about every detail of the D90's specifications. Instead of rehashing these details, I'll just point you in the direction of those sites (for you to browse at your leasure) and spend my time addressing some of your specific questions about this much-loved addition to my camera bag. I'll provide technical information and examples when necessary, so let's get started.

Q. What are the new features in the D90 vs D80?

A. The D90 is as very obvious, upgrade/update from Nikon's D80. In both size and feel, these cameras pack a lot of power into a very small chassis. However, the D90 has added some new features which certainly set it apart. The big ones are: 1) A 12-megapixel sensor (vs. the 10-megapixel sensor on the D80) 2) Live view mode (which allows you LCD-composition in a point-and-shoot digital camera flavor) and 3) Movie Mode (the industry's first DSLR with the ability to shoot HD-video) and 4) Expanded ISO range and performance (obvious lesson's learned during the development path toward the remarkable D3).

Nice-to-have's also include: 1) A larger 3-inch LCD 2) A "dust-removal system" and 3) numerous composition and playback tools/improvements.

Q. What is the build quality like? Is this a semi-pro camera, or is it really just for consumers?

A. While the D90 feels pretty solid, it is definitely a consumer grade camera. With a lot of plastic all over, the D90 doesn't give any warm fuzzy feelings when thinking about exposing it to harsh environments, or taking bumps or bruises. The trade-off, as I've mentioned before and will mention again, is its compact size and light weight.

Q. What was the #1 feature which made you buy the D90?

A. Tough question. I parted with one of my beloved D200's to fund the purchase of the D90, which was a little bit of a leap of faith. However, I certainly haven't regretted the decision. When compared to the D200, the D90's improved low-light performance was high on my list. This may be a cop out, but I will give the camera's low-light performance a tie for #1 with the more compact design.

Check back for more of your questions answered in the next part of the D90 Equipment Review. I'll be showing example photos demonstrating the low-light performance as compared to the D300, a camera to which the D90 is often compared.

TJP Photo Contest #9 - Black and White

I know this is a little late getting up on the blog, so thanks for your patience. I'm starting to see a trend where we get inundated with entries at the very last minute - it's a lot of work sorting through everything, but it a lot of fun as well. Our appreciation goes out to everyone who's been helping get the word out about our little contest, keep up the good work.

Congratulations to Christopher Stern, for the first photo that's been selected by unanimous decision by our judging panel - excellent work and thank you for the submission! Chris will be receiving a $25 gift-certificate to B&H photo.

Thanks for everyone's participation, we look forward to seeing your entries in the March contest!

TJP on Kindle

One of our regular readers, Emilio, sent me this photo of the "Action Hero" shoot on his new Amazon Kindle e-book reader. I thought it was worth sharing, as I'm pretty impressed with the rendering it appears it was capable of doing using 4-bit (16 shades) grayscale.

Thanks Emilio!

TJP Photo Contest #10 - What I'm Thankful For

This month's theme is "What I'm Thankful For" - With an economy on the skids and people shouting doom and gloom all around, here's your chance to remind yourself and the rest of the us just what you're thankful for. I know that taking a second to remember makes all the difference in the world. As usual, there's no right and wrong answer, but creativity is always appreciated.

Prize: $25 B&H Gift Card

Who Can Participate: Everyone, our contests are open to pros and amateurs alike

Deadline: Saturday, March 31st @ Midnight (Eastern)

How and What to Submit: Submit JPEG photos to contest@townerjones.com- make sure to include your name and contact information (in case you win). JPEGs should be at least 800x600 pixels in size, and may be resized for display.

The winner and other selected entries will be displayed on this blog.

For additional information on our contest policy, click here.

I Took A Snow Day...

Thank you for understanding that sometimes you just have to take a snow day. I took the day off from work and the blog to play in the snow with my girls. I'll put up a couple of snapshots later in the week (for those of you who are interested).

I'd imagine some of you are interested in the February photo contest results. We got a flood of entries (which I'm always thankful for) so I hope to have the results posted later this week. Thanks to everyone who participated!