Garry’s Life in short 2.0

MY Nikon D90 review

Tuesday, May 10, 2011

Back in March of this year I was finally able to buy a replacement for my Nikon D40. I had to sell my Nikon D40 and All my gear back in June of 2010. Selling my D40 was not an easy thing for me to do. It had sentimental value, as I had bought while visiting one of my best friends on vacation in 2007. But I had to sell the D40 because I had lost a contract job, and was out of work second time that year. At it was the last thing of any true monetary value I still had. But you have to pay your bills and get by the best you can. So I sold my Camera equipment, and was able to get by fora couple more weeks. Since then life has turned around, and I have been able to start rebuilding my kit. I got a huge tax return and had extra money after getting our bills on track. So after much research and deliberation, a push and nudge from my Fiancée, I got the D90. I ordered the new camera on March 3rd from B&H Photo. I ordered the Nikon D90 Kit that included the AF-S DX NIKKOR 18-105mm f3.5-5.6G ED VR lens. I also included the Nikon AF-S VR Zoom-Nikkor 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6G IF-ED Lens and a Spare EN-EL3e Battery.

My camera gear (currently): AF-S DX NIKKOR 35mm f/1.8G AF-S VR Zoom-NIKKOR 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6G IF-ED AF-S DX NIKKOR 18-105mm f3.5-5.6G ED VR Nikon D90 DSLR Nikon COOLPIX L18 Camera (Point and Shoot) Manfroto M-Y 7322YB Tripod Tamrac Velocity 8x Case Fancier WB1633B Backpack (a gift from a photographer co-worker of mine) ML-L3 remote

The first draft of this review was written on March 21, 2011 for B&H Photo, but was never published. I have also published this review at PhotoCamel.com on April 23, 2011. Now I am finally publishing it here.

Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★(5 Stars) Allot of camera for a little money. Pros: Fast / Accurate Auto-Focus, Quiet, Easy To Use, Large Clear LCD, High ISO Performance, Good Image Quality Cons: Noisy At High ISO, Movie mode is Gimmicky Best Uses: Family Photos, Travel, Wildlife photos, Landscape/Scenery Describe Yourself : Photo Enthusiast What was the primary reason for purchasing this digital camera?: Overall performance (1 to 10 scale, 10 being the “best”) Picture Quality (e.g. clarity, sharpness, color) : 9 Ease of Operation : 8 Shutter Speed/Lag Time : 8 Variety of features (e.g. zoom, image stabilization, low light) : 8 Durability/reliability (e.g. damage resistance, battery life and sturdiness) : 9 Overall Experience : 9 How likely are you to recommend your digital camera to your friends, family, co-workers, etc. : Definitely will I purchased the Nikon D90 as a replacement for a Nikon D40 I purchased in March 2007. I have been wanting the D90 since it was released. The D90 is one of Nikon's best cameras ever produced. Reading the reviews from professionals like Thom Hogan and Ken Rockwell, as well as the reviews on sites such as DPreview.com, along the testimonials of customers on B&H Photo and Amazon, sealed the deal for me. The price I was able to get the D90 at was just slightly more then I what originally paid for my D40, a real steal. After considering my budget, I carefully weighed my choice for my upgrade. I looked at the Nikon D3100, D5000, D90 and the D7000. From the over 2 years of using the D40, I knew I wanted an in camera focus motor, for wider lens choice, (you can get some older lenses at a great price). So the D3100 and D5000 were early to be removed. I strongly considered the Nikon D7000 as well as the D90. For me and my needs, the D90 won out on price alone. I know it is at the end of its product cycle. However, it is still one of the best performing Nikons made. I was able to get the D90 with the 18-105mm VR AND the Nikon 70-300mm VR f/4.5-5.6 and a spare battery for less than the cost of the the D7000 18-105 VR kit. Yes, there are features on the D7000 that the D90 does not have. But I won't miss them. I don't print huge prints so the 12.3 MP will be enough for me. Also, I did not Factor in the use of HD video in my decision. I have a Video camera for that. Moving from the D40 to the D90 was easy, however there is a learning curve. The menus are a little different and the "Guide Mode" to show you how the settings will affect your photos is not there. If your looking for that stick to the D3100/D5100. I have gone out with the D90, several times now. But I can tell you on the first trip, I came back with some of the Best photos I have ever taken. The camera won't make you better photographer, but it will sure help you capture those images. Accessories I Recommend: Nikon AF-S VR Zoom-Nikkor 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6G IF-ED Lens Nikon AF-S DX NIKKOR 35mm f/1.8G ML-L3 remote Spare EN-EL3e Battery Any Class 10 SDHC card 8GB or larger. A good Tripod.

Cooper’s Hawk

This was taken at he Jacksonville Zoo & Gardens. Nikon D90, Nikon AF-S VR Zoom-Nikkor 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6G IF-ED Lens. Manually focused,and hand held.