THE BOX O GOODS

Upon opening the package holding this 12.3 megapixel beauty, I was reminded of the D700 kit I had with the 24-120 VR lens. Same packaging, same kind of box, etc. BUT when I removed the D90 body from the package I could instantly tell it was not in the same league as the D700 body in its build or feel. This is not a put down, but the truth. It is substantially cheaper than a D700 so I did not expect it to feel the same anyway. But how is it for an under $1k body?

The camera is a nice size. Smaller than a D700 and D300 and it seemed a bit lighter as well. My 1st impressions before even juicing it up was that it seems great...no, let me correct myself...PERFECT for the money. I mean, a full featured Nikon DSLR AND lens with VR for under $1200!

I was just hoping the image quality would be good. I mean, something had to be wrong with it or else there would be no D300 on the market, right?! I plugged in the charger and attached the battery to it and went for a drive with my M8 to give the D90 battery time to load up.

After a few hours I had to pick up my son from school so I went home, took the D90 battery and threw it in the camera. I picked him up and snapped this pic of him as he was showing me another paper he got back with an A.

That gaze..that look. He wanted that D90 and I saw it. Only 13 and he was already getting the disease. What we call G.A.S. (gear acquisition syndrome) What have I done??? All I can do is hope he does not get insanely infected like me!

At this point I was using the D90 in A mode, setting the lens wide open (habit from my Leica) and when I looked at the files at home I was flabbergasted at the results. HOLY S*!T! With this cheap plastic lens, the full size images at 100% were sharp as my Leica 28 Elmarit! Damn. This really made me feel good about spending $1700 on my Leica lens. NOT!

I say this in almost every review, but sharpness (to me) is not everything. I love the way a lens “draws”...its “character”. How did the kit 18-105VR lens do in that Dept? Well, it was sharp as I could ever want, it provided snappy bright colors, but the lens “character” left me flat. To 99.7% of people this lens would be amazing. To camera geeks like me, its a good lens but nothing I would be happy with long term. But that is JUST ME, and I LOVE fast glass, like 1.4 aperture fast.

So, what comes with the D90, and what are its main features? Go to page 2 to find out!

GO ON TO PAGE TWO OF THE NIKON D90 REVIEW -> PAGE 2

NIKONS MIDDLE RANGE DSLR - THE LOWDOWN ON THE D90

I have gotten MANY e-mails from people asking me why I am reviewing only the mega buck cameras and ignoring the many superb cameras that are on the lower end of the price scale.

For example, here is an e-mail I received just a week ago:

“Steve, thank you for the website but do your reviews only cater to the rich? I mean, c’mon dude! I can not afford a Leica or a 5DII!?! Who can? How about reviewing a Nikon D60 or D80? How about a Pentax? Sigma? I would love to see some of these cameras on your site. Thank you.”

Well, I would love to address this e-mail. First, this site has only been online for 45 days or so. In that time I have put up reviews of the Leica M8, D-lux 4, Nikon D700, D300, Canon 5D, 5DII, and a few lens reviews as well. All in 45 days! This site was started so I could share my experiences with the cameras I end up buying, using or have used. It was not meant to be a full blown “review” site. Over time, I will end up trying a ton of cameras as I always have in the past so there will be MANY reviews on this site over the next year. I am only one man, and can only do so much, so bear with me!

Also, I myself am NOT rich! FAR FAR FAR from it! While it may appear to some that I have a stash of cash, this is simply untrue. As a matter of fact, I am kind of..well, broke. I own a Leica and a couple of lenses but this is what I have sunk my money into. Not an expensive car, house or other toys.

I practically wear a potato sack every day for my clothing and eat ramen noodles morning, noon and night. Ok, well that is not really true but if I keep up with my camera addiction it CAN happen!

With that out of the way, I am proud to bring you my review/write up of a middle class DSLR, the Nikon D90! Yep! I finally tried out a Nikon D90 with 18-105 VR lens for a few weeks and I am going to let you know what I thought about it.

I originally picked up the D90 for my son. He has been my faithful photography companion for years and while his interest in it seems to come and go, when he gets sick of his Xbox 360 he usually joins me on my photographic journeys and adventures. He usually uses some old P&S cam and loves it, but he has been hounding me for a DSLR. For 3 years.

Every visit to Best Buy he holds the D90 and sits there for about 40 minutes taking test shots. We decided to push our credit card a little more and pick one up for him since he has been kicking some serious ass in school. Going from C’s to all A’s and being such a good kid, we wanted to surprise him. Even if it meant more debt for us. Family is what life is all about, so why not?

When I brought it home, he thought it was just for me to review and test. Little did he know we had the surprise planned for him and that D90 would soon be his!

More on that later.

Now, finally, on to the review!