Thoughts on Nikon D90

[TUalum0982]

We are going to St Maarten for our honeymoon in 3 weeks, making a trip to colorado in Aug and Chicago the month after.  I have twin nephews who are going to be playing sports soon and I am looking for a good DSLR.  I have been reading reviews online and going to different stores in town to try out this camera.  Does anyone have any experience with this camera? If so, what are your thoughts?

I went to Camera Gallery and talked to ken. I learned quite a bit about this camera from him and he seemed very knowledgeable and recommended this camera.  Thoughts?

Thanks

[Hoss]

We are going to St Maarten for our honeymoon in 3 weeks, making a trip to colorado in Aug and Chicago the month after.  I have twin nephews who are going to be playing sports soon and I am looking for a good DSLR.  I have been reading reviews online and going to different stores in town to try out this camera.  Does anyone have any experience with this camera? If so, what are your thoughts?

I went to Camera Gallery and talked to ken. I learned quite a bit about this camera from him and he seemed very knowledgeable and recommended this camera.  Thoughts?

Thanks

I have one similiar but lower in the line (D40) and I absolutely LOVE this camera.  If you're getting it as part of a kit, get the 18-55mm lens.  The difference between yours and mine is that you can use pretty much any lense (old manuals even) and get autofocus because the autofocus motor is in the body and not the lens.  Mine requires autofocus to be in the lens itself.

Tough to go wrong with any Nikon D series SLR camera.  If you don't feel like spending a small mint, the D40, while not having the same resolution, is a good starter SLR camera.

Matter of fact, here's a comparision using dpreview.com

http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/compare_post.asp?method=sidebyside&cameras=nikon_d40%2Cnikon_d90&show=all

[TUalum0982]

thanks for the info Hoss.  I went by Wolf Camera the other day to see if I could get a good deal on this camera, but I was too late.  They had already closed.  We plan on using some of our money we get from the wedding to purchase the camera and Best Buy, of all places) actually has the best deal for what I am looking for.  I am going to call Camera Gallery again and see if they will honor best buy's price.  For what I was looking for, Camera Gallery was about 300 dollars more.  I would love to purchase from the local guy though.

Thanks again Hoss.

[nathanm]

I have the older D70s. It's a very nice camera. Whatever you do, don't get a D40 or D60. (I can't stand the single dial)

Oh and be sure to get an SB-600 and an 18-200 lens if you have the money. I still don't have the 18-200. I keep spending the money on phones.

[swake]

thanks for the info Hoss.  I went by Wolf Camera the other day to see if I could get a good deal on this camera, but I was too late.  They had already closed.  We plan on using some of our money we get from the wedding to purchase the camera and Best Buy, of all places) actually has the best deal for what I am looking for.  I am going to call Camera Gallery again and see if they will honor best buy's price.  For what I was looking for, Camera Gallery was about 300 dollars more.  I would love to purchase from the local guy though.

Thanks again Hoss.

You can get some good deals online on Nikon's, Ritz Camera online is the same company as Wolf and has much better prices for instance. They are not going out of business online, just the physical stores.

On another note, I have a D40 and at first struggled with the single dial, but you get used to it and it's not bad at all. The increased ease of use from the small size of the D40 more than makes up for the single wheel.

For most photo taking the increased resolution from a D40 to a D90 is not a big deal. I think a D90 has dust reduction, that is a good deal and it may do video, which is nice. If those aren't important to you, I would get a D40 and spend more on lenses, get a faster lens with vibration reduction and you will get better photos from a D40 than you would with a D90 with a more basic lens.

[tulsacyclist]

I've no experience with the D90, but I'm sure you will love it.

I do have a D50 and a D300. Both are great cameras, the D50 served me well until I finally talked myself into upgrading to the D300.

I would probably suggest not getting the D40 simply due to the fact that it limits your ability to use certain lenses, as has been mentioned above. I recently suggested that to a friend who said he was getting it for his wife, who would be simply taking random snapshots of the kids and nothing serious. Now that he has the camera he has actually been enjoying it more than her and has been wanting to do different things with other lenses and such and is finding out that his options are somewhat limited. I'd have suggested differently if I knew he was going to be doing more than snapshots.

Also, I know you said you want to support the local guy, but if money is of any concern to you I'd suggest buying online. Some items I pick up locally, but when the price difference is significant, like it will likely be for a D90 or a camera on that level, I opt for online. But, to each his own - the camera will be worth whatever you pay for it as I'm sure you'll end up getting a lot of use out of it.

[nathanm]

You can get some good deals online on Nikon's, Ritz Camera online is the same company as Wolf and has much better prices for instance. They are not going out of business online, just the physical stores.

On another note, I have a D40 and at first struggled with the single dial, but you get used to it and it's not bad at all. The increased ease of use from the small size of the D40 more than makes up for the single wheel.

For most photo taking the increased resolution from a D40 to a D90 is not a big deal. I think a D90 has dust reduction, that is a good deal and it may do video, which is nice. If those aren't important to you, I would get a D40 and spend more on lenses, get a faster lens with vibration reduction and you will get better photos from a D40 than you would with a D90 with a more basic lens.

Either camera will take great photos, but some of my favorite lenses can't be autofocused by the D40(x) (and D60?) due to the lack of a focusing motor. That and one of the main reasons I didn't follow the pack and get an XTi was the size. Too damn small. Nowhere to put the fingers. For me, the D70s is just the right size. A little bigger would be fine, but smaller would give me cramps.

I agree wholeheartedly that resolution is overrated. I've printed some pretty good 8x10s from crops of my camera's 6MP resolution.

Mine is a refurb. Came with a brand spanking new shutter assembly, which is really the only thing that'll give you problems on an SLR. I've had it three years and have yet to need to clean the sensor. It's just now getting to the point I might think about doing it, so I don't really buy into the idea that stirring up the dust each time you turn the camera on is a good thing.

And FWIW, don't expect much out of the video feature on the D90. Fast pans result in over the top distortion. Yet another gimmick feature.

Having just noticed your interest in sports photography, I'd strongly recommend the D90. The AF sensors are much better than the D40(x). The new sensors can track people colored objects automatically as they move across the frame once you've half-pressed the shutter control to lock onto that particular people colored object. Neat stuff. I'd buy one, but supposedly they don't do as well at tracking wildlife colored objects, so it's not much of an upgrade for me. (although the AF is apparently faster, which would be an advantage)

I think I'd rather buy an SB-900 or two. After all, without light, all you've got is a black frame.

Lastly, if you are going to buy online, I can recommend both Adorama Camera and B&H Photo and Video having purchased from them both online as well as in person. (And of course Amazon is great, too, when their pricing is up to snuff)

[PepePeru]

i love my D50.

Its just kind of a pita to carry around.  not so bad if you have a backpack or somewhere to put it, but i'm going somewhere this summer, where it would be nice to keep a low-profile and not look too much like a tourist, in hopes to avoid street crime.  So, I need to find a point & shoot I can put in my pocket.

[nathanm]

So, I need to find a point & shoot I can put in my pocket.

If it's within your budget, one of the Canon IS point and shoots would probably do the trick. They're pretty darn nice. And some of them are rather small.

If size is the only concern, Sony makes some ultra thin p&s cameras for not a lot of money.

[Ed W]

I'm learning to use a Canon A590IS with CHDK software.  It's versatile for a pocket camera and it's small enough to keep with me most of the time.  The macro is good, telephoto not so much. 

The CHDK software allows for RAW and HDR images, timed intervals, motion detection and more.  I don't pretend to know all of it, 'cause like I said, I'm still learning.

For 'serious' work, I still use the Rolleicord IV.   

[patric]

I chose the D40 over the D60 because it was a better low-light camera, and the single dial wasnt really an issue because the Nikon before that was an FM (all manual).
My main reason for staying with Nikon was superior optics, and the ability to use all my old lenses (even if I had to set the focus and exposure manually on some).
The D90 does let you shoot snippets of High-definition video, but you are limited to five minutes of capture due to overheating of the imager. 

[TUalum0982]

I have the older D70s. It's a very nice camera. Whatever you do, don't get a D40 or D60. (I can't stand the single dial)

Oh and be sure to get an SB-600 and an 18-200 lens if you have the money. I still don't have the 18-200. I keep spending the money on phones.

I was thinking of this package:

Nikon D90 with 18-105mm lens
Nikkor 70-300mm lens
SB600 Flash
and extra Li-on battery

all for $2074.50.  It is at Best Buy and is the best price I could find for what I think is going to be my purchase.  Anyone familiar with the 70-300mm lens?

I like the fact that the D90 has the autofocus motor built in so I can use any lens not to mention the VR feature is pretty nice as well in the lenses.

Thanks for all the input guys.  Plan on purchasing in the next 2 weeks.  Does anyone know if Camera Gallery will match prices?

Thanks again everyone.

[joiei]

i love my D50.

Its just kind of a pita to carry around.  not so bad if you have a backpack or somewhere to put it, but i'm going somewhere this summer, where it would be nice to keep a low-profile and not look too much like a tourist, in hopes to avoid street crime.  So, I need to find a point & shoot I can put in my pocket.

I bought one of the Panasonics with the Leica optics and have had no problem.  It even fits in my shirt pocket if I need it to.  I did pickup a large capacity card so that if I wanted to take a movie I had the capacity. 

I  got it on sale from Amazon.  Seems like it was about $250 or so. 

[swake]

I was thinking of this package:

Nikon D90 with 18-105mm lens
Nikkor 70-300mm lens
SB600 Flash
and extra Li-on battery

all for $2074.50.  It is at Best Buy and is the best price I could find for what I think is going to be my purchase.  Anyone familiar with the 70-300mm lens?

I like the fact that the D90 has the autofocus motor built in so I can use any lens not to mention the VR feature is pretty nice as well in the lenses.

Thanks for all the input guys.  Plan on purchasing in the next 2 weeks.  Does anyone know if Camera Gallery will match prices?

Thanks again everyone.

Same kit with a basic VR 70-300 Nikkor lens for 1850


http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/588977-REG/Nikon__D90_SLR_Digital_Camera.html

[Hoss]

You can get some good deals online on Nikon's, Ritz Camera online is the same company as Wolf and has much better prices for instance. They are not going out of business online, just the physical stores.

On another note, I have a D40 and at first struggled with the single dial, but you get used to it and it's not bad at all. The increased ease of use from the small size of the D40 more than makes up for the single wheel.

For most photo taking the increased resolution from a D40 to a D90 is not a big deal. I think a D90 has dust reduction, that is a good deal and it may do video, which is nice. If those aren't important to you, I would get a D40 and spend more on lenses, get a faster lens with vibration reduction and you will get better photos from a D40 than you would with a D90 with a more basic lens.

Also, the D40 is light as can be.  I have a coworker sitting next to me that has the D80 with the focus motor inboard; it feels like a tank compared to mine.