Why are D90's so popular

Dana C · Sep 29, 2014

I got back into photography about three months ago with a used D80. I found however that I needed the more flexible options that the D90 offered and will have one by the end of the week.
It fits my budget now, (retired, fixed income etc.). I chose it because it is a sturdy model and while no having some of the features of the 5100 or its MP's it is metal, it seems more sturdy, and capable of a lot of work.

Here is the question. As someone wrote, it is getting long in the tooth but seems to still be a very popular camera based upon how quickly they are snapped up on ebay. I guess my question is why are they so popular still? I know that for some it is a price thing but I am curious about continued popularity.
I sold the D80 and the 70-300(no VR) as a kit and bought the D90 with only 556 exposures. I should also mention I am now saving up for the Nikon 80-200 2.8 as the 55-200VR just doesn't do a great job in limited light. Of course with the D90 I can double my ISO without have to push it which may help.
Your thoughts please
Thanks,
Dana

KmH · Sep 29, 2014

I think the Nikon D90 is their best ever selling DSLR, by a large margin.
The D90 was the 1st DSLR to have video too.

dannylightning · Sep 29, 2014

The D90 is a very good camera with lots of feature and a built in focus motor. The D90 was a top of the line entry level Nikon before the newer model were released. The D7100 is now the top of the line entry level nikon which is basically just a upgraded D90.

KmH · Sep 29, 2014

The D7100 has more in common with the D300 than the D90.

JoeW · Sep 29, 2014

Dana C said:
I got back into photography about three months ago with a used D80. I found however that I needed the more flexible options that the D90 offered and will have one by the end of the week.
It fits my budget now, (retired, fixed income etc.). I chose it because it is a sturdy model and while no having some of the features of the 5100 or its MP's it is metal, it seems more sturdy, and capable of a lot of work.

Here is the question. As someone wrote, it is getting long in the tooth but seems to still be a very popular camera based upon how quickly they are snapped up on ebay. I guess my question is why are they so popular still? I know that for some it is a price thing but I am curious about continued popularity.
I sold the D80 and the 70-300(no VR) as a kit and bought the D90 with only 556 exposures. I should also mention I am now saving up for the Nikon 80-200 2.8 as the 55-200VR just doesn't do a great job in limited light. Of course with the D90 I can double my ISO without have to push it which may help.
Your thoughts please
Thanks,
Dana

I know of two wedding photographers who use D90's as their second/back-up bodies.

Simply put, the D90 isn't great at anything. But it does everything well. And it runs, and runs, and runs, and runs. For a retiree, not looking to invest a lot of money, you got a versatile, solid, reliable camera. It's probably a superb fit for what you want to do and your circumstances.

dannylightning · Sep 30, 2014

Maybe I was misinformed, I was under the impression that the d7100 was basically a updated version of the D90

Solarflare · Sep 30, 2014

dannylightning said:
Maybe I was misinformed, I was under the impression that the d7100 was basically a updated version of the D90

Thats correct.

The D90 was the successor of the D80.

The D7000 was the successor of the D90

The D7100 was the successor of the D7000.

However, the D300s is a really old camera, and its Nikons policy to slowly introduce advanced technology in their lower end bodies.

Outwardly the D7100 is still a D90. The technology inside however is now pretty much a D300s, because Nikon has introduced all that tech into this body.

KmH · Sep 30, 2014

Solarflare said:
. . . However, the D300s is a really old camera, . . .

ROTFLMAO. Five years old is "really old"?

Derrel · Sep 30, 2014

KmH said:
Solarflare said:

. . . However, the D300s is a really old camera, . . .

Click to expand...

ROTFLMAO. Five years old is "really old"?

Yes, the D300s is extremely outdated and far behind the times. It's an embarrassment to Nikon to have a "semi-pro" body with a $1699 retail price that has half of the megapixel count of most Nikons, and only one-third the MP count of the D800 series. It has crap video capabilities--bettered by many smartphones...and its poor image quality has caused many people to abandon it because its images look sub-par by today's standards.

The D300s has a very weak sensor in it. Period. It's "old" in sensor technology terms. In Dxo Mark's rankings, the D810 is #1 in sensor performance, the D300s is number 101. So....there are 100 cameras that have higher image quality than the D300s. Maybe the D300s is not really old..but it truly is really outdated and far behind the times.

COMPARE the sensor performance of the D300s against the D5300s Nikon D5300 versus Nikon D300s - Side by side camera comparison - DxOMark

lambertpix · Sep 30, 2014

The D90 was a real game-changer when it came out -- a great combination of mid-to-high-end features at a price that was competitive enough to make it popular. Given that it was a higher-end camera, it was also built well enough to last, so it's not a big reach that it's still got a loyal following. There's got to be a list somewhere of some of these "milestone" cameras -- the D40, for instance, was incredibly popular because of its size and price point, and Canon's 40D and 5D would probably make a list like that, too.

Camera body technology changes pretty rapidly, but in a lot of cases, older bodies with nice glass will still produce some very nice results.

spacefuzz · Sep 30, 2014

D90 is a great camera, I still regularly sell images I took with mine years ago.

shadowlands · Sep 30, 2014

The D90 is what made me fall in love with Nikon. Sold many images taken with it as well.

DevC · Sep 30, 2014

Shoot with d90 atm .

Love it

PaulWog · Sep 30, 2014

KmH said:
Solarflare said:

. . . However, the D300s is a really old camera, . . .

Click to expand...

ROTFLMAO. Five years old is "really old"?

The expected lifespan of a phone is 3 years. The reasonable lifespan of a laptop is about 5 years (less for many people, including myself). The very first iPhone was released 7 years ago. The amount of change that occured in 5 years in terms of camera technology has been huge.

goodguy · Oct 1, 2014

Frankly I would rather buy the D3200 then the D90.
Yes the body of the D90 is better but sensor on D3200 is just so much better and for me its the more important thing.

D7100 is an upgraded D90?
I dont think calling the D7100 and upgrade to it is the right word, it replaced the D7000 which was a far much better camera then the D90 so saying its an upgrade doesnt do really justice to this amazing camera.