Thinking of Purchasing D90

[Warren_G]

The sales guy was probably right in that shooting video with an SLR is not going to be as good using a camcorder, so I wouldnt use it as a determining factor in selecting a camera. Its a new nice-to-have feature on some of the new DSLRs, but I have not used it myself.

If you are in western Canada, I would suggest Don's Photo, they have locations in all the major cities and although they cant always match an online price, you will get good service and some professional advice and opinions on cameras and accessories. The service you get over the counter is worth the bit extra you would pay. Just dont order from one of the discount Brooklyn camera retailers, at best you will get an overseas model that will not be warrantied here.

 

[tenlientl]

Just checked that out. A local store sells cheaper, plus they don't have one in Vancouver

My dad suggested I wait another week till the D90 is officially released here. He thinks that the D80 might go down in price. Which I disagree, considering the D90 has been out in the states, right?

Oh. How is the accessibility(right term?) different from the D80? Is the D90 more user friendly than the D80? Or is the settings configuration just as good? I read somewhere that the D80 has designated buttons for certain things, while the D60 did not.

 

[Bifurcator]

The sales guy was probably right in that shooting video with an SLR is not going to be as good using a camcorder,

I'll have to respectively disagree. From what I've read the d90 will be better unless you are talking about ≥$5,000 camcorder. And the land of Video is where I lived for the past twenty-some years.

 

[Joves]

THe guy at the store is cracked. The D90 is an upgrade to the D80 so, it has the newer technology. While I personally hate the video in the camera, it is still a better camera than the D80. Sounds like he is trying to drop some of their stock. If you want the D90, then go for the D90. I love my D80 but its technology is much older than the newer models.

 

[tenlientl]

Of course it's newer technology. But is the $700 worth it? Is the difference even huge? Right now I'm aiming at the $800. I wish I could use an actual D90 to see how I feel about it.

Could stores let you use the cameras and actually take photos to try them out?

 

[tasman]

Of course it's newer technology. But is the $700 worth it? Is the difference even huge? Right now I'm aiming at the $800. I wish I could use an actual D90 to see how I feel about it.

Could stores let you use the cameras and actually take photos to try them out?

Either in store or rent one. If they have one to rent.

 

[sultan]

Of course it's newer technology. But is the $700 worth it? Is the difference even huge? Right now I'm aiming at the $800. I wish I could use an actual D90 to see how I feel about it.

Could stores let you use the cameras and actually take photos to try them out?

The difference is not $700, the camera store guy is just ripping you off. The D90 should be about $1099 CAD and D80 about $749 CAD.

D90 Advantages:
Movie mode far better than any camcorder thanks to large sensor
Nikons new far superior image processing used in D300/D700/D3 (K. Rockwell calls it Gen. 2)
Better high ISO
More detail
Much better screen
Faster (4.5 FPS vs 3 FPS)
Live View + Other (rather useless) stuff

I say go for D90 and shop around for a good price.

 

[tenlientl]

Thanks all.

I'm just getting into the hobby, but is 4.5 vs 3 fps a huge difference?

And I agree. Earlier I decided to go with the D90 because of the high ISO. I'm not ENTIRELY sure what it does, but it sounds way better. Also read up on the CCD vs CMOS thing. I also read up on the Live View and what it really does. It intrigued me. Also heard that the quality of the JPEG produced by the D90 is better than the D80. Since I'm new, I'm only gonna be playing around with RAW, I figured the D90 might produce a better quality pic than I could with the D80.

Right now, I'm going for the D90. I'm going for the 18-105 kit. I could get it for $1,429 Canadian. I'm not sure if I could get that cheaper by bargaining. Maybe I could ask for a free memory card?

I got till Sunday. I might change my mind.. again..

 

[tenlientl]

Thanks all. I lucked out with getting a D90 with 18-105VR for $1,388. I kinda got ripped for the Kingston Class 6 4GB. $29 which I coulda gotten for $19, bleh.

I'll see if I need a faster card. I'll be getting an 8GB soon.

Anyways. Could anyone reccomend a case? Any good 'default' ones out there? I wouldn't mind ordering them online(Canada).

 

[anubis404]

For your purposes, a D40 will do. If you want to get more serious, however, you're going to need a new body. The D40 is great for landscapes, but its lack of AF motor is extremely limiting when doing anything else other than landscapes.

EDIT: Oops didn't read everything. Congrats on your new purchase. I would suggest two bags, one to carry all your stuff (for trips) and one for just the Body and lens. I would get a good backpack because if you want to do landscapes, then there's probably hiking involved, in which case you don't want a metal case.

 

[Theresse]

I'll have to respectively disagree. From what I've read the d90 will be better unless you are talking about ≥$5,000 camcorder. And the land of Video is where I lived for the past twenty-some years.

Hi - newbie here. I'm in the same dilemma so I appreciate this thread! I was at a camera store tonight...I went in because I wanted to hold the D90 (which had become very intriguing to me, after reading about it online) and the Canon Rebel models. I was mainly concerned with how big and heavy the Nikon would be compared to the Rebel which I knew would be smaller and lighter - though the Nikon offers so much more. At any rate, the salesman told me the movie mode is really nice in the Nikon (I didn't test it since they were closing) but he said you can only record movies 5 minutes at a time. So to answer the question above, what's the point in having a movie be as good or better quality than many camcorders, only to be limited to being able to record for only 5 minutes?! Am I missing something here (a way to make it longer?) or could the salesman have been wrong?

Thanks!

 

[Theresse]

Thanks all.

I'm just getting into the hobby, but is 4.5 vs 3 fps a huge difference?

And I agree. Earlier I decided to go with the D90 because of the high ISO. I'm not ENTIRELY sure what it does, but it sounds way better. Also read up on the CCD vs CMOS thing. I also read up on the Live View and what it really does. It intrigued me. Also heard that the quality of the JPEG produced by the D90 is better than the D80. Since I'm new, I'm only gonna be playing around with RAW, I figured the D90 might produce a better quality pic than I could with the D80.

Right now, I'm going for the D90. I'm going for the 18-105 kit. I could get it for $1,429 Canadian. I'm not sure if I could get that cheaper by bargaining. Maybe I could ask for a free memory card?

I got till Sunday. I might change my mind.. again..

I think 4.5 fps vs. 3 is pretty significant. Get the rhythm in your head of a clock ticking - of the sound of each second ticking. One one-thousand, two one-thousand, three one-thousand, etc. Now imagine the camera taking 3 photos in each of those seconds vs. taking 4.5 photos per second. I'm not saying you would need more than 3 seconds (and that's really all that matters) but 1.5 more pics per second somehow feels pretty significant, doesn't it?

 

[grafiks]

Glad you got the D90. I think it's a better choice, even with the price difference. I did all my homework and ordered a D90 (body only) a couple days ago. I am selling my D80. The D80 wasn't bad. I just like the improvements I read about in the D90.

I am excited about the movie mode too, as it is hi-def. I have some things I want to use it for. If you want to shoot video that requires continuous focus, forget it. But that is not what I plan to use it for.

 

[tenlientl]

Well. I've only used the video feature couple of times. That's because there's no real events. I'm just taking random photos.

The D90 is sweet though. Although I havn't had any experience wiht other dSLRs to compare.

A tip. Don't get the kit. I wish I just got the body instead, and got a cheaper lens(50mm f/1.8). I really like zooming, but i'd rather have that fixed 50mm coz apparently its much better. Which I agree. I tried it out the other day. Thinking of buying that + a tripod or an extra battery. Hopefully I can cut a deal.