A Year With The Nikon D90
Posted on 11. Jan, 2010 by Thomas in Articles, Blog, Equipment Tests, Gear
Shortly before Christmas in 2008 I started a little experiment. You see, for the longest time I had been a Canon shooter. I had been solely using Canon cameras since the days of film but I had become increasingly frustrated with my camera of the time and the way Canon was developing its products (rebel after rebel but no mid range replacement). Still, I had a significant investment in Canon lenses and accessories so I didn’t want to jump ship and then regret it. Instead I decided to buy a mid range Nikon and try it out before making any decisions on what to do. You can read about my original thoughts on why I was doing this on this post on my technology blog. It’s now a little over a year since I first got my D90, so how has this little experiment played out? Read on to find out.
To cut to the chase, I love the D90. It may not be the most technically capable camera out there but it’s certainly one of the most enjoyable to use. I had originally planned to only use it for times when I needed a lighter alternative to my 5D, but I found myself using it all the time. One of the things that really surprised me was the quality of the kit lens. Normally those lenses are not particularly good but the 18-105 that comes with the D90 is excellent. It has some minor chromatic aberration issues but the stabiliser is superb and images from it are amazingly sharp. In fact I was amazed that I was often able to get better results from this combination than from my canon 5D and its L-Series 24-105 lens. Of course when I wrote about this at the time I was set upon by Canon fans who insisted I was doing something wrong and obviously a terrible photographer (despite the numerous other professionals who also had focus issues with the 5d) Actually, the autofocus on the D90 is excellent, especially compared to what I was used to. And the D90 doesn’t even use the more elaborate of Nikon’s focus systems.
I had planned not to buy any more lenses over the year until I came to my decision on whether to stick with Canon or switch wholesale to Nikon, but in the end I couldn’t resist (although I tried to stick within a budget and only buy the more inexpensive products.) I first bought the excellent 18-200VR lens from Nikon. This is truly a superb lens. It may not be the sharpest, but considering the focal range it’s pretty damn good. Having that range in a single lens is incredibly useful. It’s my main walking around lens now and any time I head out for a walk with my camera it’s usually attached to it. I also bought the 50mm f/1.8 which isn’t very good in my opinion. My other lens purchases were a second hand sigma 10-20mm and more recently the Nikon 35mm f/1.8. The sigma is a great lens and the 35mm is very sharp although it has some severe chromatic aberration and fringing problems. You can work around these if you’re careful, but it’s a bit of a let down considering how sharp the lens is.
The idea of the experiment though, was to see if I liked the Nikon way of doing things, the layout of controls, the ergonomics and the handling. The answer is a resounding yes. I had always found the 5D like using a sledge hammer to hammer in a nail. It was clunky and cumbersome, and while you can get fantastic shots from it, I never felt a sense of synergy with the camera. With the D90 it’s the complete opposite. The camera becomes an extension of your arm. It’s so well designed from an ergonomic point of view that I don’t know how I ever used anything else. I particularly like the fact that you can operate most of the controls one handed. I find the main control dial’s position under the thumb much better than the placement of Canon’s rear control dial, which is very easy to turn by accident. I also like the fact that you can zoom in to check sharpness during image review without having to hit play first (which annoys me no end on my 5D). Another really useful feature is to be able to turn the front control dial during image review to switch between full screen, full screen with clipping warning and histogram. Again, the whole one handed operation is very user friendly. Another thing I love is the two button combination to format the card. It’s such a simple thing yet it saves you so much time.
Over the course of the year though I did find a few annoyances with it. The colour balance can occasionally be a little off and colours can sometimes look over saturated or false looking. I find it particularly noticeable in the blues. I think it’s because the camera is very sensitive to what white balance setting you have set. Much more so than any Canon I have used. When you set it for daylight and it becomes slightly cloudy or overcast you can see the difference, whereas on the Canons I have used it is usually fine. On the other hand the vibrance can be stunning on subjects that accentuate it such as flowers. I really like the way it renders greens in particular. I’ve found too that the exposure can be a little biased towards under exposure and you have to compensate for that. Then again, you can set a permanent offset in the menus, which is really cool (although I don’t use that feature). I have found too that it really struggles with areas of high contrast. When you have sky in the picture and a darker foreground such as a building, and you’re using matrix metering it will often blow out the sky. My 5D usually do a much better job and get both reasonably in range. Overall though, the metering is pretty good, but not perfect.
The other big disappointment is the video. Now, I know some will argue that you buy a camera for the stills and video is just a bonus, but it’s pretty bad, especially in comparison to the 5D MarkII (but more on that in a minute)
There is a line skipping issue and severe aliasing that renders anything with fine detail almost completely useless.
The much reported “jelly-cam” effect is pretty severe too and makes hand held video without the use of a stabiliser useless. It’s a shame because it really is useful having video on a DSLR.
Over the course of the year I’ve taken some really nice shots with the D90. I brought it to New York as my sole camera, coupled with my 18-200 and 10-20. I got some great shots with it. On a trip to Glendalough, a national park in Wicklow, I brought my 5D and the D90 but ended up using the D90 for most of the shots. As you can tell, I really like the D90. So does this mean I’ve made the decision to switch full time to Nikon? Well, unfortunately not just yet. I had some jobs in August and September that required me to shoot video so I ended up buying a 5D Mark II. My reasoning at the time seemed sound. The one thing I was missing from the D90 was the look you get from full frame. I could have bought a D700 but I really needed video and I was wooed by the promise of 21 megapixels. On top of that I really couldn’t afford to buy a D700 and the new lenses I would need to take advantage of it.
I haven’t given up on Nikon altogether though. Despite the 5DII being technically superior to the D90 I still find myself reaching for the D90 more often. The D90 is a nice and light camera and perfect when you just want to have something with you to take pictures and not be weighed down. Together with the 18-200 it provides a great walking around system.
At the end of the day I need a professional level camera to replace my original 5D on which the screen is failing. Unfortunately the D90 is not a pro level camera, although you can get pro level results from it. Don’t get me wrong, I was never under any impressions that it was. Do I regret my purchase of the D90? Not at all. It’s one of the best cameras I’ve ever owned. Do I regret getting the 5D Mark II ? Well, on the one hand it was for specific jobs so I have made my money back on it, but on the other hand I don’t think it’s as great a camera as many people make it out to be. I wish Canon had waited a year and put the 5D sensor, perhaps with a few less megapixels in the 7D’s body. I don’t want to spend too much time going on about the 5DII’s failings because that’s not what this is about (I’ll write about it more when I work up the courage to deal with the onslaught of 5D fans) Still, I have it now and I’m making the best of it. You can get spectacular Images out of it if you know how to work around its limitations and the video is far superior to what Nikon currently offer (with the possible exception of the D3s).
At the end of the day it all comes down to this. I know someone is going to make the argument that cameras are just tools and any good photographer should be able to use any camera but that is not the point. Sure you can use any camera, but that doesn’t mean you would want to. A painter who paints in oils might just as well be able to paint a masterpiece with pastels, but that doesn’t mean he or she would enjoy the experience. Yes, absolutely the camera is just a tool and I can use either camera to take great pictures. This isn’t about lusting after the next best thing rather than focussing on the art, but rather finding the brush I’m most comfortable using and the one I enjoy the most. After all, art should be about enjoyment of the process, not just the results.
For the moment then I will remain a two system shooter. I use my 5D II for serious work or studio shoots and my D90 for anything where I need a lightweight alternative. I would love to try the more professional Nikon body such as the D300 or D700, but for now I’m happy with the D90 for what I use it for. For anyone considering a new camera I couldn’t recommend the D90 more. It’s a fantastic camera. The images it produces are superb and it’s a complete joy to use.
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Dear Thomas,
This one year experiment is one of the SINGLE best write ups I have ever seen on the internet. Every sentence, every thought is well written, thought out and presented!! I too have used the Nikon D90 for well over a year and have recommended it to a number of point and shoot amateurs and about two dozen bought it and have been absolutely delighted with it. Including a Canon Pro. I myself have owned a whole fleet of pro cameras (including 617 and 8×10) and got the D90 just to illustrate my belief in the camera. I also did the same with the Nikon D40X which I still own and use once in awhile. Bottom line is the D90 comes so close to the bigger rigs (I own and use F5s, D300, 700 etc……) it is amazing. I wait impatiently for a D700s or D800. I also use ABC Photo and Imaging for wet lab high end prints. Yet over all……the D90 is awesome. And when the Nikon D700s or D800 with video comes out I will buy it. Have I shot with the Canons you mention? Everyone!! Is video good on the D90? I have some amazing video results with it and we own a $10,000 movie camera. I prefer the D90 video clips. The Canon D5Mark II is better for video and Nikon needs to get going there. The Nikon D3x is wonderful but I am boycotting it due to price!!!
Again, thank you for a spectacular one year test. I also want to wish you the best. We are all fools if we do not appreciate all we have, and I try to savor those wonderful moments of mine….but for awhile I got to enjoy a few of your photos and I felt transported to those places. I may never get to visit the place you photographed at that lake. I am glad that you shared them with me. My photos from Alaska and my beloved Adirondack lakes are a treasure to me. Cameras do really help to allow us much enjoyment. It is also wonderful to take one in the field like the D90 that are relatively lightweight. One of my favorite lenses on Nikons is the 70-300 VR! On the 700 or the D300 it is wonderful. The D300 or D90 is the right choice though if you need up towards the 300 range!
Thanks so much for the kind comment. I’m glad you found the post useful !
I just read the first few weeks of your experiment, and the last year of your experiment today.
I have been thinking about getting a DSLR, as I have never owned one in my life, however, I do love photography, I’ve loved taking my friends cameras and taking pictures with them, and I love editing photos after.
The D90 has struck my interest after much research. And I have been scared that I might be missing out on Canon’s cameras, as I have more hands-on experience with Nikon.
It seems that this little… err, big experiment has settled me down. And although the D90 seems more of a confident purchase for myself (I have played around with it in a camera store before, and I do like it!), I will start to play around with other models, as I must pick the right camera for me, the one I enjoy and all that.
I like how you say that photographers must pick the tool that feels most right for them, that’s the most enjoyable. And although the D90 sounds like a great camera, and has great reviews; and from my limited first person experience with it – is great. I will try out other cameras as well and pick the best ones for me.
If you’ve got any time to get back to me, you can email me or reply to my comment here. I’ve been looking for a great DSLR camera, above consumer, but not 100% professional. The D90′s price of around $900 is perfect in my range, and if you know of any other cameras like this (preferably Canon or Nikon), please refer them to me, and I will definitely get some experience on them.
Thank you for your time.!