Wednesday, August 27, 2008

Nikon makes the D90 official; its first DSLR with movie mode

Nikon D90 DSLR

Rumors about Nikon’s next DSLR model, the D90 started surfacing as early as December last year. This was heightened a couple of days ago when leak photos and specs started appearing again. But finally, Nikon has ended all the speculations and announced the D90 with a new feature which some may love while others may not like at all. We’re talking here about the D90’s video function which is a first among DSLR cameras.

The D90’s D-Movie mode function allows for capturing high-definition movie clips at 720p. For some this might be the realization of a long time longing for a DSLR function, while DSLR purists might find this simply unacceptable. At any rate, we all have to accept the fact that from now on, the camera that we used to know is now a hybrid of a point-and-shoot and DSLR cameras.

But aside from the D-Movie mode, the D90 still packs in some great features worthy of being called a DSLR. Most notable of these features are a CMOS image sensor with 12.3-megapixels, Nikon’s exclusive EXPEED image processing system and a broad range of ISO sensitivity. In addition, the D90 also has a 3-inch LCD screen, 11-point auto focus using Nikon’s exclusive Scene Recognition System and Face Detection, a power-up time of just 0.15ms. The D90 is certainly a good improvement of previous Nikon DSLR models such as the D300 and D80.

With Nikon and Canon announcing two new DSLR cameras almost at the same time, we’re sure prosumer camera users are planning to upgrade their cameras would have a hard time deciding which one to get. But Nikon got the edge on release date as the D90 will start shipping as early as September compared to the Canon 50D which will not be available until October. Nikon also got the edge over price as it will have a retail price of $999.95 for body only and $1,299.95 for body with the AF-S DX Zoom-NIKKOR 18-105mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR lens.

Read [Nikon Press Center]

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