Nikon D90: Video thrilled the dSLR

By Rich Trenholm on 27 August 2008, 12:07pm

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We knew where we were in the old days. New gadgets would come along that we couldn't afford, and eventually the features and innovations would trickle down to the high street. But that's not the case now. Ideas are flying about all over the shop, with consumer-friendly features such as live view and face detection appearing in compact cameras first and then trickling up into dSLR territory. After live view, the feature that we get asked about most with regards to dSLRs is video, and it's finally here: the new 12.3-megapixel Nikon D90 shoots video, and high definition to boot.

It replaces the D80 in the middle of the SLR market, aimed at advanced amateurs. It packs a 23.6x15.8mm CMOS imaging chip. Features include face detection, which finds and tracks up to five faces, and active D-lighting, which adjusts an image's light and dark areas to improve contrast. Picture control gives you access to six scene modes, including new portrait and landscape modes.

We like the sound of the image-processing features, including distortion control, straighten and fisheye options. Nikon claims 4.5 frames per second continuous shooting, and 850 images on a single charge of the camera's battery. No doubt we'll be testing those claims in a full review very soon.

At the same time as the D90, Nikon has announced the optional GPS Unit GP-1, which can record latitude, longitude, altitude and time in each picture's EXIF metadata. Also unveiled is a AF-S DX Nikkor 18-105mm F/3.5-5.6G lens. This lens and the D90 will set you back £850, or the D90 body only for £700, from September. For more on the D90 and its movie features, follow the links. -Rich Trenholm