Nikon D90 Comparison Review

The Nikon D90 is a DSLR (Digital Single Lens Reflex) camera that was revealed to the public in August 2008 and is equipped with an APS-C sensor. It offers a resolution of 12.2 megapixel.

Is the Nikon D90 a good camera? The D90 has a Camera Elo of 1449. This rating puts the D90 below average of all digital single lens reflex cameras. In terms of its sensor size category (APS cameras), the D90 also ranks below average. – Well, the Nikon D90 is more than 12 years old, and there have been many other good digital cameras released since 2008.

Read on to find out more about the camera's size, sensor, features, reception by expert reviewers, and how it compares to other digital cameras.

Body comparison with a credit card

An illustration of the physical dimensions of the Nikon D90 vis-à-vis a credit card is provided in the side-by-side display below. Three successive views from the front, the top, and the rear are shown. All size dimensions are rounded to the nearest millimeter.

The table below summarizes the key physical specs of the Nikon D90 alongside a set of comparators. If you want to review a camera pair side-by-side, just select a right-side comparator from among the camera models in the table. Alternatively, you can also move across to the CAM-parator tool and choose from the broad selection of possible comparisons there.

Body Specifications

		Camera Model	Camera Width	Camera Height	Camera Depth	Camera Weight	Battery Life	Weather Sealing	Camera Launch	Launch Price (USD)		Street Price
1.		Nikon D90	132 mm	103 mm	77 mm	703 g	850	n	Aug 2008	1,299
2.		Canon 40D	146 mm	108 mm	74 mm	822 g	750	n	Aug 2007	1,299
3.		Nikon D7000	132 mm	105 mm	77 mm	780 g	1050	Y	Sep 2010	1,499
4.		Nikon D3100	124 mm	96 mm	75 mm	505 g	550	n	Aug 2010	599
5.		Nikon D300S	147 mm	115 mm	81 mm	938 g	950	Y	Jul 2009	1,799
6.		Nikon D3000	126 mm	97 mm	64 mm	536 g	500	n	Jul 2009	599
7.		Nikon D5000	127 mm	104 mm	80 mm	590 g	510	n	Apr 2009	749
8.		Nikon D60	126 mm	94 mm	64 mm	522 g	500	n	Jan 2008	629
9.		Nikon D40X	124 mm	94 mm	64 mm	522 g	520	n	Mar 2007	729
10.		Nikon D300	147 mm	114 mm	74 mm	925 g	1000	Y	Aug 2007	1,799
11.		Nikon D80	132 mm	103 mm	77 mm	668 g	600	n	Aug 2006	999
Notes: Measurements and pricing do not include easily detachable parts, such as add-on or interchangeable lenses or optional viewfinders.
Convert to Imperial

The listed prices provide an indication of the market segment that the manufacturer of the cameras have been targeting. The Nikon D90 was launched in the US market at a price of $1,299. Usually, retail prices stay at first close to the launch price, but after several months, discounts become available. Later in the product cycle and, in particular, when the replacement model is about to appear, further discounting and stock clearance sales often push the camera price considerably down. Then, after the new model is out, very good deals can frequently be found on the pre-owned market.

Sensor comparison with a 35mm slide

The size of the sensor inside a digital camera is one of the key determinants of image quality. All other things equal, a large sensor will have larger individual pixel-units that offer better low-light sensitivity, wider dynamic range, and richer color-depth than smaller pixels in a sensor of the same technological generation. Further, a large sensor camera will give the photographer additional creative options when using shallow depth-of-field to isolate a subject from its background. On the downside, larger sensors tend to be more expensive and lead to bigger and heavier cameras and lenses.

The Nikon D90 features an APS-C sensor and has a format factor (sometimes also referred to as "crop factor") of 1.5. Within the spectrum of camera sensors, this places the Nikon D90 among the medium-sized sensor cameras that aim to strike a balance between image quality and portability.

Since 2007, DXO Mark has published sensor performance measurements that have been derived using a consistent methodology. This service determines an overall sensor rating, as well as sub-scores for low-light sensitivity ("DXO Sports"), dynamic range ("DXO Landscape"), and color depth ("DXO Portrait"). The adjacent table reports on the physical sensor characteristics and the outcomes of the DXO sensor quality tests for a sample of alternative cameras.

Sensor Characteristics

		Camera Model	Sensor Class	Resolution (MP)	Horiz. Pixels	Vert. Pixels	Video Format	DXO Portrait	DXO Landscape	DXO Sports		DXO Overall
1.		Nikon D90	APS-C	12.2	4288	2848	720/24p	22.7	12.5	977		73
2.		Canon 40D	APS-C	10.1	3888	2592	none	22.1	11.3	703		64
3.		Nikon D7000	APS-C	16.1	4928	3264	10800/24p	23.5	13.9	1167		80
4.		Nikon D3100	APS-C	14.2	4608	3072	1080/24p	22.5	11.3	919		67
5.		Nikon D300S	APS-C	12.2	4288	2848	720/24p	22.5	12.2	787		70
6.		Nikon D3000	APS-C	10.0	3872	2592	none	22.3	11.1	563		62
7.		Nikon D5000	APS-C	12.2	4288	2848	720/24p	22.7	12.5	868		72
8.		Nikon D60	APS-C	10.0	3872	2592	none	22.5	11.4	562		65
9.		Nikon D40X	APS-C	10.0	3872	2592	none	22.4	11.4	516		63
10.		Nikon D300	APS-C	12.2	4288	2848	none	22.1	12.0	679		67
11.		Nikon D80	APS-C	10.0	3872	2592	none	22.1	11.2	524		61

Many modern cameras are not only capable of taking still images, but also of capturing video footage. The D90 indeed provides movie recording capabilities. The highest resolution format that the D90 can use is 720/24p.

Feature comparison

Apart from body and sensor, cameras can and do differ across a variety of features. For example, the D90 has an optical viewfinder that provides a field of view of 96% and a magnification of 0.63x. The tables below summarize some of the other core capabilities of the Nikon D90 in connection with corresponding information for a sample of similar cameras.

Core Features

		Camera Model	Viewfinder (Type or 000 dots)	Control Panel (yes/no)	LCD Size (inch)	LCD Resolution (000 dots)	LCD Attach- ment	Touch Screen (yes/no)	Mech Shutter Speed	Shutter Flaps (1/sec)	Built-in Flash (yes/no)	Built-in Image Stab
1.		Nikon D90	optical	Y	3.0	920	fixed	n	1/4000s	4.5	Y	n
2.		Canon 40D	optical	Y	3.0	230	fixed	n	1/8000s	6.5	Y	n
3.		Nikon D7000	optical	Y	3.0	921	fixed	n	1/8000s	6.0	Y	n
4.		Nikon D3100	optical	n	3.0	230	fixed	n	1/4000s	3.0	Y	n
5.		Nikon D300S	optical	Y	3.0	920	fixed	n	1/8000s	7.0	Y	n
6.		Nikon D3000	optical	n	3.0	230	fixed	n	1/4000s	3.0	Y	n
7.		Nikon D5000	optical	n	2.7	230	full-flex	n	1/4000s	4.0	Y	n
8.		Nikon D60	optical	n	2.5	230	fixed	n	1/4000s	3.0	Y	n
9.		Nikon D40X	optical	n	2.5	230	fixed	n	1/4000s	3.0	Y	n
10.		Nikon D300	optical	Y	3.0	922	fixed	n	1/8000s	6.0	Y	n
11.		Nikon D80	optical	n	2.5	230	fixed	n	1/4000s	3.0	Y	n

One convenient feature of the D90 is the presence of an on-board flash. While this built-in flash is not very powerful, it can at times be useful as a fill-in light to brighten deep shadow areas.

Connection comparison

For some imaging applications, the extent to which a camera can communicate with its environment can be an important aspect in the camera decision process. The table below provides an overview of the connectivity of the Nikon D90 and, in particular, the interfaces the cameras (and selected comparators) provide for accessory control and data transfer.

Input-Output Connections

		Camera Model	Hotshoe Port	Internal Microphone	Internal Speaker	Microphone Port	Headphone Port	HDMI Port	USB Port	WiFi Support	NFC Support	Bluetooth Support
1.		Nikon D90	Y	mono	mono	-	-	mini	2.0	-	-	-
2.		Canon 40D	Y	-	-	-	-	-	2.0	-	-	-
3.		Nikon D7000	Y	mono	mono	Y	-	mini	2.0	-	-	-
4.		Nikon D3100	Y	mono	mono	-	-	mini	2.0	-	-	-
5.		Nikon D300S	Y	stereo	mono	Y	-	mini	2.0	-	-	-
6.		Nikon D3000	Y	-	-	-	-	-	2.0	-	-	-
7.		Nikon D5000	Y	mono	mono	-	-	mini	2.0	-	-	-
8.		Nikon D60	Y	-	-	-	-	-	2.0	-	-	-
9.		Nikon D40X	Y	-	-	-	-	-	2.0	-	-	-
10.		Nikon D300	Y	-	-	-	-	mini	2.0	-	-	-
11.		Nikon D80	Y	-	-	-	-	-	2.0	-	-	-

Expert reviews

While the specs-based evaluation of cameras is instructive in revealing their potential as photographic tools, it remains partial and cannot reveal, for example, the handling experience and imaging performance when actually working with the D90. User reviews, such as those found at amazon, can sometimes inform about these issues, but such feedback is often incomplete, inconsistent, and biased. This is where reviews by experts come in. The adjacent table relays the overall verdicts of several of the most popular camera review sites (amateurphotographer [AP], cameralabs [CL], dpreview [DPR], ephotozine [EPZ], photographyblog [PB]).

Review Scores

		Camera   Model	AP   score	CL   score	DPR   score	EPZ   score	PB   score	Camera Launch	Launch Price (USD)			Street Price
1.		Nikon D90	..	+ +	+ +	4/5	4.5/5	Aug 2008	1,299
2.		Canon 40D	..	+ +	+ +	4.5/5	4.5/5	Aug 2007	1,299
3.		Nikon D7000	4/5	..	80/100	4.5/5	4.5/5	Sep 2010	1,499
4.		Nikon D3100	5/5	+ +	72/100	4.5/5	4.5/5	Aug 2010	599
5.		Nikon D300S	5/5	+ +	82/100	4/5	4.5/5	Jul 2009	1,799
6.		Nikon D3000	..	+	72/100	4/5	4.5/5	Jul 2009	599
7.		Nikon D5000	..	+ +	75/100	4/5	4.5/5	Apr 2009	749
8.		Nikon D60	..	80/100	+ +	4/5	4.5/5	Jan 2008	629
9.		Nikon D40X	..	79/100	+ +	4/5	4/5	Mar 2007	729
10.		Nikon D300	..	+ +	+ +	5/5	4.5/5	Aug 2007	1,799
11.		Nikon D80	..	+	+ +	o	4.5/5	Aug 2006	999
Notes: (+ +) highly recommended; (+) recommended; (o) reviewed; (..) not available.

The above review scores should be interpreted with care, though. The ratings are only valid when referring to cameras in the same category and of the same age. Thus, a score needs to be put into the context of the launch date and the launch price of the camera, and rating-comparisons among cameras that span long time periods or concern very differently equipped models make little sense. Also, please note that some of the review sites have changed their methodology and reporting over time.

Camera to camera comparisons

In case you are interested in seeing how this camera compares to another one, just use the search menu below. There is also a set of direct links to comparison reviews that other users of the CAM-parator app explored.

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