Nikon has today unveiled the D90, a digital SLR with on-board video that will replace the two-year-old D80.
Due out in the UK next month priced £699, body only, the D90 boasts a 12.3MP DX-format CMOS sensor.
Features include Live View (with contrast AF) and a ‘720 pixel’ movie mode, billed as a world first in a digital SLR camera. Face Detection is possible in Live View.
While using the ‘High Definition’ video mode photographers can quickly switch to shooting still images, says Nikon.
Firepower includes a 3in LCD screen with a claimed resolution of 920,000 dots and a maximum continuous burst rate of 4.5 frames per second.
Improvements over the D80 also include the addition of 13 retouch menus.
‘You can go for a day’s shooting and leave your laptop behind,’ said Nikon UK’s Jeremy Gilbert at a press conference in central London.
Though primarily aiming the camera at photo enthusiasts Gilbert said the video-equipped D90 will break new ground by targeting users such as news reporters, students and ‘families’.
The newcomer incorporates an image sensor cleaning unit and a shutter tested to endure a life of 100,000 cycles – double the normal limit for this class of camera, says Nikon.
The D90 will be available as a kit, with an 18-105mm lens, priced £849.99.
TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS
Nikon Digital SLR Camera D90 Specifications, as supplied by Nikon UK
Type
Type Single-lens reflex digital camera
Lens mount Nikon F mount (with AF coupling and AF contacts)
Effective picture angle Approx. 1.5 x lens focal length (Nikon DX format)
Effective pixels
Effective pixels 12.3 million
Image sensor
Image sensor 23.6 x 15.8 mm CMOS sensor
Total pixels 12.9 million
Dust-reduction system Image Sensor Cleaning, Image Dust Off reference data (optional Capture NX 2 required)
Storage
Image size (pixels) 4,288 x 2,848 [L], 3,216 x 2,136 [M], 2,144 x 1,424 [S]
File format ? NEF (RAW)
? JPEG: JPEG-Baseline compliant with fine (approx. 1:4), normal (approx. 1:8), or basic (approx. 1:16) compression
? NEF (RAW) + JPEG: Single photograph recorded in both NEF (RAW) and JPEG formats
Picture Control System Can be selected from Standard, Neutral, Vivid, Monochrome, Portrait, Landscape; storage for up to nine custom Picture Controls
Media SD memory cards, SDHC compliant
File system DCF (Design Rule for Camera File System) 2.0, DPOF (Digital Print Order Format), Exif 2.21 (Exchangeable Image File Format for Digital Still Cameras), PictBridge
Viewfinder
Viewfinder Eye-level pentaprism single-lens reflex viewfinder
Frame coverage Approx. 96% horizontal and 96% vertical
Magnification Approx. 0.94 x (50mm f/1.4 lens at infinity; -1.0 m-1)
Eyepoint 19.5 mm (-1.0 m-1)
Diopter adjustment -2 to +1 m-1
Focusing screen Type B BriteView Clear Matte screen Mark II with focus frame (framing grid can be displayed)
Reflex mirror Quick-return type
Depth-of-field preview When depth-of-field preview button is pressed, lens aperture is stopped down to value selected by user (A and M modes) or by camera (other modes)
Lens aperture Instant return, electronically controlled
Lens
Compatible lenses ? DX AF Nikkor: All functions supported
? Type G or D AF Nikkor: All functions supported (PC Micro-Nikkor does not support some functions). IX-Nikkor lenses not supported.
? Other AF Nikkor: All functions supported except 3D colour matrix metering II. Lenses for F3AF not supported.
? AI-P Nikkor: All functions supported except 3D colour matrix metering II and auto focus.
? Non-CPU: Autofocus not supported. Can be used in exposure mode M, but exposure meter does not function. Electronic rangefinder can be used if lens has a maximum aperture of f/5.6 or faster.
Shutter
Type Electronically controlled vertical-travel focal-plane shutter
Speed 1/4,000 to 30 s in steps of 1/3 or 1/2 EV, Bulb
Flash sync speed X = 1/200 s; synchronizes with shutter at 1/200 s or slower
Release
Release modes Single-frame, continuous low speed, continuous high speed, self-timer, delayed remote, quick-response
Frame advance rate Continuous high speed: up to 4.5 fps, continuous low speed: 1-4 fps
Self-timer Can be selected from 2, 5, 10 and 20 s duration
Exposure
Metering TTL exposure metering using 420-pixel RGB sensor
Metering method ? Matrix: 3D colour matrix metering II (type G and D lenses); colour matrix metering II (other CPU lenses)
? Center-weighted: Weight of 75% given to 6-, 8-, or 10-mm circle in center of frame
? Spot: Meters 3.5-mm circle (about 2% of frame) centered on selected focus point
Range (ISO 100 equivalent, f/1.4 lens, 20°C/68°F)
? Matrix or center-weighted metering: 0-20 EV
? Spot metering: 2-20 EV
Exposure meter coupling CPU
Exposure modes Auto modes (auto, auto [flash off]), Advanced Scene Modes (Portrait, Landscape, Sports, Close-up, Night Portrait), programmed auto with flexible program (P), shutter-priority auto (S), aperture-priority auto (A), manual (M)
Exposure compensation ±5 EV in increments of 1/3 or 1/2 EV
Exposure bracketing 2 or 3 frames in steps of 1/3, 1/2, 2/3, 1 or 2 EV
Exposure lock Luminosity locked at detected value with AE-L/AF-L button
ISO sensitivity (Recommended Exposure Index)
ISO 200 to 3200 in steps of 1/3 EV, can also be set to approx. 0.3, 0.5, 0.7, or 1 EV (ISO 100 equivalent) below ISO 200, or to approx. 0.3, 0.5, 0.7, or 1 EV (ISO 6400 equivalent) over ISO 3200, ISO sensitivity auto control available
Active D-Lighting Can be selected from Auto, Extra high, High, Normal, Low or off
Active D-Lighting bracketing 2 frames
Focus
Autofocus Nikon Multi-CAM 1000 autofocus module with TTL phase detection, 11 focus points (including 1 cross-type sensor) and AF-assist illuminator (range approx. 0.5-3 m/1 ft. 8 in.-9 ft.10 in.)
Detection range -1 to +19 EV (ISO 100 equivalent, 20°C /68°F)
Lens servo ? Autofocus: Single-servo AF (AF-S); continuous-servo AF (AF-C); predictive focus tracking automatically activated according to subject status (AF-A)
? Manual (M): Electronic rangefinder supported
Focus point Can be selected from 11 focus points
AF-area modes Single-point AF, dynamic-area AF, auto-area AF, 3D-tracking (11 points) AF
Focus lock Focus can be locked by pressing shutter-release button halfway (Single-servo AF) or by pressing AE-L/AF-L button
Flash
Built-in flash Auto, Portrait, Close-up, Night Portrait modes: Auto flash with auto pop-up
P, S, A, M: Manual pop-up with button release
Guide number (m/ft.) at 20°C/68°F
? At ISO 200: Approx. 17/56, 18/59 with manual flash
? At ISO 100 equivalent: Approx. 12/39, 13/43 with manual flash
Flash control ? TTL: i-TTL balanced fill-flash and standard i-TTL flash for digital SLR using 420-pixel RGB sensor are available with built-in flash, SB-900, SB-800, SB-600 or SB-400
? Auto aperture: Available with SB-900, SB-800 and CPU lenses
? Non-TTL auto: Supported flash units include SB-900, SB-800, SB-28, SB-27 or SB-22s
? Range-priority manual: Available with SB-900 and SB-800
Flash modes Front curtain sync, slow sync, rear-curtain sync, red-eye reduction, red-eye reduction with slow sync
Flash compensation -3 to +1 EV in increments of 1/3, or 1/2 EV
Flash bracketing 2 or 3 frames in steps of 1/3, 1/2, 2/3, 1 or 2 EV
Flash-ready indicator Lights when built-in flash or SB-900, SB-800, SB-600, SB-400, SB-80DX, SB-28DX, or SB-50DX is fully charged; blinks for 3 s after flash is fired at full output in i-TTL or auto aperture modes
Accessory shoe Standard ISO 518 hot-shoe contact with safety lock
Nikon Creative Lighting System (CLS)
Advanced Wireless Lighting supported with built-in flash, SB-900, SB-800, or SU-800 as commander and SB-900, SB-800, SB-600 or SB-R200 as remotes;
Auto FP High-Speed Sync and modeling illumination supported with all CLS-compatible flash units except SB-400; Flash Colour Information Communication and FV lock supported with all CLS-compatible flash units
White balance
White balance Auto (TTL white-balance with main image sensor and 420-pixel RGB sensor); 12 manual modes with fine-tuning; colour temperature setting; preset manual white balance
White balance bracketing 2 or 3 frames in steps of 1, 2 or 3
Live View
AF modes Face priority AF, wide area AF, normal area AF
Focus Contrast-detect AF anywhere in frame (camera selects focus point automatically when face priority AF is selected)
Movie
Image size (pixels) 1,280 x 720/24 fps, 640 x 424/24 fps, 320 x 216/24 fps
File format AVI
Compression format Motion-JPEG, with monaural sound
Monitor
LCD monitor 3-in., approx. 920k-dot (VGA), low-temperature polysilicon TFT LCD with 170° viewing angle, approx. 100% frame coverage, and brightness adjustment
Playback
Playback function Full-frame and thumbnail (4, 9 or 72 images or calendar) playback with playback zoom, movie playback Pictmotion, slide show, histogram display, highlights, auto image rotation, and image comment (up to 36 characters)
Interface
USB Hi-Speed USB
Audio video output Can be selected from NTSC and PAL; simultaneous playback from both the audio video output and on the LCD monitor available
HDMI output Type C HDMI connector; camera monitor turns off when HDMI cable is connected
Accessory terminal ? Remote Cord MC-DC2 (Optional)
? GPS Unit GP-1 (Optional)
Supported languages
Supported languages Chinese (Simplified and Traditional), Danish, Dutch, English, Finnish, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, Swedish
Power source
Battery One Rechargeable Li-ion Battery EN-EL3e
Battery pack Multi-Power Battery Pack MB-D80 (optional) with one or two Rechargeable Li-ion Battery EN-EL3e or six R6/AA-size alkaline, Ni-MH, lithium or nickel-manganese batteries (Battery Holder MS-D200 is required when using R6/AA-size batteries.)
AC adapter AC Adapter EH-5a (optional)
Tripod socket
Tripod socket 1/4 in. (ISO 1222)
Dimensions/Weight
Dimensions (W x H x D) Approx. 132 x 103 x 77 mm/5.2 x 4.1 x 3.0 in.
Weight Approx. 620 g/ 1 lb. 6 oz. without battery, memory card, body cap or monitor cover
Operating environment
Temperature 0-40°C/32-104°F
Humidity Less than 85% (no condensation)
Accessories
Supplied accessories (may differ by country or area)
Rechargeable Li-ion Battery EN-EL3e, Quick Charger MH-18a, Eyepiece Cap DK-5, Rubber Eyecup DK-21, USB Cable UC-E4, Audio Video Cable EG-D2, Camera Strap AN-DC1, LCD Monitor Cover BM-10, Body Cap, Accessory Shoe Cover BS-1, Software Suite CD-ROM
? PictBridge is a trademark. ? HDMI, the HDMI logo and High-Definition Multimedia Interface are trademarks or registered trademarks of HDMI Licensing LLC. ? Products and brand names are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective companies.
Specifications and equipment are subject to change without any notice or obligation on the part of the manufacturer. August 2008
©2008 NIKON CORPORATION
