Nikon’s New D90 DSLR – Is this a mini RED camera?

Image #1 | New Nikon D90 Digital SLR Camera - from Nikon Press USA

Update: A collegue sent me a link to the following Nikon D90 commercial. My recommendation is to watch it all the way through. It has encouraged me to really consider this camera as a potential addition.

August 26th, Canon press release day. Canon unveils their new DSLR called the 50D to replace the not-so-old 40D. It seems like a nice incremental upgrade, but I’m not a Canon guy, so I’m not the one to ask regarding their stuff. August 27th, Nikon press release day: Nikon D90. Wow. I have to say that the rumors were correct and video is included on this new DSLR from Nikon. So, what does this mean?

From my perspective, video capabilities are sort of implied as being available to the end user when it comes to small digital cameras, i.e., point-and-shoots (P&S), and even on more complex non-DSLR cameras. People expect it to be there. I also believe that more people are getting accustomed to motion as being a part of their daily stimulation. Flash based web sites, and YouTube are great examples of this trend. Will still photography be replaced by motion based images? (in this case video,) who knows? However, being a still photographer, video isn’t really in my repertoire, but then again… it hits me… let me get this straight… I can use all Nikkor lenses with this thing? And the D90 uses the excellent CMOS sensor that is also in the D300 that I’m very familiar with (this sensor is GIANT compared to standard video camera sensors.) Uh… does this mean that I can get insane depth-of-field using my fast Nikon lenses, get insane low-light capabilities, and then output that footage to HD? This is starting to sound pretty amazing.

For those of you who do not know what the RED camera system is, it is essentially something similar and far more advanced than the D90 – and oh yeah, also $16,000 more expensive and weighing in at 10 lbs. Of course, the D90 is not here to replace something as feature rich and robust as the RED system; however, for the lay person wanting to get cinematic quality video (albeit perhaps a bit short) the D90 is really a very interesting camera to consider.

Working primarily as a wedding photographer, this new video ability can have a huge impact to allow me to  get very creative when shooting a short video to perhaps include in a professional slideshow for my clients. Although you cannot get high-quality sound with the camera, but mono-sound only. However, I don’t use ambient sound for my slideshows and instead use music. So, I don’t see that as being a downside to the camera.

All in all, the D90 is essentially a baby D300. It has the same great CMOS sensor, most of the same feature set, and this huge addtion of video capability. The price is affordable (MSRP $999USD) which is much less than the D300. It may be the perfect travel camera that allows you to get impressive still images interspersed with cinematic video. The only downside to me is that it uses SD cards instead of CF cards (which I have many.) Will I add the D90 to my stable of available cameras? Well, as promising as it sounds, I think I will wait it out and see how the reviews pan out. Even if the video is not rated as being fantastic, video on-board with DSLRs is now a foregone conclusion. All of the top players will now be including it as a new feature on their DSLRs. I’m sure that the video quality will improve in subsequent versions released later. This is exciting news, but then again, I’m a still photo guy, so don’t expect me to be out there with a D90 – at least not just yet.