Nikon D90 - still worth it?

M

MScrip

Gawd
Joined
Feb 8, 2004
Messages
724
I was browsing Adorama and I found something interesting... they are still asking $600 for a Nikon D90 body. That camera came out over 4.5 years ago.

You can now find the D5100 body for $500... and it's only 2 years old. From what I can tell... the D5100 is a more capable camera by today's standards... although the D90 has a few slight advantages.

The D90 was in the upper-tier of Nikon's mid-range cameras... and the D5100 was in the lower-tier of their mid-range cameras.

But I'm just trying to wrap my head around paying more for an older camera with fewer notable features.

I guess my question is... who is buying the D90 today? Is it still worth it?
 
If you have old lenses that require an in body motor to focus go with D90. Otherwise, D90 = D5000 (same sensor). I recently went from a d5000 to a d5100 and the image quality is noticeably better. Cheers!
 
The D90 is just a better camera all things considered. D90 has a much better viewfinder. It has a top LCD display which is very handy. It has a built in focus motor so you can use older Nikon lenses which are often times cheaper. The ergonomics are also better. The D5100 wins in sensor and movie mode. However assuming you are on a budget you need to factor in the glass you can get for your $$$ so the IQ at given a price point is likely to favor the D90.
 
Something to note is that the D7100 is about to come out. The D7000 is the successor to the D90, and obviously the D7100 follows that. There may be a drop in price for remaining D7000's if you're willing to wait.

EDIT: Looked it up. 7000 is still decently pricey. I've found them for around 600-700 used however... still may not meet your budget.
 
Last edited:
I have the same sensor as the Nikon D-90, the 12MP Sony, in my Pentax K-x. Great sensor for the price, but noticeably outperformed by the newer 16MP and 24MP sensors in the D7000 and D7100.
 
I have the D90, and have had it for a year. As Jinto mentioned, the backlit top LCD is a great tool to have, and I use mine all the time. Additionally, while the D5100 looks better on paper, I have a friend who has the D5100, and while it has a much better movie mode, I don't think the image quality is any better than my D90. The D90, in my opinion, has much better dynamic range, and much better contrast. The D5100 was probably a tad bit sharper, and did a better job handling noise. I also think the D90 "feels" better in the hand, but I have big hands, so YMMV there.

And, of course, as Pappy mentioned, the D90 has a built-in focus motor in the body so you can use older lenses if you so choose.
 
TechHead said:
I have the same sensor as the Nikon D-90, the 12MP Sony, in my Pentax K-x. Great sensor for the price, but noticeably outperformed by the newer 16MP and 24MP sensors in the D7000 and D7100.
Click to expand...

The pentax K-X has a variation of the sony 16mp sensor like the A580, K5 or D7000. Its miles better then the D90 at least in low light. I really like the D90, but i wouldnt buy one at those prices unless you only shoot outdoors in broad daylight or comfortable using a lot of flash

edit: DOH! i was thinking of K01. sorry, but i still think a D90 for $600 body is about $200+ to much.
 
Go for a D7000, its a far better camera then the D90, heck the D300 was better then the D90, faster fps, more rugged body, the video feature on the D90 was horrible, they perfected it in latter bodies. Sensor on the D7000 is fantastic, not so great on the D90, its painful in low light.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top