Digital Trends

Who would’ve thought? Nikon, a decidedly still image capture company, was the first to design a D-SLR that takes high-definition video. Until now, no D-SLR could capture video of any type unlike point-and-shoot digicams which have taken clips for years. This breakthrough is pretty startling. One would’ve thought Sony or Panasonic—true video outfits—would have blazed this trail but it was venerable Nikon of 35mm film fame. Soon after the D90 was announced, archrival Canon unveiled the EOS 5D Mark II D-SLR which also takes HD clips. This monster, due late November, is a 21.1-megapixel full frame D-SLR while the D90 is only a 12.3MP APS-C sized sensor edition. In other words, the 5D Mark II is a completely different animal and costs many times more than the $999 USD D90. (Actually it’s 2.7 times more as the new 5D is $2,699 for the body only). Still—on paper--this new Nikon has many things going for it: 12.3MP resolution, 4.5 frames per second burst shooting, 3200 ISO, a nice 3-inch LCD screen as well as the ability to record 1280 x 720-pixel HD video at 24 fps. Now let’s see if the D90 is a winner.