Nikon's D90 is the latest in a long line of quality cameras.

A direct descendent of the legendary D70, the manufacturer's first affordable expert-level DSLR, it also borrows heavily from Nikon's semi-professional D300, appropriating its excellent sensor amongst other things.

In most respects, though, this camera represents an update of the earlier D80, taking the same case, light detection and focusing system and adding some exciting new extras, including an optional GPS module for geotagging photos.

Handling

Given its excellent breeding, it should come as no surprise that the D90 handles perfectly. 

The case is reassuringly solid, the grip firm and all of the buttons fall easily under your fingertips.

A useful addition is the new Fn button, easily reachable with your middle finger, to which you can attach a shortcut of your choice.

Also new is the ability to activate Live View mode with just one touch, allowing shots to be focused using the screen on the back of the camera.

The screen itself boasts a very high resolution (VGA), with good viewing angles allowing you to take shots at very odd angles without worrying about not being able to see the screen.

It's a useful attribute, even if it doesn't quite offer as much flexibility as the moving screen on the Olympus E-3.


The reaction speeds of this reflex are absolutely faultless, and it focuses accurately very quickly.

Subject tracking, which is now handled in 3D, works wonderfully, and the burst mode is now capable of recording images at up to four frames per second (fps).

Unfortunately, though, Nikon's Live View system is a little less stunning, and this built-in AutoFocus system which relies on looking for different levels of contrast slower than that found on many compacts.   It's not available at all when recording video.

Video

It's video that's the D90's principal new feature, with the ability to record clips in HD resolution (720p) at 24 fps.

Focusing has to be done manually if any adjustments need to be made during filming, but the high quality screen makes this less of a chore than it would be otherwise.

It remains to be seen whether the much-awaited Canon EOS 5D Mk II, which promises AutoFocus in video mode, will have a noticeable edge on this front.

Lenses

A new type of lens ships with the D90, an 18-105 mm with fairly average aperture (f/3.5-5.6).

It's perfectly robust, with an efficient optical stabilization mechanism and an ultra-quiet mechanism that's speedy too.

The only major drawback is the absence of a distance indicator.

At the shortest focal lengths, the supplied lens produces a noticeable barrel distortion, but it's easily rectified.

Interface

As a high-end camera, it's only natural that the D90 allows users to configure all manner of advanced options.

The flipside of this, though, is that its system of menus is mind-bogglingly complex and definitely confusing enough to confuse advanced users.

If you plan to make the most of these advanced features, you better be ready to spend some time reading the manual.

Image Quality

The photos we took with the D90 certainly matched up to our high expectations.

Shots are incredibly sharp right up to 1600 ISO, with only the lightest of blurring appearing at 800 ISO.  They're perfectly clear at 3200 ISO too.

H1 mode (equivalent to 6400 ISO) is the only letdown, but even then, the results are perfectly useable for small prints or black and white shots.



When we tried it out, we found the automatic white-balancing system to be very reliable in real-life conditions, and while photos taken under tungsten lamps did appear a little too warm, they weren't distorted and give a faithful representation of the conditions in which they were taken.

Video Quality

The D90 captures up to five minutes of HD Ready 720p video or twenty minutes of VGA quality footage.

Video clips are sharp and accurate, but the sound is disappointing thanks to the lack of a directional microphone.

Far too much background noise is picked up, and the fact that there's no input for a microphone either means that you'll have to stick to shooting in perfect conditions.



Putting the D90 up against a regular camcorder, its lack of an AutoFocus system that works continuously is certainly a drawback for the SLR, but you can focus easily using its excellent screen.

To be honest, we prefer this system to one whose AutoFocus is in overdrive, trying to refocus the shot every few frames.

Up against the competition

Competition is already fierce in this part of the market.

The D90 will have to face up to the Canon EOS 40D first of all, which has a faster burst mode (up to 6.3 fps) and a more attractive price for the time being.  

On the other hand, Canon's camera is already one generation distant in terms of sensitivity and reactivity, with outdated ergonomics and hard-to-reach buttons also showing their age.

Up against the Pentax K20D, Nikon's new model can boast a faster burst mode and sharper images above 1600 ISO.  On the other hand, it doesn't have the rubber weather sealing or the more affordable price point.

In terms of handling, both offer advanced customization, and while the Nikon is more accessible to beginners with its range of scene modes, the Pentax is better at automatically setting exposure times.

In short, the Pentax K20D and the Nikon D90 are probably the two DSLRs on the market today that are most difficult to distinguish.

Compared to any other digital SLR on the market today, though, the D90 can claim video as its unique selling point.  

Apart from the Canon EOS 5D Mk II, which promises to cost upwards of 2500 euros, it's the only camera that can shoot video, which will doubtless please some fans and pass others by as totally irrelevant …