Man, all these
old camera rumors are just seeping out of the woodwork ahead of
Photokina next month -- now it's the Nikon D90 getting the zombie rumor treatment. At least we're getting specs this time around, and they're not bad at all: 12 megapixels, Live View, video mode (necessitating a built-in mic), HDMI out, optional GPS, and a new 18-105mm f/3.5-5.6 VR lens. Sure, it's a worthy successor to the D80 -- but we'll believe it when we see it.
P.S.- Yes, that's another old, probably Photoshopped image that's been floating around, so don't get crazy -- like we said, these rumors aren't exactly new.
posted Aug 5th 2008 at 10:36PM
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Joe Pollicino @ Aug 5th 2008 10:41PM
I want this. bad.
lostmotel @ Aug 6th 2008 6:00AM
zerocalories:
Given that a D90 will be a good fraction of the price of a D300, it's probably going to be a better prospect for people without $1600 to burn on something they may not need.
wickedpheonix @ Aug 5th 2008 10:46PM
Honestly I wouldn't hold my breath - the D80 had optional GPS too, you just had to get a hotshoe attachment from Sony. And it's not like Nikon to release 2 different D90 bodies.
Live View isn't the kind of feature you find in a prosumer DSLR like the D80. HDMI makes a little more sense considering the D80 had a composite video out, but I don't even want to think about the space/power/etc. requirements for that even if there was a dongle (which oh by the way is lame).
GPS is a nice feature though, so honestly all Nikon has to do to make a D90 is offer better ISO performance, add GPS for geotagging (hopefully not at the expense of too much battery life), and dust reduction systems a la the D60. 12 MP encroaches on D300 territory.
Perardi @ Aug 5th 2008 11:34PM
The Canon Rebel XSi and XS both have Live View, and they're price a little lower. Sony seems to be pushing Live View pretty hard, too, so I imagine they'd put it in just to get another plus mark in a review.
nerdtalker @ Aug 5th 2008 11:39PM
I still fail to see why Live View is such a compelling feature in, of all things, a DSLR.
Even an extremely high resolution LCD on the back of the computer still doesn't convey the same visual depth of information (even focus) as well as a real viewfinder has. Sure, you can zoom to 1:1 to see if you're focused, but that's cumbersome considering you have real optics and real glass a half inch away.
Perardi @ Aug 5th 2008 11:49PM
Eh, I don't have a DLSR with the capability, but I guess I could see it being useful on a tripod. Besides that one Sony, all the current SLR Live View modes work by contrast detection for focus, which is way, way slower than the normal phase detection system, so it'd not useful.
I hope that the manufacturer don't rush headlong into Live View while neglecting viewfinders. It sucks trying to use a rear LCD outside, and electronic viewfinders are nowhere near ready. And they consume power, whereas glass and mirrors work instantly, with no power needed.
Josh Warner @ Aug 6th 2008 12:57AM
Actually that's not completely true Perardi. Most badly implemented Live View systems do use contrast detection, and do suck. But the good ones (D300 and D3 to my knowledge, probably others) have a settable option to pause the live view when the shutter release is half-pressed for the mirror to come down, focus using the traditional sensor, take the shot, and restore the live view. This takes only a split second (similar to the blackouts during a high speed series with 'confirm focus before shutter release' set) - not long!
Personally, I have no use for such a feature since I only shoot in the field, but I see how some people might have a use for it.
Also, we're talking about a Nikon here. Nikon finders are pretty much the best in the business; I'm not sure where you are going with that comment, but throughout each D-series of digital SLRs the finders have only improved. I fully expect the eventual D90's finder to be equal or better than the D80's.
Geir E @ Aug 6th 2008 4:40AM
Sony's Alpha 700 has hdmi output already so that's nothing that brings any issues. I assume whatever video is fetched of a second sensor and the live view is in the same fashion as the Sony Alpha 300 / 350.
But I'm not sure if it is real or just someones imagination before Nikon put out a press release.
John Doe @ Aug 5th 2008 11:11PM
i love the way engadget editors write "P.S." and their warning for fake content :D
phaet2112 @ Aug 5th 2008 11:20PM
What about the actual press release of the micro 4/3 format?? You have a two paragraph mini blurb about nothing, while an actual, significant advance which may forever change P/S cameras into mini-DSLRs has *still* not been posted yet.
http://www.imaging-resource.com/NEWS/1217960634.html
DBrim @ Aug 5th 2008 11:57PM
You might want to actually read a blog before you criticize it.
http://www.engadget.com/2008/08/05/olympus-and-panasonic-launch-micro-four-thirds-dslrs-enter-a-ne/
mabellon @ Aug 6th 2008 12:11AM
Honestly, the new micro 4/3 is not that impressive.
The Sigma DP1 has already introduced the concept of a compact camera with DSLR sensor quality (albeit without interchangeable lenses). In addition, the Leica M8 uses a high end sensor in a compact design, includes interchangeable lenses, and most important of all, possess an optical viewfinder (albeit its a rangefinder, not TTL like SLRs.)
So its sorta all been done already, except better.
This new format means EVF instead of optical, which is a serious downfall. I personally wouldn't purchase a P&S without an optical viewfinder. Also, when Canon introduced the EF-S mount for the smaller mirror box of x00D/x0D DSLRS, the cameras remained fully backward compatible with the huge range of EF lenses. This new format needs an adapter for backwards compatability. As your linked article states 'other lenses will likely be reduced to "guided manual" focus', yet another serious downfall.
Perardi @ Aug 5th 2008 11:31PM
I think that'd be first for video on a DSLR.
Also, I wonder if this will (assuming this is at all real) use the CMOS sensor from the D300. I think that might put the D300 in a pinch; the D90 would have the same DX performance on the cheap, and the D700 is mighty attractive as a semi-professional body. I guess they can give it a smaller buffer/not as good autofocus/other.
phaet2112 @ Aug 5th 2008 11:42PM
The micro 4/3 will have video, and they will have at least one body in the event come September, but without all the mirror box nonsense.
Perardi @ Aug 5th 2008 11:52PM
I'm sure the Micro Four-Thirds system will have the same range of quality lenses, superb image quality, and overwhelming market dominance of the current Four-Thirds system.
jollyllama @ Aug 5th 2008 11:52PM
I'm not sure it would pinch the D300. The sensor is one thing, the D300 would still have a metal weathered sealed body, better AF system, and better control layout when compared to the (rumored) D90. Those three things would get anyone who would seriously consider a D300 to pass on the D90.
Perardi @ Aug 5th 2008 11:59PM
@jollyllama: You're probably right. There's likely a market for a better-built semi-pro DX camera.
noisypixel @ Aug 5th 2008 11:45PM
Since when don't prosumer cameras have live view? The 40D, K20D, L10 and E-520 all have Live View. Sony's A700 is the only prosumer that doesn't. The A350 has live view, so the D90 can and will as well.
The D80 was a D200 Lite, so I expect the D90 will be the same for the D300: 12MP, 51-point AF, new 18-something VR like they always do, Live View, anti-dust, 5fps, 14-bit, 95% viewfinder, HDMI, 1/4000 shutter. It's not really a leap to call any of these things. $999 body, $1199 kit.
noisypixel @ Aug 5th 2008 11:49PM
Typo: A350 has HDMI, so the D90 will.
bebop @ Aug 6th 2008 12:27AM
It's all pretty dry stuff, as the feature set of any D90 released in 2008 is going to be tightly bracketed by the D60, the D300, and the existing D80.
Still, there are always a couple of surprises.
DBrim @ Aug 6th 2008 12:38AM
Because the image quality is much higher?
Razor @ Aug 6th 2008 12:48AM
Go to a store, try out an SLR and you might figure out why people use them.
Not for everyone, but they are for some.
randompass @ Aug 6th 2008 12:50AM
GPS? What the fuck? How does that work?
Rick @ Aug 6th 2008 1:09AM
A GPS accessory sits on the hot shoe of the camera and communicates over the 10-pin remote port.
Writes lat/long and altitude to the EXIF data of any file you shoot if the GPS has a lock. It works really well, I use them all the time for work.
http://www.dawntech.hk/di-GPS/products.htm
Michael Scrip @ Aug 6th 2008 1:01AM
They are freakin' fast! And when you look in the viewfinder you see exactly what the sensor sees... and can focus on one point accurately.
Yem @ Aug 6th 2008 4:45AM
Allowing it to use a cheap bluetooth GPS would be more useful than tying up the hotshoe.
Onesolo @ Aug 6th 2008 5:30AM
Oh man, I really hope that this rumor would really turns reality!!
I'm waiting for the D80 successor for about 1,5 year!!
Onesolo @ Aug 6th 2008 5:30AM
Oh man, I really hope that this rumor would really turns reality!!
I'm waiting for the D80 successor for about 1,5 year!!
gad get @ Aug 6th 2008 6:29AM
If you had ever seen a head-to-head comparison between an exceptionally good point-and-shoot, and even the worst performing DSLR, you would see a huge difference in picture quality (sharpness, noise, tonal accuracy, dynamic range, etc.).
And that's just one of the many compelling reasons to go DSLR.
Simon Wright @ Aug 6th 2008 8:50AM
PROBABLY photoshopped?
Source:
http://whirlpool.net.au/misc/etc/d90fake2.jpg
Comparison:
http://whirlpool.net.au/misc/etc/d90fake1.jpg
Difference:
http://whirlpool.net.au/misc/etc/d90fake.jpg
Lame, Mk II.
higginsaustria @ Aug 6th 2008 9:22AM
DSLRs simply give better image quality(in many different ways) and speed than point and shoots.
Evan @ Aug 6th 2008 9:35AM
your comment denotes a lack of intelligence.
Yu ObNähp @ Aug 6th 2008 4:19PM
what i really wonder is, how many midlife-crisis types in hawaiian shirts are running around with cameras 10 times more capable than what they need? i've taken 1000s of pretty decent pics on my 4MP canon point n shoot.
Razor @ Aug 6th 2008 6:17PM
@ SuperSexyErik (^_^):
I'm, quite honestly, amazed by the number of SLR owners now, at least here in Canada. My fiancée and I went to Heritage Days in Edmonton this past weekend, and believe me there were plenty of average Joes carrying SLRs around.
The entry-level SLR market is a big one, which easily explains why that market is saturated with so many models.
Again, SLRs aren't for everyone, but it certainly appears manufacturers are doing good to their bottom line to pay attention to this market group.
Razor @ Aug 6th 2008 6:20PM
If you aren't bumping against the capabilities of your camera then you prolly have the right one for you. You should be happy! =)
I know alot of gadget types get offended when some hayseed buys electronics beyond their understanding or capability. In the end it doesn't matter.
More people buying top tech lowers the price eventually for everyone else. So if a world of hobbyists buy D3s and rarely take them out of the camera bag it doesn't really matter to me =|
Razor @ Aug 6th 2008 6:22PM
That was meant to be a reply to Yu ObNahp. Damn comment system =P
dacaplan @ Aug 8th 2008 4:40PM
Yes, that image is probably photoshopped, but the general consensus is that this one (http://nikonrumors.com/2008/08/08/first-nikon-d90-picture.aspx) is real.
Careless @ Aug 12th 2008 1:17AM
This camera is obviously made to compete with the 40D seeing as it's around the same price, has most of the d300 tech, and comes with a kit lense for in and around the same range as the 40D body itself.
But the do not compare this with the D300. I have one, and just the 51 point A/F sensor with 3D Matrix Metering and the 922,000 pixel screen (which the D90 has as well), is enough to justify its worth over the 40D. So perhaps this camera is well priced.
And Live View isn't all it's cracked up to be. It's fun, but I'd rather scrounge down and take a shot from a low body angle rather than a low camera angle, because of the the way the Live View shuts off and because you have to double-trigger the shutter release button, in essence.