Nikon D90 Disappointing?

Soldato
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So I have had a D70 for probably 4/5 years now and I bought a D90 in September as the video feature sold me on the idea of spending less and not getting the D300, and now having used it whilst its a good start the 5D II is so much better for video I almost (but don't) want to switch to canon, I am really disappointed with the really bad rolling shutter and the compression/blurry quality of the image, its okay for quick clips but its almost an after thought compared with the 5D II....

So the question is there any plans/news on when they might actually fix this / release a D90s or release a D400 with 1080p video like the 5d?

I have considered getting a canon HV20 but as I only want to start to play with video and have a couple of okay lens for my Nikon setup I would rather invest more in my SLRs than in a HV20 which has no lens options.

Your thoughts are appreciated - Tom :)
 
i doubt anyone is going to release an SLR with video as good as the 5dmk2 anytime soon, it's sensor is superb and no one can afford to put that kinda sensor into a sub 1k body......complaining that a £500 camera isnt as good as a £2300 camera is slightly silly though mate!

Tom.
 
Ohh I know its a big price difference, and I would consider paying more not that much but more for it if it worked a bit better, just was dissapointed and I kinda hoped subsiquently they might resolve the issues / improve them by update like with the d70s where they improved the camera.

I don't expect 1080p for £600 but Nikon could improve the MPEG compression, 5 minute rule and rolling shutter a little bit.
 
Check out some of the D90 videos on the net, they look ok to me?!

Personally, I haven't found the video it produces to be disappointing, but then I brought it as a DSLR first, and an HD video second.

As usual, nobody knows for sure whether there will be a D90s or similar, other than a few people at Nikon I expect.

I read an interview with Nikon, in AP I think it was, where they said the 5 minute limit for video was a tax thing. There are different duty rates in some parts of the world for video cameras and those regs said anything capable of recording more than 5 minutes of HD video would be taxed at video camera rates.

Besides which, 5 minutes is a long time for a video clip!
 
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This is the first complaint I've heard of. The D90 compares very strongly with the 5dmk2 at a fraction of the cost.

Things like a 5 minute limit is not a big deal, when would you ever record more than 5 minutes continuous without a cut? Not even in Hollywood movies would this be done, conventionally.

In the end it is a DSLR. If you want a HD camcorder buy an HD camcorder. If you want a DSLR then the D90 is an exceptionally good DSLR which produces HD video which competes with many more expensive dedicated HD camcorders.

The single frame IQ of the 5dmk2 will be the same as the D90. Perhaps the 5dmk2 has a better compression option or other minor differences. If these differences are important then don't even bother with the 5dmk2 and just buy a dedicated HD camcorder.
 
Surely the mic is far more limiting than the D90's video performance? The D90 has no external mic inputs and IIRC the mic only samples at 11kHz.
 
Wow, wow wow! Touched a nerve much?

Obviously all people want to do is to make excuses for it, all I wanted to know is if there has been any word on improvements as I have heard none but perhaps someone else has like, D.P. said about the 5 minute rule, that is some thing I never heard before, I read it was to stop it over heating the sensor.

Thanks
 
I don't think you've touched anybodys nerves personally, we're just trying to respond to some of your thoughts/comments, and hopefully in a way in which you've found constructive?

As I've already said, nobody will know anything about planned improvements to the D90, if indeed there are any.

The only sure thing is that a new camera will be out at some point to replace it, be it a D90s or D100 (actually, what would they call it?!).

When that will be is just guesswork!

I'm certainly not making excuses for the D90, if it was rubbish, I'd say so. But, it isn't, and if you take that as me being defensive, then I'm sorry.

You seem to be expecting a £600 body to do the same things as a £2000 one, or am I reading that wrong?

If you don't like the HD video on the D90, then don't buy it is my recommendation. It is afterall a DSLR with a video capability, rather than a DSLR AND an HD Camcorder...

I've no doubt that Nikon will add HD Video capabilty to a lot more future DSLR's and undoubtedly it will be better than this first incarnation. There will be some time needs to pass before that happens though, so if you can't wait, and you're not impressed by the D90, then you need to look elsewhere - but then I guess you know that!
 
The successor to the D700 (due in about 2 years) will have better HD video than the 5dMk2, then the 5Dmk3 will have better quality than that, then the Nikonn D900 will have better quality than that. At all stages the Nikon DXXX will be better than the DXX for video and the Canon 5DMkX will be better than the Canon XXD and the Canon XXDs better than the Canon XXXDs for video.

When you spend 2500 vs 500 in general you will get better quality/features.

If you really find the D90 video feature very limiting, then it is unlikely the 5Dmk2 will totally appease you and a dedicated video recorder would be the best option.That is the bottom line. Go out and enjoy playing with your toys. If you want to spend money buy a lens. A fisheye, Macro, or 300 2.8 prime would make some fantastic unique videos unseen outside the professional market.
 
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The D90 is a superb DSLR offering much of what my D300 offers at half the cost, the HD video is neither here nor there in value terms, if that was the dealbreaker then a bit of research prior to purchase and then maybe looking at a HD camcorder would have been a smarter option.
Be happy that you've got an SLR that a lot of Pro's even would have bust a gut for just 18 months ago, HD video?, just the cherry on the top of a very big and tasty cake.
 
Yeah well its a weird one I was all for the D300 before this came out and I am quite happy with the camera aspect, it produces amazing quality images I cant stand the tiny postage stamp screen on my D70 anymore I love the screen on the D90, I just wish it had a bit better performance from the video aspect, I was kinda hoping they might be able to do an update for it, but who knows if they release a D400 with better video I may sell the D90 whilst its got some value in it and get the D400, but this is all speculation I suppose.
 
I made the mistake of buying the D300 after the D90!

If anything, I'm now a bit disappointed with the D300.

The D90 is a brilliant DSLR which does much of what the D300 does, but at half the price. The 51 AF points & other slight differences don't mean much to me really, and I actually find myself using the D300 in 9 point AF mode a lot of the time, as sometimes the 51 points just tries to be TOO clever and messes up what I was trying to achieve!

I agree with you on the D90/D300 screen too. Once I had the D90, the D200's days were numbered as I found the screeen to be so small!
 
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