October 17, 2008, Newsletter Issue #101: Nikon Brings HD Video to the Digital SLR

Tip of the Week

Nikon has long been a leader in photography, and their new D90 digital SLR continues the tradition.


While digital point-and-shoot cameras have ofered at least limited video capability for years, the D90 is the first digital SLR to offer digital video. And not just any digital video, but true high definition (HD) video. The D90's highest resolution of 1280 x 720 at 24 fps (frames per second) is true HD.


While your first reaction may be, "So what?" here's why this is such a big deal:


A typical point-and-shoot digital camera limits your video to the built-in lens - usually a wide-to-slight telephoto affair at 3x - 5x. But with the D90, you can shoot HD video using any lens compatible with Nikon's digital SLR's. Fisheye... wide angle... telephoto... even zoom lenses. Are you beginning to get an idea of the creative possiblities?


The D90 would be notable if its only new feature was HD video. But Nikon has thrown in a boatload of goodies in this replacement for the venerable D80. For example, they've upped the maximum resolution from 10.2 million pixels to 12.3million.


And while the D80's sensor is a CCD, Nikon has given the D90 a CMOS - usually found only on higher-end SLR's. They've also included a few other features from their pro-level D300, such as image-sensor dust reduction, 3D tracking auto-focus and a bright 3" TFT-LCD screen with Live View.


This is no entry-level digital SLR, but the D90 is remarkably affordable considering its feature set - you can find it online for under $1,000. And with the digital video thrown in, the creative possibilities are endless.

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