D90 Owners Thread - Anything D90 related

[blackwolf]

Hey ho i pick my new d90 up tommorow can't wait looking forward to getting out and giving it a go

 

[mikeyw]

Just a gentle bump for those newer D90 owners

 

[samuelingram]

Hoping to bag myself a D90 in the next few days. Just having a few problems with lenses but once I've figured out what I want I'll be in the club.

 

[thesmileyone]

Anyone know the actual difference between the D90/D300/D300s ? is the D300s worth the £500 difference ?

 

[Dave Pickett]

I'm not too chuffed with mine at the moment.

but you got a refund, and havnt posted since, so have you replaced the D90, or was there another reason why the pictures werent sharp?

5000 pictures on with my D90, I remain impressed with the capability and versatility of this camera, cant imagine anyone not being satisfied with it........

 

[Rob 80386]

but you got a refund, and havnt posted since, so have you replaced the D90, or was there another reason why the pictures werent sharp?

5000 pictures on with my D90, I remain impressed with the capability and versatility of this camera, cant imagine anyone not being satisfied with it........

I'm too very pleased with mine, however it has developed 1 stuck pixel on the sensor :| , doesn't seem to bother the computer software though, which just clones it out automatically anyways

 

[Bubby]

Just to let everyone know my D90 arrived on Wednesday past! Havent had much of a chance to use it yet I'm also waiting on Lightroom 3 from Amazon & then an activation code from Adobe. Ive had a basic play about & watched bits of Magic Lantern guides on the D90 & the "great photos" one (cant remember the name) just to refresh my memory & they have helped out no end.

Then I want a tripod & perhaps a 50mm lens. Phew.

I want, I want, I want...

 

[grum]

Hi everyone - been thinking about a D90 to complement my GF1. Read through some of the thread but not the whole thing yet.

Just wondering if I should go for the kit lens or body only and maybe save up for some better lenses?

Also wondering if anyone can confirm if you can use FP sync with dedicated Nikon flashes to sync flash up to 1/4000 or whatever the maximum is?

Thanks

ps - quite a few people seem to have had some minor issues and niggles with there's in the first few pages - have these been ironed out at all?

 

[Scotty B]

Anyone know the actual difference between the D90/D300/D300s ? is the D300s worth the £500 difference ?

Build and focusing are the main differences. For me the D300/300s offered nothing that the D90 couldn't do.

As for video, never use it.

 

[Rob 80386]

Build and focusing are the main differences. For me the D300/300s offered nothing that the D90 couldn't do.

As for video, never use it.

I've used the video function a few times, it's not bad you know

as for the D300(s) offered nothing different apart from the build material, thats exactly the reason I decided to go with D90 and save some money for a good lens

 

[kwacker-snapper]

had my d90 a couple of weeks now and really pleased but one question im struggling with, when taking group portraits is it better in live view as from what i beleive it automatically detects more than one face, any help would be much appreciated, thanks

 

[lawrenceots]

I've got a D5000 - which is basically a D90 in a nicer, curvier body

I'm loving it, its wonderful when paired with my 18-70 and 70-300 VR - AF is lighting fast!

At some point, I need to take it to Argos, as along the far right edge of the LCD, there is a strip of light, as if its being lit from the side. It only bothers me because I'm a perfectionist!

 

[Rob 80386]

I've got a D5000 - which is basically a D90 in a nicer, curvier body

Thats ok until you use AF lenses that require the focusing motor in the camera body

 

[gus607]

I've got a D5000 - which is basically a D90 in a nicer, curvier body

I'm loving it, its wonderful when paired with my 18-70 and 70-300 VR - AF is lighting fast!

At some point, I need to take it to Argos, as along the far right edge of the LCD, there is a strip of light, as if its being lit from the side. It only bothers me because I'm a perfectionist!

But isn't this the D90 thread ???

 

[lawrenceots]

Waaaaaaaaayy back in this thread before I got the D5k, I asked if I could participate in this thread....its somewhere back there!

Yes, I'm dreading the time when I get a lens that won't Af on it...but tbh, I've spent WAAAAAYYYY to much this year, so nothing else for me.

 

[kwacker-snapper]

had my d90 a couple of weeks now and really pleased but one question im struggling with, when taking group portraits is it better in live view as from what i beleive it automatically detects more than one face, any help would be much appreciated, thanks

any advice?have another weddng to do next sat so help appreciated

 

[Rob 80386]

any advice?have another weddng to do next sat so help appreciated

Not sure about live-view, but composition is the key, I try to focus on the eyes

 

[lawrenceots]

any advice?have another weddng to do next sat so help appreciated

For Family group portraits I tend to use LV with the 18-70. Depending if there is an individual that I want to be the focus, I use the 3D subject tracking mode, in which you align the focus over the area you want tracked, and then the camera will continually ensure that the focus box is on that subject, no matter where it moves in the frame. If noone in particular has to be in focus, I just use face detection, which works really well. This leaves me to worry about ensuring noone heads are chopped off, framing etc, knowing that when I fire the shutter, it will focus where I want no matter how I've changed the framing.

Hope that makes sense!

 

[kwacker-snapper]

yes it does many thanks, will experiment with those settings

 

[Y15HAL]

I'll tag along on this thread.....

Hopefully getting my D90 today!!

 

[BertUK]

The time when this does not work that well is when it is not dark and you want to use fill flash for a subject that is strongly backlit. In this case you can go to manual mode (M) and set the shutter manually to a maximum of 1/200s with flash. If that is still too slow you are out of luck because that is the maximum flash synch speed for the D90.

Auto FP mode allows faster shutter speeds does it not? I seem to remember reading something about how it isn't a true sync speed adjustment but it works in most cases - is this correct?

I was demonstrating the affect of shutter speed on ambient light to a friend the other night (so I needed flash), and with Auto FP on, I could get 1/2000th of a second with flash, and it appeared to work just fine (background was pitch black, subject illuminated as expected).

 

[Y15HAL]

Morning All,

Took delivery of my new (used) D90, and have noticed that when switching it on and off, there is a high pitched, very faint squeak/squeal coming from the camera. This can only be heard if listened to properly, and if in a noisy environment, wont be heard at all.

What i wanted to know is that is this normal? Do others have the same noise, if so, what is it? Never used to happen on my D50 :shake:

 

[BertUK]

Morning All,

Took delivery of my new (used) D90, and have noticed that when switching it on and off, there is a high pitched, very faint squeak/squeal coming from the camera. This can only be heard if listened to properly, and if in a noisy environment, wont be heard at all.

What i wanted to know is that is this normal? Do others have the same noise, if so, what is it? Never used to happen on my D50 :shake:

Never heard that myself. I would say that I've never listened for it, but I would have thought I would have heard it by now if it was there.

 

[Coaster]

Just switched mine on and off a few times. Silent as the grave.

 

[Y15HAL]

Just switched mine on and off a few times. Silent as the grave.

hmmmm, doesn't sound too good then! :bang::shake::nono:

Wonder what it could be!!

 

[Naboo32]

Could it be the automatic sensor cleaning function :shrug:!?

That can be set to run at start up, or on shutting down (or is that with the D700 ). Either way, it should only run for a short time. Just an idea :shrug:!?

 

[Y15HAL]

Could it be the automatic sensor cleaning function :shrug:!?

That can be set to run at start up, or on shutting down (or is that with the D700 ). Either way, it should only run for a short time. Just an idea :shrug:!?

Could be an option Andy, thanks for the info! i'll have to check when i get home!

For info, it seems to be very faint, and i can hear it at the bottom of the camera......

 

[Y15HAL]

Just found this extract from dpreview after doing a search:

"2 days ago, I thought there was a problem. I actually asked my wife if she could hear anything, so I had her place her ear on the bottom of my D90, and after a few tries she said she could hear something. So I tried and I was able to hear it. It's like 3 faint successive beeps of the same frequency. Depending on your age you may or may not hear them (I am 44 and there are some frequencies I cannot hear anymore)

But if you try, do it many times, with your ear either on the bottom of your D90, or your ear against the LCD monitor"

These are my exact symptoms - appearing when powering on/off......

 

[Naboo32]

Could be an option Andy, thanks for the info! i'll have to check when i get home!

For info, it seems to be very faint, and i can hear it at the bottom of the camera......

How long does the noise last for, Vishal :shrug:? If it's only a couple of seconds and then it stops, then it could possibly be the sensor cleaner. If it continues on though, I would discount that option :|.

Funny, they describe the sensor cleaner as 'ultrasonic', but you can hear it !

 

[Y15HAL]

How long does the noise last for, Vishal :shrug:? If it's only a couple of seconds and then it stops, then it could possibly be the sensor cleaner. If it continues on though, I would discount that option :|.

Funny, they describe the sensor cleaner as 'ultrasonic', but you can hear it !

I've got supersonic hearing mate!

It only lasts like a second or two......i think now it most probably is the auto sensor cleaning on power on/off.....i want to check now, but cant til i get home!

 

[Naboo32]

I've got supersonic hearing mate!

It only lasts like a second or two......i think now it most probably is the auto sensor cleaning on power on/off.....i want to check now, but cant til i get home!

What you could do, Vishal, to be absolutely sure about this, is to go into the menu with the 'spanner' icon and find the "Clean Image Sensor" option. It is probably set to "Clean at start up and shut down" option. If you turn that option off, then turn the camera on and off, it should be silent .

Don't forget to turn it back on though - it's pretty useful, I reckon .

 

[Y15HAL]

Thats what i intend to do......in the meantime, to put my mind at rest, i'm sure someone (with good hearing ) can turn this option on and test it, to confirm the theory.....

 

[Naboo32]

Thats what i intend to do......in the meantime, to put my mind at rest, i'm sure someone (with good hearing ) can turn this option on and test it, to confirm the theory.....

I'm also stuck behind my desk, or I'd offer to do it for you .

 

[DC2Z]

Having just turned mine on and off you can hear this too, never noticed before. Its very faint

 

[Y15HAL]

Having just turned mine on and off you can hear this too, never noticed before. Its very faint

Nice! Thats what i like to hear!

Hopefully that confirms our thoughts......either that, or both of ours are not working as they should! :bang:

 

[Naboo32]

Just curious really, especially if anyone has tips about which (DX) lenses are particularly good or particularly bad .

I've mostly spent my time (and money ) learning about lenses for use on FX sensors/35mm film, but as I want to do a bit more traveling with my (more portable ) D90, I thought that I should try and make sure that I have all focal lengths covered. To that end, I've just placed an order for a Tokina 11-16mm f/2.8, which makes my full DX line up look like this;

• 11-16mm Tokina f/2.8
• 17-50mm Tamron f/2.8
• 55-200mm Nikon f/3.5-4.6 VR
• 35mm Nikon f/1.8

I don't really know a great deal about DX lenses, but is this similar to what a lot of you use? Am I missing out on any 'classic' DX lenses? Are there any potential duffers in my line up :shake: (some of them I haven't used a great deal yet).

Please, share your thoughts ...

 

[BertUK]

Just curious really, especially if anyone has tips about which (DX) lenses are particularly good or particularly bad .

I've mostly spent my time (and money ) learning about lenses for use on FX sensors/35mm film, but as I want to do a bit more traveling with my (more portable ) D90, I thought that I should try and make sure that I have all focal lengths covered. To that end, I've just placed an order for a Tokina 11-16mm f/2.8, which makes my full DX line up look like this;

• 11-16mm Tokina f/2.8
• 17-50mm Tamron f/2.8
• 55-200mm Nikon f/3.5-4.6 VR
• 35mm Nikon f/1.8

I don't really know a great deal about DX lenses, but is this similar to what a lot of you use? Am I missing out on any 'classic' DX lenses? Are there any potential duffers in my line up :shake: (some of them I haven't used a great deal yet).

Please, share your thoughts ...

Looks good to me! Not sure how you live with that giant gap between 51 and 54mm though!

I just got my 35mm and I'm starting to love it. How have you found yours?

 

[Naboo32]

Looks good to me! Not sure how you live with that giant gap between 51 and 54mm though!

I just got my 35mm and I'm starting to love it. How have you found yours?

Ha, ha ! That gap will be covered by "zooming with my feet" - I'm too lazy to "zoom" any more than that though .

The 35mm f/1.8!? Honestly Bert, I've only used it twice in the year that I've owned it. The first time that I took it out, I used it on my D40 to shoot some indoor stuff in medium-low artificial light, with raised ISO (640, which was already pushing it on the D40 ). All shots were made without flash and the lens aperture wide open. The results ... were truly dreadful (and quickly deleted) :shake:!

The two main problems were missed focus (due to the low light and the fact that the D40 only had 3 AF points and I wasn't careful enough about lining them up before shooting) and some really noticeable purple/green fringing around all of the highlights. I was mortified! The lens went to the bottom of my camera bag and was forgotten about.

A year later, after I'd learned a lot more about photography and had realised where I might have gone wrong with this little prime, I decided to get it out and try it again on my (new) D90. What's more, I paid proper attention to the AF points and started to use the lens stopped down to a point where all of the fringing had gone, but most of the shallow DOF remained. This time ... it was a totally different story ! The sharpness and detail with this lens were truly impressive - beating most of my zoom lenses and even rivaling my 300mm AF-S f/4 Nikkor prime (which is something else).

Although I deleted the first (bad) shots that I took with it, here is one form the second time that I played around with it at home. It's just a picture of my foot , but it was taken hand-held, at around about f/4 (IIRC).

I can see now that, if used with sufficient care, in the appropriate lighting conditions, that this lens will excel on image contrast and sharpness. I don't really see it as a 'shoot all day at f/1.8' lens, but more of a 'stop it down a bit and don't shoot straight into the light for super sharp, distortion-free images' kind of lens.

I hope that you find this report encouraging, but I freely admit to being a novice with this lens (and my Tokina 11-16mm and the Nikon 55-200mm, if I'm honest, which is why I asked for other opinions myself ).

 

[flow]

Ive never had the 35mm F1.8 but do have the 50mm 1.8 & have never really been that wow'd by it.

My new lens is a Sigma 18-50 F2.8 which is fantastic. Just need to save for a 70-300 VR then i'll be happy (not worried about the gap from 50-70mm)

 

[BertUK]

Ha, ha ! That gap will be covered by "zooming with my feet" - I'm too lazy to "zoom" any more than that though .

The 35mm f/1.8!? Honestly Bert, I've only used it twice in the year that I've owned it. ...

<snip>

Thanks for the info. It does seem like a really fun lens to me. I've found it's ok at f/1.8 (very sharp!) and haven't noticed any issues other than the odd missed focus on moving subjects. That's worse on the 50mm - I mostly kept it at 2.8 and below unless I knew I wasn't going to move by even a few mm - very easy to get something slightly blurry, and half the time it looked fine on the LCD.

I suppose I'm quite impressed with my primes because, other than the Tokina (kind of), I don't have any other fast glass.

The 35mm has better bokeh than the 50 too, which I'm starting to try and exploit