The Nikon D90 12.3mp Prosumer SLR Digital Camera is an intermediate step in Nikon’s line and is a great camera for those who want near-professional digital slr quality at an affordable price. The D90 isn’t a replacement for an older model. Instead, The D90 is a midsize model made of magnesium alloy and plastic. It’s a light camera, but the D90 doesn’t feel like a point and shoot. At slightly over a pound, the Nikon D90 is substantially heavier than most digital slr’s models, but it also feels high quality and sturdy.

One of the newest features on the Nikon D90 body is a built-in ultrasonic dust reduction system. The camera is able to send ultrasonic waves down its filter, removing the dust without scratching. Also new is a movie mode, which allows you to film up to 5 minutes of continuous high definition video with sound, longer if resolution is dialed down. Its nice to see a prosumer camera with a feature like this, which allows us to carry less equipment without compromising quality.

Another great new feature that is uniquely Nikon is the large 3-inch LCD with a stunning resolution of nearly a million pixels. No more squinting to see a picture, this viewfinder is plenty big, but still a bit difficult to see in bright sunlight. Photo quality for the Nikon D90 is excellent. The photos are crisp and clear with good exposure and decent color saturation. The D90 really shines at high ISOs, creating acceptable amounts of noise at ISO 800. If you use higher ISO’s, remember to do so in brighter lighting situations, as the noise will become perceptable at ISO 1600 and above.

What’s not so great about the Nikon D90? Not much. As with the D60, the memory card slot leaves much to be desired, and Nikon’s included software has a high learning curve, but can easily be replaced with Photoshop. Movie mode is a great new feature, however it can be difficult to focus when objects are moving quickly. Despite these drawbacks, this is a fantastic quality digital slr for a great price (around $1000).