Enthusiasts are going to love the new D90, not just because it’s a giant step up from the already impressive Nikon D80, but because it’s the first DSLR of its kind to support digital movie recording in 720p (1280 x 720).

And if you’re a full HD fan, you can still take heart – the camera will gladly output at 1080i via HDMI.

Performance

We managed to get our mitts on one of the only two D90’s currently in Australia at the official Nikon launch and we’re mightily impressed by the rich tones and sharp contrast ratios that the D90 provides.

With a sensor range far beyond that of the earlier Nikon models (D60, D80), the D90’s sensor is up there with the CMOS of the much more expensive D300.

Movie mode

‘D-movie’ footage looked sharp for 720p, uninhibited by strobing and torch light artefacts (we tested with a military grade flashlight for demonstration purposes) which came as a surprise. The footage had an unusually crisp 'filmic' look for digital footage.

Just imagine the short films you could make using the D90 without having to lug around a separate HD camcorder in your bag.

The Active D-lighting, in conjunction with Nikon’s 11 point AF system gives the D90 a helping hand in capturing warm flesh tones and evenly saturated colours indoors.

Light and dark areas performed equally as well, under the low lighting conditions we tested the camera on. Noise, which usually plagues lower models, wasn’t evident in shots as high as 1600 ISO. That’s really impressive given how difficult this is to achieve for most semi-pro DSLR’s.