Nikon D90 DSLR Camera Reviewby Jeremy StamasPublished on Oct 24, 2008 4:45 PM
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Audio (3.0)Audio on the Nikon D90 is a disappointment. While Nikon was thoughtful enough to actually put an internal microphone on the camera (a rarity on an SLR), it didn't do a very good job directing attention to those looking for quality audio. Through its tiny little speaker on the front side, the D90 records mono audio only. Without a microphone jack or any way to connect an external microphone this dramatically limits the usefulness of the video the D90 is able to record. In contrast Canon’s EOS 5D Mark II is said to have an external microphone connection and the ability to record stereo sound.
The internal speaker on the D90 is also limited, but that is something that rings true for most camcorders as well. However, the absence of a headphone jack on the D90 is another omission that makes the camera an unreliable audio device. The camera would work best as an image-only recording device.
The D90 is also a very noisy tool. Using the zoom or focus ring is incredibly loud and adds an abundance of noise to your footage. The microphone is also placed in prime finger contact location—easily leaving itself open to noisy rubbing attacks from wandering fingers.
Playback (3.0)
Video playback is fairly simple on the Nikon D90 and it's accomplished in the same manner as you would look through your still photos. Just press the playback button on the back of the camera and your videos and stills will appear on the LCD. Use the directional selecting pad to navigate your way through your clips and photographs. Pressing OK on a video will begin playback.
The D90 doesn't have any dedicated VCR controls, but instead uses the directional pad to manipulate playback. More dedicated buttons for play, stop, pause, etc. would have clearly mucked up the back of the camera and been more confusing than just having the multi-functional buttons.
The Playback Menu on the Nikon D90
Text the Playback menu contains the following options:
| Playback Menu |
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| Delete | Slected, Slect Date, All |
| Playback folder | Current, All |
| Hide image | Slect/set, Select date, Deselect all? |
| Display mode | Detailed photo info Done, (check boxes) Highlights, RGB histogram, Data |
| Image review | On, Off |
| Rotate tall | On, Off |
| Pictmotion | Start, Select Pictures, Background Music, Effects |
| Slide show | Start, Frame Interval (2, 3, 5, 10 sec) |
| Print set (DPOF) | Select/set, Deselect all? |
Considering the tiny built-in speaker on the D90, audio is not very good during playback of videos. Volume control is easily accessible, however, by pushing the magnification +/– buttons at the lower left of the LCD screen (also labeled as QUAL and ISO).
All the ports on the D90 are on the left side of the camera.
Top to bottom: DC input, USB, HDMI, AV out, GPS/Remote control input
Connectivity (7.0)
The Nikon D90 has an HDMI output port for connecting the camera to an HD television. It also has an AV output as well as a USB connection. The AV port appears to be universal, but we could only output a picture using the cable Nikon provided. There is a hot accessory shoe for an external flash or light, and a GPS input port for connecting a GPS unit or an optional remote control. All these ports are located on the camera's left side, behind a flexible, rubber port covering.
Without a microphone jack or a headphone jack, the D90 is nearly useless as an audio recorder. The internal microphone only records in mono and it does a really good job picking up noise made when you use the zoom and focus rings on the kit lens. We found the audio features useful for nothing more than making auditory notes about shots and settings. In comparison, the Canon EOS 5D Mark II offers the possibility of stereo sound via an external microphone jack.
Transferring video files to your computer is accomplished in the same fashion as you would transfer photographs. The D90 ships with some software to help you out, specifically Nikon Transfer, which does nothing more than help you move your files from camera to computer. The camera also comes with some other software (all located on the Software Suite CD-Rom, or available for free download from Nikon's website) that allows for some minor retouching and editing of your photographs. The D90 does not ship with any video editing software.
The D90 does not come with a DC cable, although they are available for purchase from Nikon. Not having a DC cable is something that probably wouldn't bother most photographers, but for recording video it is a startling omission. Using live view mode and recording video on the D90 eats through the battery at a much faster rate than simply snapping photographs. If you plan on recording lots of video with the D90, prepare to bring extra batteries with you on long trips or for all day events.
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