D90 Owners Thread - Anything D90 related

philRS said:
mb-d80 grip here,genuine boxed Nikon ones :

http://www.digitalfirst.co.uk/produ...-Grip-For-D80&ProductID=3931&DepartmentID=132

£84.99 best UK price i could find, very quick delivery too.
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Seriously i wouldn`t order from here unless you wanna lose £85, its registered as the same company as camerabox, do a search on here and you`ll find out about it, very hit and miss, and while you may get your gear you may also randomly pay out a couple hundred quid that you didnt authorise!!!

Read up about it and be warned!!!

I ended up buying 2nd hand rather than risk dodgy sites like that.
 
jamesH and Leaky5, who is right?
 
p1tse said:
jamesH and Leaky5, who is right?
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they are both right. Across all lenses the focal length is ther focal length. end of. All the figures are based around a full frame (35mm film or 35mm digital sensor)

if you put any lens on a camera with a smaller sensor the focal length will change by the crop factor.

so on a D90 with a 1.5x crop sensor you can multiply the focal length of your lens by 1.5 and that will give you the actual focal length.

so for example a d90 and a d3 both fitted with a 50mm lens(i think the d3 is full frame?) sitting side by side looking at the same object. the object on the d90 will appear 1.5x closer.

so to get a real 'nifty 50' (full frame equivalent focal length) for a d90 you would need a focal length of 50mm/1.5 = 33.3mm. thats why the 35mm lens is the real nifty fifty for a cropped sensor.

with the 35mm attached to my D90 you can flick between looking at the subject through the viewfinder and direct and theres very little difference. this is why i find the 35mm so much better for a walkabout lens. You see something that you want to photograph, lift up your camera and 99% of the time you need very little adjustment. With the 50mm i always found myself stepping backwards and very often i'de be pinned against a wall.
 
seventythree said:
they are both right. Across all lenses the focal length is ther focal length. end of. All the figures are based around a full frame (35mm film or 35mm digital sensor)

if you put any lens on a camera with a smaller sensor the focal length will change by the crop factor.

so on a D90 with a 1.5x crop sensor you can multiply the focal length of your lens by 1.5 and that will give you the actual focal length.

so for example a d90 and a d3 both fitted with a 50mm lens(i think the d3 is full frame?) sitting side by side looking at the same object. the object on the d90 will appear 1.5x closer.

so to get a real 'nifty 50' (full frame equivalent focal length) for a d90 you would need a focal length of 50mm/1.5 = 33.3mm. thats why the 35mm lens is the real nifty fifty for a cropped sensor.

with the 35mm attached to my D90 you can flick between looking at the subject through the viewfinder and direct and theres very little difference. this is why i find the 35mm so much better for a walkabout lens. You see something that you want to photograph, lift up your camera and 99% of the time you need very little adjustment. With the 50mm i always found myself stepping backwards and very often i'de be pinned against a wall.
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I agree, i prefer the 35mm rather than the 50mm
 
thanks. that explains it.

so if i test my d90 and stick it to 35mm and 50mm i can see which would suit better.
 
starting to make me think

what is the best price for the 35mm f1.8?


also question on the d90:
- the light which shines when first focussing, what does it do, can you blank it off?
 
p1tse said:
starting to make me think

what is the best price for the 35mm f1.8?


also question on the d90:
- the light which shines when first focussing, what does it do, can you blank it off?
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AF-assist illuminator,AF assist illuminator enables the camera to focus even when the subject is poorly lit.

to turn it off, Menu a-Autofocus a3 on/off.

Hope that helps (y)
 
p1tse said:
thanks. that explains it.

so if i test my d90 and stick it to 35mm and 50mm i can see which would suit better.
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p1tse said:
starting to make me think

what is the best price for the 35mm f1.8?


also question on the d90:
- the light which shines when first focussing, what does it do, can you blank it off?
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the 35mm f1.8 is almost twice the price. optically i can see little difference between the two, the extra money i assume is for the newer technology and electronics etc.remember theres also a 35mm F2 which can be picked up second hand.

ref your question:it shines up the subject to assist auto focus. i think you can shut it off in the menu, but the camera will struggle to autofocus in low light.
 
ah wicked.

to be able to turn it off is good. with it constantly blinking infront of little babies i can assuming is annoying.

parents are off to hong kong, maybe could ask them to check out prices of the 35mm
 
I turned my autofocus assist light off as it was annoying me as well as other folk. Haven't really missed it I don't think. Thankfully it defaults to being off now.

That and the focussing bleep were the 2 most annoying things about my D90. Glad they have gone now.
 
p1tse said:
starting to make me think

what is the best price for the 35mm f1.8?
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bought mine last month for £175 delivered from Clifton Cameras, although check camera price buster :)

p1tse said:
also question on the d90:
- the light which shines when first focussing, what does it do, can you blank it off?
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You mean the AF assist lamp, yes you can turn it off in the menu system, although I forget which sub menu it is, in relatively good light conditions the D90 should be fine without it on, I leave mine off unless its really poor lighting.

If I had the choice again of either the 50mm or 35mm I would gladly pay the extra and get the 35mm, much more usable prime lens in my opinion.
 
First post ... Also joined the D90 club today ...

Bought it with the 35mm F1.8 AF-S Lens, the 10-24mm wide angle zoom and 55-200mm VR lens as per the recommendations on Ken Rockwell's site which I found linked from this very thread.

I was also very surprised how much closer the high street prices were compared to online. On the above items plus a tripod and head, remote shutter infra red shutter release, Crumpler bag and a couple of 8gb memory cards the difference between the two was so close I could only go with high street in the end, especially as Nikon have given me £150 cash back on the 10-24mm lens.

The D90 manual takes a while to get through though !!!
 
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Simonhi said:
First post ... Also joined the D90 club today ...

Bought it with the 35mm F1.8 AF-S Lens, the 10-24mm wide angle zoom and 55-200mm VR lens as per the recommendations on Ken Rockwell's site which I found linked from this very thread.

I was also very surprised how much closer the high street prices were compared to online. On the above items plus a tripod and head, remote shutter infra red shutter release, Crumpler bag and a couple of 8gb memory cards the difference between the two was so close I could only go with high street in the end, especially as Nikon have given me £150 cash back on the 10-24mm lens.

The D90 manual takes a while to get through though !!!
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welcome to the d90 camp! you have certainly hit the ground running with that kit ! i thought i was bad :) enjoy !
 
Simonhi said:
First post ... Also joined the D90 club today ...

Bought it with the 35mm F1.8 AF-S Lens, the 10-24mm wide angle zoom and 55-200mm VR lens as per the recommendations on Ken Rockwell's site which I found linked from this very thread.

I was also very surprised how much closer the high street prices were compared to online. On the above items plus a tripod and head, remote shutter infra red shutter release, Crumpler bag and a couple of 8gb memory cards the difference between the two was so close I could only go with high street in the end, especially as Nikon have given me £150 cash back on the 10-24mm lens.

The D90 manual takes a while to get through though !!!
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welcome and nice starter collection of lenses there.

back to the books recommendations, having read the pdf Ken overview and part way through the manual. the manual doesn't explain things aswell as Ken's view, which I found quite good.

Is it worth a specific D90 book over Ken's write up?
Having looked on amazon, these are the main options:
- Nikon D90 for Dummies by Julie Adair King (Paperback - 6 Mar 2009)
- The Nikon D90 Companion by Ben Long (Paperback - 15 Mar 2009)
- Magic Lantern Guides: Nikon D90 by Simon Stafford (Paperback - 7 May 2009)
- Nikon D90 Digital Field Guide by J. Dennis Thomas (Paperback - 27 Jan 2009)
- Mastering the Nikon D90 by Darrell Young (Paperback - 28 Sep 2009)
- David Busch's Nikon D90 Guide to Digital SLR Photography by BUSCH (Paperback - 25 Jun 2009)
- Nikon D90 (Expanded Guide) by Jon Sparks (Paperback - 7 Jun 2009)
- Nikon D90 (Magic Lantern Guides) (DVD - 3 Feb 2009)
- Nikon D90: Focal Digital Camera Guides by Corey Hilz (Paperback - 16 Mar 2009)
- Magic Lantern Guides: Nikon D90 Multimedia Workshop by Lark Books (Hardcover - 7 Oct 2009)
- Nikon D90 by Michael Gradias (Hardcover - Nov 2008)
 
Cheers for the welcomes ...

I'm gonna scan read the D90 manual and keep it close to hand for times when I've run out of ideas or need to know something. I won't be learning it cover to cover though cos there is just too way much there for it to sink in !!!

Really like Ken Rockwell's site though, he seems very genuine and I like his ethos of not wasting money, after all a great camera won't take a great picture, a photographer will.
 
Strobe said:
Far better than Ken Rockwell's is the Thom Hogan guide. Get it here ... http://www.bythom.com/nikond90guide.htm Exchange rates aren't so good at the mo so it's expensive but it's a really excellent guide for the D90. The price includes an 800 page ebook on CD and a 128 page handy guide book which I keep in my cam bag.
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wow, 800 pages, that's alot of reading to do

does it come with full colour illustration?

shame it's not in a printed format
 
p1tse said:
wow, 800 pages, that's alot of reading to do

does it come with full colour illustration?

shame it's not in a printed format
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It is well worth the money, the handy guide also comes with a grey card on the rear as well.

It is more than just a guide to the D90, it covers a lot of basics as well. I was sceptical at first, but after I got the Mrs to buy me it for Xmas, it was defo worth it.
 
thanks
something to consider then.

how did you guys find out about it?
what was the final price with shipping?
 
I found about for it when I was scratching around for photography info and in particular the D90 as I had just made the jump from a bridge camera to my first DSLR.

It was a bit of a wait till it was available, I think mine arrived in January and it became available just after Xmas.
 
I think I might replace the 18-105mm kit lens I bought with my D90 as I now have:
a Sigma 10-20mm f/4-5.6 EX DC hopefully arriving here in the next few days
and a Nikon 35mm f/1.8 that I enjoy using.

What lenses are recommended for the 50-200mm ish range or should I just keep the 18-105mm? It would be nice to have something that zooms in a bit more than the 105mm.
 
p1tse said:
thanks
something to consider then.

how did you guys find out about it?
what was the final price with shipping?
Click to expand...

Thom Hogan is one of the most highly regarded commentaters on all things Nikon and he has been producing these books for years. He and his website, www.bythom.com, are well known.

My total payment back in July was $49.90 inc postage which came out at £31.17 and shipped from the US.

The Thom Hogan guide and Bryan Peterson's Understanding Exposure are the photography books which I would recommend to anyone stating out - both have served me well.
 
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Cliff.Barnes said:
I think I might replace the 18-105mm kit lens I bought with my D90 as I now have:
a Sigma 10-20mm f/4-5.6 EX DC hopefully arriving here in the next few days
and a Nikon 35mm f/1.8 that I enjoy using.

What lenses are recommended for the 50-200mm ish range or should I just keep the 18-105mm? It would be nice to have something that zooms in a bit more than the 105mm.
Click to expand...

I decided to keep my 18-105 as the additional lenses I bought had so much overlap that changing it would have been superfluous. My kit has the Tokina 12-24 for the wide end, the 35mm as a small fast prime, the 18-105 and the 70-300 VR. The 70-300 VR is a very good telephoto zoom, but the 55-200 VR is also well regarded and much cheaper. The 18-105 also makes a nice lightweight combo with the D90 if you're out and about and don;t want to lug everything around with you.
 
Greg K said:
Can anyone recommend some wireless triggers for my D90 and SB600? A friend has recommended some PT04's, while cheap I read they have trouble over 10m.

Then I found PocketWizards and RadioPoppers - certainly 3 steps up financially, not sure how much strobist work I'll be doing other than photographing the odd car and indoor portrait work.

Can anyone comment on these from experience? I'm looking for the usual strobist gear to go with these, some flash stands + swivel bracket mounts and a composite umbrella (this can double up as a softbox right?).
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i use Yongnuo CTR-301P triggers with no probs, better than PT04's in my view.
 
JDholic said:
I've had a weird one happen with my D90. Maybe someone else has as well.

It's only happened a couple of times, in 6 months that isn't bad.

It's basically when I try to hold down the top buttons and rotate the rear wheel, nothing happens. I switch the camera off and on again and they start to work.

Anyone else?? :)
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Exposure lock on ? :shrug:
 
Strobe said:
Thom Hogan is one of the most highly regarded commentaters on all things Nikon and he has been producing these books for years. He and his website, www.bythom.com, are well known.

My total payment back in July was $49.90 inc postage which came out at £31.17 and shipped from the US.

The Thom Hogan guide and Bryan Peterson's Understanding Exposure are the photography books which I would recommend to anyone stating out - both have served me well.
Click to expand...

don't suppose you fancy selling:
Thom Hogan guide and Bryan Peterson's Understanding Exposure ?
 
Cliff.Barnes said:
I think I might replace the 18-105mm kit lens I bought with my D90 as I now have:
a Sigma 10-20mm f/4-5.6 EX DC hopefully arriving here in the next few days
and a Nikon 35mm f/1.8 that I enjoy using.

What lenses are recommended for the 50-200mm ish range or should I just keep the 18-105mm? It would be nice to have something that zooms in a bit more than the 105mm.
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i'm still very impressed with the kit lens.
maybe it's becuase of the d90 body and ISO capabilities.

how about the 18-200vr? although alot more pricey and i think heavier?
 
any d90 owners tried the tamron 28-75 f2.8 non or motorised version on the d90, if so how does it compare to the kit lens?
 
I'll soon be joining the club, but it will have to be a second hand effort as I'm limited to a £550 budget. I'm assuming the 50mm that won't AF on my D60 will AF on my D90, as in the D90 has a motor in the body?

Been wanting one of these for ages, pretty much since I bought my D60, which I'll now use as a second body.

Philx1979 said:
i bought one today!!!!!! got it for £564, used my boss`s card so i didnt have to pay vat on it, sweeeeet!
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I'm assuming this wasn't new?? Where did you get it?
 
Still in the early days with my D90 & I'm trying the bracketing function.

Despite following the instructions, I seem to only get one image. I'm obviously doing something wrong - suggestions please.
 
andy tims said:
Still in the early days with my D90 & I'm trying the bracketing function.

Despite following the instructions, I seem to only get one image. I'm obviously doing something wrong - suggestions please.
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Set the bracketing order (Custom setting menu e6) to Under>MTR>over.

You have to take 3 seperate shots. The first will be under, next correct and last over.
 
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Dman said:
I'll soon be joining the club, but it will have to be a second hand effort as I'm limited to a £550 budget. I'm assuming the 50mm that won't AF on my D60 will AF on my D90, as in the D90 has a motor in the body?

Been wanting one of these for ages, pretty much since I bought my D60, which I'll now use as a second body.

Philx1979 said:
i bought one today!!!!!! got it for £564, used my boss`s card so i didnt have to pay vat on it, sweeeeet!
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I'm assuming this wasn't new?? Where did you get it?
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He said above that he got it VAT free, which works out at £649 inc VAT. You can get this price from Jessops. You can get 4% off Jessops using Quidco.

I don't know Philx's situation, but I infer from the glee at which he's got one over on the man by using "his boss's card" there's some tax fraud going on here. I'd rather pay the tax than break the law.

Philx, my apologies in advance if you are a VAT-registered business and using the camera solely for business purposes; however I fail to see why you would need to use someone else's card if you were.

Hope no-one from HMRC reads these forums.

In terms of D90 prices, I would recommend buying new from Jessops through Quidco. Then you get a web discount but are dealing with a bricks and mortar store which is invaluable if things go wrong.

Dman, I would recommend new @ £625 with 2 years warranty than unknown second hand with no warranty @ £550. Warranties are not transferable.
 
Another option is eBay, there's a power seller selling refurbished bodies for £539, only a 3 month guarantee but a good hundred pound saving, so I may go down that route. If I had £650 to spend I'd be better off paying another hundred or so and getting a used D300.
 
Dman said:
Another option is eBay, there's a power seller selling refurbished bodies for £539, only a 3 month guarantee but a good hundred pound saving, so I may go down that route. If I had £650 to spend I'd be better off paying another hundred or so and getting a used D300.
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personally i wouldn't buying a refurb body
but i would buy second hand and have done so

not sure if places like comet sell body only, but if they did i would rather pay an extra £100 and buy from there on a 0% finance deal which they do for 6 or 9 months.

you also get 24months warranty!
 
Dman said:
Another option is eBay, there's a power seller selling refurbished bodies for £539, only a 3 month guarantee but a good hundred pound saving, so I may go down that route. If I had £650 to spend I'd be better off paying another hundred or so and getting a used D300.
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Each to their own. It's the warranty issue that tips the balance for me. With a new camera you're guaranteed 2 years of photography, in a worst case scenario (the camera breaks after 2 years and 1 day) that's £312 per year. The refurb model gives you guaranteed 3 months photography. Worst case scenario £2156 per year. For me, a no-brainer.
 
martsharm said:
Each to their own. It's the warranty issue that tips the balance for me. With a new camera you're guaranteed 2 years of photography, in a worst case scenario (the camera breaks after 2 years and 1 day) that's £312 per year. The refurb model gives you guaranteed 3 months photography. Worst case scenario £2156 per year. For me, a no-brainer.
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True, but a second hand one at the same price gives me absolutely nothing.
 
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