Video capture in a digital SLR camera, it’s about time! YAHOO!!!! Congratulations, Nikon, for being the first manufacturer in the world to add 24 fps 1,280x720 pixel video to a D-SLR. Sure there are some limitations in the D90 compared to even a low-end video camera but just think of the possibilities—like shooting wildlife sequences with a 600mm f 4.0. Those of us who just dabble in video will now be able to repurpose still gear that has taken thousands of dollars and years to acquire for a new hobby.

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve talked to camera manufacturers about the need to incorporate video capture into the professional digital SLR. It was during the first phases of the war with Iraq that I realized how important it was to get video capability into the hands of professional still photographers—but not at the cost of burdening the photographer with two completely different camera systems. Video equipment is especially fragile—our video camera lasted three days before succumbing to the brutal Iraqi dust. Sorry, I was having a little flashback to my days at the Dallas Morning News.

My point is that given the number of embedded still photographers and the lack of video photographers, the war with Iraq was the perfect opportunity for still photographers to broaden our understanding of what was happening on the ground—if only they had the proper tools. Given the insatiable appetite for video on the Web, I’m sure the D90 is just a first step in getting the right tools into the hands of professionals.

That said, the D90 is not a professional camera. It’s a CMOS 12.3 megapixel, 4.5 fps, mid-range D-SLR that will sell for under $1,000.

Full tech specs unabashedly copied from the Nikon Web site after the jump; more photos too.

— Ken Geiger

• Newly designed Nikon DX-format CMOS image sensor with 12.3 effective megapixels and Integrated Dust Reduction System
• Incredibly low-noise performance throughout a wide sensitivity range of ISO 200 to 3200; can be set to ISO 6400 equivalent
• Incorporates Nikon's comprehensive digital image-processing EXPEED concept
• The world's first D-SLR movie function: D-Movie, selectable from 320 x 216 pixels, 640 x 424 pixels or 1,280 x 720 pixels in AVI format
• Scene Recognition System, utilizing 420-pixel RGB sensor, improves autofocus, auto exposure and auto white balance performance and is also integrated with the new Face Detection System
• Live View enables face priority AF with the 3-in., approx. 920k-dot, high-density color LCD featuring 170° ultra-wide viewing angle
• Picture Control System offers new Portrait and Landscape options for more vibrant customized colors
• Active D-Lighting for smooth tone reproduction in high-contrast lighting
• Multi-CAM 1000 autofocus sensor module featuring 11 AF points offers fast and precise autofocus coverage across the frame
• Viewfinder with approx. 96% frame coverage and an easy-to-view 19.5 mm eyepoint (at -1.0 m-1)
• Advanced Scene Modes that automatically adjust exposure, image processing, Active D-Lighting and Picture Control settings for superior image quality
• Extensive palette of in-camera Retouch Menus including several new retouch options such as Distortion Control, Straighten and Fisheye
• 4.5 fps continuous shooting and quick response of 0.15-second start-up and 65-ms shutter release time lag (CIPA standard)
• Built-in flash with 18mm lens coverage and Nikon's original i-TTL flash control that commands Advanced Wireless Lighting
• Highly efficient energy-saving design that allows approx. 850 images on a single charge of the Rechargeable Li-ion Battery EN-EL3e (CIPA standard, with AF-S DX NIKKOR 18-105mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR, with 50% of pictures taken with flash)
• Versatile Pictmotion menu that creates slideshows combining five choices of both background music and image effects
• Compatible with HDMI (High-Definition Multimedia Interface) output
• Optional Multi-Power Battery Pack MB-D80 extends shooting capability and enables use of six R6/AA-size batteries
• Included Nikon ViewNX software makes browsing and organizing your images easy
• Optional photo-editing software, Capture NX 2 allows users quick and easy photo editing

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