1st time DLSR owner D90

SXI - Matt

SXI - Matt

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Name
Matthew
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Hi guy's my first post & after doing abit of searching through probably one you get asked millions of times so I'll apologies now,

Decided to purchase my 1st DLSR and after visiting jessops in leicester and having a play with the cannon & nikon camera's ive decided to go for a nikon. Now i have set my sights on a D90 with stock 55-105mm VR Lens, i havent got certain type of photography i like so will be sport's, portraits ect and also some videoing

After going to a different jessops they talked me into a D3100, as the sales assistant said this would be better as he couldn't actually say what the extra £280 goes on on the D90 :bang: and the videoing is better, how ever im more interested in the photography side. I do think he was new or just trying to get a sale and didnt think i could afford to buy the D90 :| as jessops in leicester did say the D90 was alot better and worth buying for a good starting point?

So do i go for the D3100 with there twin lens deal or the D90 with the 18-105mm VR? Am i right in saying the D90 has built in AF were as the D3100 hasn't?
 
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Am i right in saying the D90 has built in AF were as the D3100 hasn't?
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Correct. The D90 has a built in AF drive motor for lenses that work with screw drive AF. The D3100 relies on the motor in later lenses to perform autofocus, and will only manually focus screw driven lenses. It all depends on what you're going to do with your kit. If you're likely to stick with a couple of zooms for several years then the D3100 might suffice, but if you fancy adding a few primes in the relatively near future then the D90 would be the better bet.
On an absolute basis though, the D90 is the better camera.
While deciding, also take a look at the Sony A580 and possibly the Pentax Kr which are available at a similar price point.
 
D90 all the way...

The D3100 is an entry level model, and although it's a good camera, you might find you out-grow it relatively quickly and hanker after something with better low light capability / higher FPS (frames per second) etc.

The D90 uses the same sensor as the D300, albeit with fewer AF points and no weather proofing, but I would consider it to be at or near the top of the consumer bodies.


Whatever your decision, make it wisely when considering systems (Nikon / Pentax / Sony etc) as it's extremely costly to change at a later date once you've committed yourself to a few expensive lenses ;)
 
Thank's for a swift response, now excuse my ignorance as I am new to this, does this mean i can purchase cheaper non built in focus len's as the D90 has it built in? I dont mean skimp and go dirt cheap i just mean i wouldnt have to buy the built in AF motor lens.

I do like the extra screen on top and the twin wheel on the grip, and am pretty sure i'll get into it as i learn new skills. Is the videoing quality still good on the D90 or is the D3100 miles ahead?
 
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SXI - Matt said:
Thank's for a swift response, now excuse my ignorance as I am new to this, does this mean i can purchase cheaper non built in focus len's as the D90 has it built in? I dont mean skimp and go dirt cheap i just mean i wouldnt have to buy the built in AF motor lens.
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Yes. This time last year I was considering the D90 or D5000 - being able to buy a cheaper 50mm f1.8 lens (which I knew I wanted) meant that the difference in price wasn't as much. I liked the top LCD screen and twin wheels as well.

Not sure what its like for video though as I never use it!
 
The D90 is manual focus only for video (and only 720p resolution), although the auto exposure works OK.

Don't know about the D3100 in terms of video though, sorry.
 
Regarding 'cheaper non-motorised AF lenses' It's not that simple. Many, but not all, Nikon lenses without internal AF drive are more expensive than those with it. The thing is, Nikon has been around for many years and its lens catalogue spans those years. The impetus from Nikon's point of view towards compliance towards entry level cameras without the AF motor is to produce cheaper lenses rather than more expensive ones. Therefore although the trend is towards producing in-built AF motor and inbuilt VR (image stabilisation) with new designs, there is still a large catalogue of high quality lenses without these capabilities.
As for video quality, you'll have to decide yourself how important that is. In your original post you said that it wasn't. If it is, then don't buy Nikon at all. Instead you might want to look at the Sony SLT-A55 which has far superior video capabilities.
 
I just worry about buying one or the other and making the wrong decision because I've skimped out or talked my self into the wrong one, the auto focus the D3100 offers for the videoing plus the 1080p HD is one feature attracting me to it, although the D90 actual photography side attracts me to that and to be fair ill be doing a bit of both but mainly photography

Arrrrggghhhh these decisions are so hard :lol:
 
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I've not used the D3100 but have a lot of experience with the D90. I think this boils down to video - if video is at all important I would emphasise that the D90 has the earliest DSLR video implementation so logic would suggest that the D3100, even though a lower spec body overall, has a more mature video implementation, although as others have said there are other choices if video is a consideration.

For plain photography though, the D90 is the one to go for - do not underestimate the usefulness of a larger body with more controls if you're in a situation where quick shooting and full control is required. In these circumstances the D90 would win hands down.

Still no definite answer for you - sorry!
 
amnesia said:
The D90 is manual focus only for video (and only 720p resolution), although the auto exposure works OK.

Don't know about the D3100 in terms of video though, sorry.
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That's not strictly correct. The D90 does AF in video mode but the focus doesn't track with the subject, if it moves.
 
The choice between D90 and D3100 is more than just their capabilities - they have different operating philosophies. The D3100 makes extensive use of the rear screen/menu combination to change settings, which is both slow and cumbersome. In contrast the D90 makes use of dedicated buttons and controls that you can use without taking your eye from the viewfinder - much quicker!

You have to decide which best suits your own way of working.

Hope that helps :-)
 
Bristolian said:
That's not strictly correct. The D90 does AF in video mode but the focus doesn't track with the subject, if it moves.
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I don't know what you mean by that statement. If it's not tracking focus then by definition it's not autofocussing!

Can it autofocus when recording video? No. So there's no video autofocus. It can autofocus when in Live View, which is the standby mode to recording video, but Live View can also be very useful for taking stills, it's not "Video Mode". And there's still no autofocus when recording video, it matters not what the subject is doing.
 
Have you handled both cameras? (apart from in store)
Is there anyone local to you who has either one and would be willing to let you play with it for an hour or so?


Personally I'd go for the d90, just for the motor :) never know when that could be handy..! - ebay older lenses as experiments

If you are buying new, ask in jessops whether they still have interest free credit and on how much/long. Bought my d300 from them on a 12month interest free, and as long as you clear it within those 12 months (ie month 11) then you don't pay the extra, but you get to play now.

As its your first dslr, the zoom lens is a good choice, as you can suppliment it 6-12 months in with more lenses. However, if you happen to have 170ukp ish free keep an eye out for the 35mm f1.8 as this would work really well on the d90. You might be able to find a used bargain.

Also pop to any local used camera stores to see what the prices of bodies/lens are. So you can tell what to save for next... if the bug bites :D


Good luck!
 
martsharm said:
I don't know what you mean by that statement. If it's not tracking focus then by definition it's not autofocussing!

Can it autofocus when recording video? No. So there's no video autofocus. It can autofocus when in Live View, which is the standby mode to recording video, but Live View can also be very useful for taking stills, it's not "Video Mode". And there's still no autofocus when recording video, it matters not what the subject is doing.
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What he said ^^^

Manual focus only when recording video ;)
 
martsharm said:
I don't know what you mean by that statement. If it's not tracking focus then by definition it's not autofocussing!

Can it autofocus when recording video? No. So there's no video autofocus. It can autofocus when in Live View, which is the standby mode to recording video, but Live View can also be very useful for taking stills, it's not "Video Mode". And there's still no autofocus when recording video, it matters not what the subject is doing.
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In video mode, aim at your subject and half depress the shutter release and the camera will focus on the subject - autofocus (by definition). If the subject subsequently moves then the camera will not refocus to keep the subject in focus. At this point it is not (as you say) AFing but it's still wrong to say it doesn't AF in video mode.

Just because LV is used as the entry point for video recording does not negate the fact that it AFs.
 
amnesia said:
What he said ^^^

Manual focus only when recording video ;)
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Once recording has started I agree with you but if you can get the D90 to record video before it focusses then maybe mine is broken :)
 
It would be better to say the d90 can't continually auto focus in video mode
 
For me the focus motor matter diddly-squat. The reason to get the D90, even if you aren't going to use all the extra buttons, is the better meter which will REALLY make a difference, even in Auto mode.
 
Thank's guys this is helping me loads i guess i just need to decide whether the video mode is an important factor for me or not. I have a friend who owns the D90 so might see if i can borrow his and a few lenses to see how i get on.

So you would say the 18-105 VR is a good stock lens to start with? Fairly confident it's going to be the D90 i think i should pop in to jessops and have a look at the ones with better videoing capabilities and see what i prefer
 
Nawty said:
For me the focus motor matter diddly-squat. The reason to get the D90, even if you aren't going to use all the extra buttons, is the better meter which will REALLY make a difference, even in Auto mode.
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What better meter?
 
I don't think either the D90 or the D3100 does particularly well when it comes to movies, so assuming you're going for one or the other, perhaps movies shouldn't feature too highly in your priorities. Just think of it as a 'nice to have' for the occasional clip.

The D3100 is a newer design than the D90 but it is more noticeably built to a price. You will probably have noticed the difference when handling them both. One thing to think about is that because the D90 has been around for a while, maybe you can pick up a second hand example.
 
dslr`s do photos well , but some can do video
video cameras do video well but can do photos

it is going to take a long time for the perfect combo to arrive that is to say the dslr that can AF video or the video camera that can match dslr`s for taking photos.

i personally got my dslr for photos , if i want to video something i would use a video Camera

i would go with the d90 personally
Cheers Steve
 
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it is going to take a long time for the perfect combo to arrive that is to say the dslr that can AF video
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Less time than you think:

http://www.dpreview.com/previews/sonyslta77/

This is not to say that this particular solution is perfect, but it can AF video, and keep up with moving targets. But I agree with you, Steve. Given that the OP wants a Nikon, the D90 is IMO the better choice.
 
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