How long can d90 record

The movie will record the noise of the zoom ring to an extent, depending on which lens you're using and how fast you zoom, but it's still pretty impressive. Of course, one of the big advantages of being able to record movies with a Nikon SLR is that you have the full spectrum of Nikon lenses available to you, ranging from ultrawide angle and fisheye lenses all the way to ultra telephotos.

You can also obviously use special lenses like the new LensBaby Composer for special effects. While the D90's video is more oriented toward the making of quick "video snapshots," we can imagine some pros using it just to be able to incorporate special effects like the LensBaby look into their productions.

This produces reasonably smooth motion, but we found that rapidly moving subjects close to the camera could look a little jumpy: The same as they do at your local cinema. On the other hand, if you've recently been using a digicam with 30 fps capture, you may find the D90's video a little jumpy. Once again, this probably isn't critical for "snapshot" videos, but another indication why the D90 really isn't a substitute for a dedicated camcorder. Focusing Prior to recording, you can let the camera set focus via one of two ways: First, you could half-press the shutter button before switching to Live View mode.

This will use the camera's normal autofocus system, which is quite fast. Alternately, most people will probably switch to Live View mode and do their initial framing before half-pressing the shutter button. This uses the D90's contrast-detect focusing mode, which is rather slow: Expect it to take two or three seconds, longer if it has to move the lens elements a lot.

The lack of autofocus during movie recording with the Nikon D90 is something that may give many potential owners pause, as focus is so critical in still photography and dealing with moving subjects would seem to make it even more so. In practice, we were surprised to find it not nearly the issue we expected it to be. This may be because the lower resolution in video mode greatly increases the effective depth of field: Subjects that would be well out of focus when shot at the D90's maximum still-image resolution of 12 megapixels often looked just fine when viewed at even the maximum video resolution of 1, x Lower resolutions only increase this effect.

And it's not just the resolution, either, the video compression introduces quite a bit of softness on a frame-by-frame basis, further masking softness due to defocusing. Still, the Nikon D90's manual-only focusing in movie mode means that a whole new generation of non-professionals will now learn what it means to "pull focus" while recording movies, as the point of interest move from one subject to another, or if the subject moves significantly closer to or further from the camera during a segment.

But millions of Nikon D90 owners will be able to try a technique that few camcorder owners can. In our own admittedly limited playing with the Nikon D90's video recording, we found that pulling focus during a recording was a skill that required some learning, particularly if there were things going on in the scene that needed paying attention to. If we knew the approximate locations where the subject would be at the start and end of a clip think of a video of a Little Leaguer sliding into home , we could check the corresponding positions of the focus ring and then try to repeat them while the action was taking place.

This was a little hard to do with only a ring to grab onto, as the tactile reference for the different focus positions was pretty weak; a lever would have made the starting and stopping positions much more evident and easier to remember. As more SLRs capable of video recording get out into the market Canon recently announced the EOS-5D Mark II, which also offers HD-resolution video recording , we suspect we'll aftermarket gadgets will appear that will let you temporarily attach a lever of some sort to lens focus rings, for just this purpose.

If you don't know in advance how the subject is going to move, you can try to judge focus from the image on the D90's rear-panel LCD and adjust accordingly. The exceptional resolution and sharpness of the LCD makes this more practical than it might sound.

Once again, some practice and inherently good reflexes are required, but given enough practice, it could work reasonably well. Exposure While not documented, it turns out you can control the aperture used for movies by selecting Aperture Priority or Manual exposure mode prior to entering Live View mode. This is a wide range of presets and it definitely outdoes consumer camcorders everywhere.

Unfortunately, the same cannot be said about the camera's video mode. The D90 has too many peculiar manual control quirks—making the entire process of recording video a trial-and-error spectacle.

The D90 has four manual control settings: aperture-priority, shutter-priority, program mode, and manual mode. Aperture-priority allows you to choose the aperture setting, while the camera automatically selects a corresponding shutter speed. Shutter-priority is the same concept, but instead allows for shutter speed adjustment and the camera automatically chooses an aperture setting.

Program mode allows you to select different combinations of shutter speed and aperture together. Manual mode is fully manual and allows you to make all the aperture and shutter speed adjustments yourself. Shutter speed is controlled by a similar dial on the back side of the camera, where the thumb of your right hand rests. Nikon did an excellent job making these dials and buttons easily accessible and comfortable to use.

The main problem with the D90's manual controls is how so few of them can be manipulated while recording is taking place. Shutter speed, aperture, and ISO all must be adjusted before you begin recording, making only zoom, focus, and exposure adjustment the only available controls while the camera is capturing video. To further complicate things, you must exit live view mode in order to make adjustments to aperture, ISO, and shutter speed.

What is most frustrating about this is the fact that you can still make changes to the settings while in live view mode, but you must exit and reenter the mode in order for those changes to take effect.

This can make you think you are adjusting the aperture or shutter speed as the camera will display number changes on the LCD and in the info box , while no changes have actually taken place. In live view mode, even with the camera in a fully manual setting, the D90 will still continue to make automatic exposure adjustments without registering any change in aperture, shutter speed, or ISO. This means you can setup the exact aperture and shutter speed you desire, only to have the entire exposure change when you point the camera to a darker or brighter light source.

Holding this button maintains a desired exposure no matter how much the lighting within the frame changes. While we were able to produce some interesting effects this way, it was clearly too much of a roundabout measure just to get exposure adjustment under control. Many times, numerous manual features don't seem to produce any different results, even though the camera says they're being adjusted. This adds to the confusion of certain settings not being able to adjust during recording or while live view mode is engaged.

Really the only way to see if your changes are having any effect is through trial-and-error. Each are outfitted with a lens ring that allows for smooth adjustment of numerous settings focus, zoom, white balance, shutter speed, aperture, and gain. Camcorders are generally noted for having a zoom toggle, dial, or switch, usually manipulated by the right index finger or thumb.

Being a digital SLR, the D90 instead utilizes a conventional zoom ring around its lens. Because of this, zooming on the D90 is entirely dependent on what lens you have attached to the camera.

The kit lens we used was classified as a standard zoom lens and the zoom level was manipulated by rotating the gripped, outer ring of the lens. By not using a motor, the zoom ring gives you complete control over the amount of magnification you desire. Numbers at the top of the lens, ranging from mm, give you good anchor points if you want to replicate shots and zoom lengths.

There are problems with not using a motorized zoom toggle. While nearly all camcorders are designed to be wielded with the force of one sturdy hand, the D90 requires two hands if you want to zoom or focus for that matter.

Manipulating the zoom ring is also extremely noisy and it forces your left hand right up next to the tiny microphone on the camera's front side. Performing any extensive zooming during recording will result in scratchy, rough audio that is ultimately garbage.

It should also be mentioned, there is a cheap feel to the kit lens on the D The focus ring feels too loose, which makes focus adjustments more difficult than they should be. A variety of different zoom lenses are available and compatible with the Nikon D The focus ring on the kit lens could be a little smoother.

It feels a little loose and it makes far too much noise the internal microphone will pick up any focus adjustments made during recording. The ring is capable of making very precise, finely tuned, adjustments and it is positioned well.

Unless the D90 is on a tripod, two hands are required to use the D90 as the left hand works the focus and zoom ring as well as providing extra balance. Manual focus on the D90 also provides one of the tremendous benefits of the camera. Because of the large lens, the variety of aperture settings, and the finely-tuned manual focus system, the D90 is able to produce a tremendously shallow depth of field—the likes of which have never been duplicated in the consumer camcorder market.

The D90 is capable of producing remarkable shifts between foreground and background objects. In live view mode, the D90 has a focus assist feature to help you sharpen the image. Pressing the QUAL button also labeled with a magnifying glass digitally zooms into the image on the LCD, allowing you to then focus on this blown up picture.

Pressing the ISO button above also labeled with a magnifying glass , zooms back out to normal view. This focus assist is good if you want to make sure you get a crisp image of a specific object in the frame, like when filming an insect on a flower or a person laying in a field. Manual focus is always available in any mode setting even if the autofocus button on the left side of the camera is engaged. Exposure and aperture are both adjustable on the Nikon D Exposure adjustment is the easiest, as it is one of the few features along with focus and zoom that you can actually manipulate while live view mode is engaged.

While holding this button down with your index finder, you can adjust the exposure by rotating the command dial on the back of the camera where your thumb rests this is the same dial that normally adjusts shutter speed.

Exposure can be adjusted in any of the manual settings manual, aperture-priority, shutter-priority, and program mode , but not in any of the automatic control modes. Even with exposure adjustment implemented, the camera will still continue to automatically adjust to different exposures unless you press the auto exposure lock button. Aperture is also adjustable, but it is a far more convoluted process.

Aperture-priority and manual mode both give full control over aperture, while program mode allows you to select from a set of aperture and shutter speeds together. Changing the aperture does alter your video, often providing assistance in low light and making a difference with depth of field.

Aperture cannot be changed while recording is taking place even though the numbers appear to change on the LCD , as the alterations will not take place until you exit and reenter live view mode. Despite this wide range of choices, it is unclear how many of them actually affect video footage. In our testing, many of the apertures appeared to do nothing to alter picture quality, which seems to suggest that only a few settings work with video at all.

Also, the camera will continue to change exposure levels throughout filming, regardless of what your aperture settings are unless you utilize the auto exposure-lock feature. As with aperture, there are a wide range of shutter speed controls. In video mode, however, changing shutter speeds doesn't do anything to the quality or look of the recorded image. Even though the camera says the shutter is being adjusted, through our extensive testing we didn't notice any effect.

The Nikon D90 received a score of zero for shutter speed because of it's ineffectiveness working with video. Besides the variety of white balance presets, the D90 has a manual preset option. It works by having you take a picture of a white card or object and then balancing the colors based on that image.

The camera allows for storage for 5 different preset white balance images and they can be accessed via the white balance selection under the Shooting menu. After holding down for about two seconds, the letters 'Pre' will start blinking in the display box on the top of the camera. Now you can take a still photograph of whatever it is you want to white balance your image to. This process does not work in live view mode, but the setting will remain once you enter into the mode.

Manual white balance is only available in the four manual modes and is not available in auto mode or any of the specific scene modes. Unfortunately, even with the wide range of ISO settings, the results are similar to what we saw with shutter speed. Settings can be adjusted and changed, but they don't seem to have an effect in video mode especially since the camera automatically adjusts ISO settings while recording. The ISO settings can, however, work wonders when taking still photos. There are 13 regular ISO settings ranging from , as well as three Lo and three Hi settings for extra sensitivity control.

The D90 also has settings for high ISO noise reduction and long exposure noise reduction. In the world of camcorders, Panasonic is the only manufacturer that offers gain control on its consumer models.

Other Manual Controls 2. There are also nine user-customizable settings that allow you to manipulate your own picture controls. The adjustable controls include sharpening, contrast, brightness, saturation, hue, and quick adjust as well as color tint with monochrome. These settings give you a good deal of control over your image and they do work with video footage. With grid lines on, a set of three horizontal and three vertical lines will be displayed when you look through the viewfinder.

Grid lines are also available on the LCD in live view mode by pressing the info button next to the lower left corner of the screen. The lines will not appear in your final shot and are only for framing purposes. Being a dedicated still camera, the Nikon D90 obviously has more still features than video functions. We'll give you an overview of the different options and settings, but for an in-depth review visit our sister site Digitalcamerainfo.

The D90 offers control over ISO, shutter speed, aperture, white balance, exposure adjustment, focus, zoom, and a variety of picture controls.

Everything the camera can do with video it can do with stills only with stills there is far more freedom and control. Stills can also be captured in three sizes—Large x ; An internal flash pops up out of the top of the D90 if you press the flash button on the left side of the camera at the very top or if you are in an automatic mode and the camera detects a flash is required. The D90 also has an extensive Retouch Menu accessible by pressing the menu button on the left side of the LCD screen, then selecting the Retouch Menu tab.

The Menu has many options for giving your photographs a desired look after you've already taken the picture. Retouch options include: D-Lighting effects, red-eye correction, trim, monochrome, filter effects, small picture, image overlay, NEF RAW processing, quick retouch, straighten, distortion control, and fisheye. While these adjustments and effects are readily available with any decent photo editing software, it's a useful addition if you want to quickly retouch images without a computer.

The Retouch Menu features are not available for videos. We then run these stills through Imatest imaging software to analyze color accuracy, noise levels, and saturation. We photographed the chart under a number of different exposure settings and picked the best results.

The D90 produced a color error of 6. The D90 earned a saturation of This is quite an interesting result, suggesting many camcorders and digital cameras reproduce colors in a similar manner. The Nikon D90 did fairly well with noise, tallying an approximate measurement of 0.

All these tests were performed with the camera in auto mode, and under our lights the camera went with a ISO setting. Note: Because Camcorderinfo. We tested the still resolution of the Nikon D90 by photographing an ISO resolution chart under a consistent, bright light. We then send these images through Imatest imaging software and analyze the results.

These results are far better than every consumer camcorder on the market, which makes sense. Digital SLRs are designed to take photographs at very high resolutions, whereas camcorders are not. In short, there's really no easy way to use the Nikon D90 as a video recorder—professionals will be frustrated by the oddities behind the manual controls, and beginners will be lost without an autofocus feature.

The confusing nature involved with adjusting shutter speed, ISO, and aperture settings in video mode make the camera almost impossible to get the hang of. Instead of giving complete control over all these features, Nikon provides a mix of some manual control and some automatic control—often leaving the user wondering what settings they're actually adjusting. Even professional videographers will be left scratching their heads. As far as being able to pick up the D90 and just start shooting To get truly amazing footage you'll have to master the art of 'pulling focus' manually focusing during recording , play around with different exposure and aperture settings, and learn how to use the auto exposure-lock feature.

Also, it would probably be a good idea to know where your subjects are going to move within the frame and if any changes in light will occur during recording. Oh, and you'll definitely want a good tripod handy if you plan on spending any extensive amount of time recording anything with the D It's a heavy camera, it requires two hands to control, and your footage will come out too wobbly if you shoot handheld all day long. If you'll be using the D90 to take photographs, you can sleep well knowing it's a well-designed machine with a sturdy body that is easily wielded with two hands.

The large right-hand grip is easy to take hold of, and the textured coating that makes its way around the D90's body does a decent job helping your hands maintain a tight clasp. Most importantly, the position of the shutter button and command dials are all well placed for taking photographs. The rubber eye-piece surrounding the viewfinder and the plastic shield covering the LCD both help keep the camera in good condition and maintain ideal viewing ability.

Overall, the D90 handles well as a still camera. Using the D90 to record video, however, is a completely different story. Compared to consumer camcorders it's a handling nightmare. The camera requires two hands to control one to hold and the other to focus or zoom , it has no wrist strap for added support, it's heavy and bulky, and the LCD screen can't move, rotate, or swivel.

While it works well for snapping photographs, the standard, boxy shape of an SLR really isn't conducive to recording video. It's simply difficult to move the camera around smoothly through space, which is generally what you do when recording movies.

A tripod is generally necessary if you plan on doing extensive video recording with the D90—especially if you expect to pan or move the camera around repeatedly. While the LCD is large and has a wonderful resolution, it's stationary position really hurts the handling.

Often, it produces an odd viewing angle and it just doesn't help if you're trying to film anything above eye-level. Working with a stationary LCD screen quickly reminds you how beneficial a simple swivel-joint can be. Also adding to the problem is the strong reflectivity of the screen. While most camcorders have a soft, matte finish on the LCD in order to increase viewing ability under bright sunlight, the D90's screen has a glossy, reflective surface that can produce blinding glare under certain conditions.

The positioning of buttons on the D90 was obviously designed with photography in mind. Gripping the camera normally, your right index finger and thumb fall naturally on the shutter button and command dials respectively.

Unfortunately, it's the small OK button to the right of the LCD screen that is used to start and stop recording, and not the shutter button at the top of the camera. Pressing the OK button requires you to move your thumb from it's comfortable resting place and severely weaken your grip on the camera itself—adding another reason why the camera is nearly impossible to use with one hand. The large neck strap supplied with the Nikon D90 is nothing special, but it's still an excellent addition.

It's best use is as a safety measure around the neck and as a way to carry the camera over the shoulder. One positive aspect of the D90's handling is the incredible ability of the vibration reduction feature on the kit lens.

With the feature turned on, it is possible to record steady images with the D90 although your hands will tire eventually. Tamron mm F2. Panasonic S 35mm F1. DJI Mavic 3 Cine sample gallery. Nikon Z9 pre-production sample gallery. See more galleries ». Latest in-depth reviews. Read more reviews ». Latest buying guides. Best video cameras for photographers in Best cameras for Instagram in Best drones in Best cameras for vlogging in Check out more buying guides ».

Nikon Z9 initial review. Sony a7 IV initial review. Nikon Nikkor Z mm F2. Sigma mm F Discover more challenges ». Nikon Z9 4. Popular interchangable lens cameras ». Popular compact cameras ». Shedding some light on the sources of noise. Mobile site. Reproduction in whole or part in any form or medium without specific written permission is prohibited. Threaded view. Nikon D review Jan 14, Irridescent forks by microsurgeon from Cutlery.