Shooting with a digital SLR has always meant you had to carry a second camera, usually a point-and-shoot, because one thing that SDLRs have always lacked is video capability. But that's changed with Nikon's introduction of the D90 in August.

The D90 is the first consumer digital SLR to have video capabilities. (Canon has also announced a DSLR that can take videos, but it is one of its high-end cameras, well out of the price range of most non-professionals.) Video capabilities, along with other innovative features, are propelling the D90 to popularity among first-time DSLR owners and DSLR veterans alike.

High Image Quality, Low Noise

The video that a D90 takes is different than that you would get from a consumer video camera. The sensor on the D90 is much larger than that in most video cameras, so you get very high image quality and very low noise. You have the option of shooting in HD720p (1,280 x 720 pixels), 640 x 424 pixels or 320 x 216 pixels in MPEG format.

The variety of looks you can get with different lenses, such as from fisheye to long zoom also sets the D90's video apart. Unlike with traditional video cameras, you can stop down the aperture to get narrow depths of field. Watch this video for a demonstration of this capability.

What Works

This camera has many improvements over previous Nikon cameras and is ahead of the curve in the DSLR market in general. With many of the improvements introduced with the more expensive D3 and D300, but a lighter body and improved ergonomics, this camera is getting a lot of attention. At 12.3 megapixels the D90 has the same sensor as the D300, and many reviewers have reported that it has even better image quality. The 3-inch, high-resolution screen makes the camera a pleasure to view images on, and the live-view mode lets you compose your shots on the screen, rather than through the viewfinder only. Features you probably won't use as much are face-recognition auto focus, which can track up to five faces at a time, and in-camera editing.

How It's Different

The D90 does not behave like a typical video camera. It does not autofocus while you are shooting, so you'll need to focus manually and probably plan out your shots in advance a little more. It's not ideal for fast moving action, like sports games, because chances are you can't focus fast enough to track the movement.

Worth Buying?

With the features and ease of use it offers, the D90 is reasonably priced at $999, and you can save some money on a lens if you buy a bundled package. Overall the D90 is a very good DSLR with the added capability of video, which will open new doors of creativity for photographers used to shooting only still images.

A few images shot with the D90

true red by ientu on Flickr

KL Bird Park by chee.hong on Flickr

Stockhold by night by ientu on Flickr ientu

In celebration of my grandmother’s 82nd birthday in September, my mom and I flew to Michigan to take her on a multigenerational road trip. We started in Holland, Mich., and headed north, toward the Upper Peninsula. Some of the places we stopped were Traverse City, Petoskey and Mackinac Island. Below are several pictures from our travels.

On the first day of our trip we stopped in Traverse City and wandered around downtown, shopping, having lunch and coffee. We were lucky to get a beautiful day. (Read more about Traverse City and its festivals.) That evening we arrived in Petoskey, a city famous for the fossilized coral you can find on the beaches there. After we checked into our hotel we immediately headed to the beach to find our own Petoskey stones. My grandma was the first to find one, and it was the biggest one any of us found all day!

The second day we headed north and crossed the famous Mackinac Bridge, arriving in St. Ignace. It didn’t take us long to find a ferry to Mackinac Island, and we had a beautiful trip over. The Grand Hotel on the island was visible long before we arrived. Our first stop once we were on the island was, of course, at one of the famous fudge shops. Despite supposedly being mature adults, we had a hard time resisting buying a ton of fudge, but we justified it by promising ourselves we would share!

There are many beautiful places on the island to sit and relax. We headed to some picnic benches on the shore and tried each kind of fudge we had bought. Simple chocolate walnut was my favorite. Mackinac Island is completely free of cars of any kind, so the main ways of getting around are by horse and carriage, or bicycle. There are great sights to see around the island, like the Arch Rock, a short climb up a trail from the bike path. (Read more in our Mackinac Island article.)

It didn’t take much convincing to get my grandma to get on a bike and embark on the bike trail circling the perimeter of the island. I hope I’m as active on my 82nd birthday!

Our last stop before heading home was at the Indian Village, a kitchy touristy spot that my mom remembered from when she was a child. Naturally we had to pose behind the silly sign!