D90 question

[roman_thorn1]

<p>For a long time I have been lusting for the D700. Current econmic trends now have me considering the D90 instead. Currently, I have the D300 but require a second body for when i shoot events. i'm also a prime shooter so not having to change lenses frequently would be great. anyway, I know compared to the D300 the 90 has some limitations but not so much regarding image quality. Infact, DXO mark shows that it actualy has a higher dynamic range and better ISO performance. Anyway, my concern has more to do with the AF accuracy and and 12 bitt vs 14. In real world applications, will I notice a difference? any first hand experiences would greatly be appreciated.</p>

[seismiccwave]

<p>No, you will not notice any difference. Yes I have first hand experience. Do you need me to expand on it or is that a good enough answer?</p>

[frankie_frank1]

<p>Hansen, it would be nice if you spend time to give us more detail.</p>

[elliot1]

<p>The D90 would be a perfect backup but I suggest getting a used D300 as your backup camera instead as the price difference between a new D90 and a used D300 is minimal (zero learning curve and you won't have to worry about button location and menu differences when switching from one camera to the other.</p>

<p>...AF accuracy... The D90's AF is extremley accurate but will not work as well as the D300 in adverse conditions ( low light without flash infrared assist or for fast action sports/moving subject that are moving toward or away from you. </p>

<p>12 bit vs 14... The differences are very small and almost impossible to see. Most computer monitors cannot even display the differences.</p>

<p>Overall IQ of the D90 is among the best I have seen for any Nikon camera including the D3 (all recent Nikon DSLR cameras deliver high quality images). High ISO performance is very good as well and appears to have a slight edge over the D300 but I would not buy the D90 over the D300 for this reason alone. The D300 has numerous features that make it a superior choice over the D90 for many.</p>

[mike_bisom]

<p>If you can afford a D300 as a 2nd camera, then get a D300. If not, get a D90. Obviously, you will know the layout of the D300 better: controls on the body of the camera instead of via the LCD or menu. Takes CF cards instead of SDHC cards. And so on. The 14-bit Raw will only really matter, IMHO, in recovering over-exposed highlights. If you find you are doing this frequently, then the 14-bit Raw will make a difference. For me, I don't like switching between these two bodies since the layout is fairly different.</p>

[seismiccwave]

<p>Frankie, if you look at my answer I did specifically ask the OP if he needed more details. I gave him the very simple factual answer that he will not notice the difference. If he wanted me to expand on my answer I will have to include a lot of my own opinion that he may or may not like or want.<br>

There are differences between the D90 and D300. The differences are in features of the camera and they are not going to affect image quality.<br>

The AF accuracy is precise on both camera. The feature difference is that if you have a lens/camera body combination that is a little off in focusing you can adjust the focus in the D300. There is no such feature in the D90. However assuming that both camera and lens combination has no focusing issue then the autofocus in both camera will work the same. There are some claims that the D300 has a faster AF but I have not personally timed the AF in either of my cameras. <br>

As far as the difference between 12 and 14 bit. I don't pay any attention to either. I don't believe I can tell the difference between the two images.<br>

So after all that the answer is still no the OP will not notice any difference in real world experience.<br>

Now before some one jumps on me about the focusing issues. There is no inherit focusing issues with the Nikon D90/D300 and/or any Nikon lens. However when a manufacturer makes a lens and/or camera body they will have a tolerance level in the autofocus. Say if the tolerance is plus two to minus two units. You get a camera body with a plus 2 focusing tolerance. Now you buy a lens and it has a minus 2 focusing tolerance. You then have a combination that is perfectly spot on in autofocus. However if you pick up another lens and it has a plus 2 focusing tolerance and you put that on your camera body. You will notice the combination will front focus just a little bit every time. Add to that if you are shooting wide open with a shallow depth of field. You may or may not be very happy with the AF in this case. So the D300 has the ability to dial in the focus fine tuning to make this combination tolerable again. However that is only if you blow the image up to poster size and/or pixel peep on the computer monitor. If you print out a 8 X 10 image you won't be able to tell the difference.<br>

Now I have said entirely too much.;-) </p>