dSLR Dad

Digital Photography Review has also published their review of the 720p HD Nikon D300s dSLR:

The Nikon D300 made quite an impact when it was first launched – enough to prompt us to conclude: ‘There’s simply no better semi-professional digital SLR on the market.’ And, in many respects, it is still the camera to beat in that class – nearly two years later and it is still able to command essentially the same price as at launch (though the strong Yen has pushed all prices up). And this success appears to have left Nikon unsure how to improve on its APS-C flagship.

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Photography Blog has published their camera test review of the 720p HD-shooting Nikon D5000:

The Nikon D5000 is a successful crossbreed of the D90 and the D60. The new DSLR combines the imaging assembly, AF module, Live View and HD video recording capabilities of the former with the beginner-friendly infopanel-based operation of the latter, in a form factor that lies somewhere in the middle between the two.

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Popular Photography Magazine has published their review of the Nikon D5000 dSLR Camera:

What’s Hot:
Flip-down, swiveling LCD.
Speedy autofocus. 4-frame-per-second bursts.

What’s Not:
Noisy at ISO 3200 and 6400.
Only one command wheel.
No wireless flash control via pop-up unit.

Who’s This For?

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Imaging Resource has published their camera test review of the 720p HD-shooting Nikon D5000 dSLR:

Though it stands out as an oddity in naming terms when compared to the other Nikon digital SLRs in the line, the Nikon D5000 is best described as a lower-cost D90 in a D60 body, with a smaller set of available autofocus lenses. There are a few usability issues related to the articulating LCD and autofocus in Live view mode, and the D-Movie mode won’t serve to replace the basic consumer camcorder, but as I’ve said of the Canon T1i, these things don’t make or break the Nikon D5000. What clearly makes the Nikon D5000 great is its excellent overall performance as a still camera, and its excellent image quality…

You can read the entire review at Imaging Resource. You can find more dSLR Dad articles on the Nikon D5000 here.

Photography Blog has published their camera test review of the Nikon D3000 dSLR:

As with the Nikon range topping D3x, with the D3000 at the very opposite end of the scale, its manufacturer is again providing the photographer (fledgling in this case) with their own virtual ‘wingman’, delivering essential aid whilst leaving them to get on with the business of taking photos.

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It’s been quite a Summer for Nikonian dSLR Dads. First came the D5000, then the D300s, and now the youngest kid in the Nikon lineup, the 10.2-Megapixel D3000 dSLR Camera.  It may not record HD video, but as a replacement for the entry-level D40 and D60 it still has quite a few highlights:

• 10.2-Megapixel (3,872 x 2,592 pixels) DX-format 23.6 x 15.8mm CCD sensor.
• ISO sensitivity range from ISO100 to 1600 plus an ISO3200 expansion (for emergency purposes only)
• 11-point Multi-CAM1000 autofocus module. A nice upgrade over the D60.
• 3 frame-per-second continuous shooting of 12-bit NEF (RAW) files
• Images are saved to SD/SDHC cards
• 3-Inch, 230,000-pixel LCD screen
• 420 pixel RGB sensor 3D Color Matrix Metering II with a Scene Recognition System
• Nikon Guide Mode – Intuitive controls and the on-board Guide Mode assist you every step of the way. Think of it as a manual in the camera. For more detailed information, download the manual from the recourses section below.
• Active D-Lighting – for complete control over highlight and shadow detail.
• Six Picture Control modes: Standard, Vivid, Landscape, Portrait, Neutral, and Monochrome
• Nikon’s most compact dSLR at 5.0 x  3.8 x 2.5-inches (126 x 94 64mm W/H/D).

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Nikonian dSLR Dads have a little extra spring in their step today. Nikon has introduced the D300s dSLR Camera. Taking what was already a great camera:

• 12.3-Megapixel APS DX-format (23.6 x 15.8 mm) CMOS image sensor. Photo resolution will be 4288 x 2848 pixels.
• 3-inch, 920,000 pixel LCD monitor
• 51-point MultiCAM3500FX Autofocus System (same as Nikon D3, D3x, and D700).
• 16-bit EXPEED image processing with 12 or 14 bit A/D conversion.
• extended ISO range of 100-6400.
• Active D-Lighting for complete control over highlight and shadow detail.
• HDMI video output. Although it’s now a smaller Type C port.

Nikon went ahead and added some additional features to make it better:

• 720p High-Definition video recording at a cinema-friendly 24 frames-per-second. Maximum recording length of 5-minutes.
• Motion JPEG encoding – which is a shame. Nikon really should have upgrade their processing engine to handle h.264.
• Built-in 16 bit/11.025kHz mono mic.
• External stereo sound input will capture 16 bit/44.100kHz stereo audio. A must for any dSLR Dad who also shoots with a AF-S VR lens. Even those silent waves come up loud and clear on an onboard microphone. It will capture 16 bit/44.100kHz stereo audio.
• Dual Memory Card slots – Compact Flash and SD/SDHC, living in harmony. Configuration logic is similar to the D3.
• Continuous shooting of a fantastic Seven images-per-second or Eight with the optional Multi-Power Battery Pack MB-D10. Unfortunately, 14-bit RAW frames are still limited to a slow 2.5 fps. At this price, a dSLR Dad shouldn’t have to choose.

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Camera Labs has published their review of the Nikon D5000 dSLR Camera:

By inheriting the D90’s sensor and processing pipeline, the D5000 boasts two major benefits over its predecessor which bring it bang up-to-date: Live View and HD video recording. Making Live View more useful than any Nikon DSLR to date though is the inclusion of a fully-articulated monitor on the rear. Interestingly, this is hinged not at the side, but the bottom, but still allows for a great deal of flexibility when composing in Live View and filming movies.

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Neutral Day has published their review of the Nikon D90 dSLR Camera:

The Nikon D90 is the successor to the very popular and very capable D80, and currently occupies the prosumer niche for Nikon. At about $1000 for the camera body only, the Nikon D90 offers consumers a 12.3 megapixel sensor, an ISO range of 100-6400 (including boost), a 3 inch display with 920k resolution, and a frame rate of 4.5 fps. Additionally, as most of you will remember, the Nikon D90 was the first DSLR to start the now pervasive trend of high definition video in a DSLR camera. For the D90, this meant 720p HD video at 24 fps with mono sound in up to 5 minute clips (for HD). In short, the Nikon D90 offers quite a bit of the performance of the professional level Nikon D300, plus HD video, but in smaller size and with less impact on the wallet. As a previous owner of the Nikon D80, I was more than curious how far things had come with the D90. As it turns out, Nikon sent a D90 kit for me to test, bundled with the AF-S Nikkor 18-105mm lens, and after nearly a month of frequent use (make that non-stop use), I’m ready to share my thoughts in our review of the Nikon D90 digital SLR camera.

You can read the entire D90 review over at Neutral Day.

Digital Photography Review has published another 34-page epic dSLR review, this time focusing on the 720p HD-shooting Nikon D5000:

The recent boom in DSLR sales has seen all the major manufacturers adding bulked-up or stripped-down entry level models, repositioning their offerings to make sure that anyone willing to put up with the size and weight of a DSLR will look at one of their models. The whole thing has often left existing DSLR owners a little lost – ‘why isn’t there a direct replacement for my camera?’ – but has undoubtedly meant there are many more attractive, accessible cameras on the market just waiting to entice first-time DSLR owners.

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