D90 lifecycle?

M38A1 · October 13, 2009

I see the D40 line and now the D60 line has been discontinued. Does anyone have insight/thought as to the lifecycle of the D90 platform? I'm toying around with an upgrade from the D40x to the D90, and I see a recent price drop overnight at an established on-line retailer. That combined with the phase-out of the D40/60 got me wondering...

Thoughts?

Thx-

Ekaj · October 13, 2009

Who cares?

If you like the camera, get one.

If you want to wait for the next big thing, you may as well never buy another camera, because there is always something "better" right around the corner.

nxthree · October 13, 2009

Nikon's consumer/prosumer products typically fall into a 2 year lifecycle. The D90 was released in August of 2008. I'd guess Nikon won't replace the D90 until August of 2010 at the earliest.

cab.in.boston · October 13, 2009

M38A1 wrote:

I see the D40 line and now the D60 line has been discontinued. Does anyone have insight/thought as to the lifecycle of the D90 platform? I'm toying around with an upgrade from the D40x to the D90, and I see a recent price drop overnight at an established on-line retailer. That combined with the phase-out of the D40/60 got me wondering...

Thoughts?

Thx-

Thom Hogan predicts/estimates a D90 replacement in fall of 2010. I would agree with Ekaj, though. If you like the D90 (and I love mine), go for it. I bought mine in March, the price subsequently went up for a few months, and now it has come down to about $70 less than I paid. There's not much about this camera that I would want to change (granted, it's my first DSLR and I don't have any experience shooting with other bodies). In fact, I'm considering buying another one so my wife and I can each have our own. I'll probably either do that or save my pennies for a D300/300s, although I don't really think my needs justify a body of that caliber. Maybe when the D300s replacement comes out I'll snag a used D300s off of somebody who upgrades.

ziggy53 · October 13, 2009

M38A1 wrote:

I see the D40 line and now the D60 line has been discontinued. Does anyone have insight/thought as to the lifecycle of the D90 platform? I'm toying around with an upgrade from the D40x to the D90, and I see a recent price drop overnight at an established on-line retailer. That combined with the phase-out of the D40/60 got me wondering...

Thoughts?

Thx-

M38A1, welcome to the Digital Grin.

I agree with the others. If the Nikon D90 meets your needs, it is a very good camera and I would not consider it obsoleted for some time. I always recommend that people buy what they need, when they need it.

If it is just a "wish" or a "whim", then certainly waiting won't hurt.

AlbertZeroK · October 13, 2009

And if you wait, you will pay a premium, one of the reasons I didn't buy a 7D. I can buy a refurbished 50d for $300 less than MSRP, but there are NO deals on the 7D right now.

M38A1 · October 13, 2009

Thanks for the welcome and input. I really appreciate the comments.

I've been shooting the D40x for 18 months or so and am pleased with what I've been able to learn and apply. Yet the D90 does have a few logical upgrades I've been wanting, so that makes sense to me to consider a move in that direction. I believe the 300s is way more camera than I'm ready for at this point of my digital experiences.

Again, thanks.

cab.in.boston · October 13, 2009

M38A1 wrote:

... I believe the 300s is way more camera than I'm ready for at this point of my digital experiences.

Again, thanks.

I find this interesting, as I have recently been looking at the specs of these two bodies. (My D90 is at Nikon Repair right now, and I'm going slightly nuts.)

I note that the D300s is a little more than 2x the cost of the D90 at this time, and I've been wondering what you get for the extra money. As far as I can tell, the main differences are:

7 vs. 4.5 fps continuous
1/8000 vs. 1/4000 max shutter speed
1005 vs. 420 pixel RGB matrix metering
bracketing up to 9 shots vs. 3
51 vs. 11 autofocus points
better flash sync speed
better weather protection
uncompressed RAW output & TIFF outputs
CF as well as SD/SDHC cards

I've heard that the sensor may or may not be the exact same part, I don't know the truth. It seems silly for it not to be the same sensor, but Nikon does list the two cameras with different numbers of total pixels.

Video capabilities seem just about the same except D300s has input for stereo sound. (I don't personally care much for or about video on my DSLR, but I realize some people like it.)

So clearly the D300s is better in a lot of ways, is just as clearly aimed more at the pro rather than enthusiast, and naturally I have camera lust for it. I just wonder, how good do you have to be before you can really take advantage of these differences? And for those of us who aren't that good (yet), are the differences worth more than 2x the cost? I know that question can only be answered by the individual who would be using (and paying for) the camera, but still, it just doesn't quite seem like that list of differences is worth almost $1k more than the D90. Or are they, and I'm just too new to this world, and the sum of those differences clearly does equal $1k and more than 2x the price?!?

Qarik · October 13, 2009

cab.in.boston wrote:

I find this interesting, as I have recently been looking at the specs of these two bodies. (My D90 is at Nikon Repair right now, and I'm going slightly nuts.)

I note that the D300s is a little more than 2x the cost of the D90 at this time, and I've been wondering what you get for the extra money. As far as I can tell, the main differences are:

7 vs. 4.5 fps continuous
1/8000 vs. 1/4000 max shutter speed
1005 vs. 420 pixel RGB matrix metering
bracketing up to 9 shots vs. 3
51 vs. 11 autofocus points
better flash sync speed
better weather protection
uncompressed RAW output & TIFF outputs
CF as well as SD/SDHC cards

I've heard that the sensor may or may not be the exact same part, I don't know the truth. It seems silly for it not to be the same sensor, but Nikon does list the two cameras with different numbers of total pixels.

Video capabilities seem just about the same except D300s has input for stereo sound. (I don't personally care much for or about video on my DSLR, but I realize some people like it.)

So clearly the D300s is better in a lot of ways, is just as clearly aimed more at the pro rather than enthusiast, and naturally I have camera lust for it. I just wonder, how good do you have to be before you can really take advantage of these differences? And for those of us who aren't that good (yet), are the differences worth more than 2x the cost? I know that question can only be answered by the individual who would be using (and paying for) the camera, but still, it just doesn't quite seem like that list of differences is worth almost $1k more than the D90. Or are they, and I'm just too new to this world, and the sum of those differences clearly does equal $1k and more than 2x the price?!?

The AF system is more robust and true. That's the single biggest difference that you won't see in a side by side spec conmparison.

M38A1 · October 13, 2009

Those are sort of the same questions I asked in the migration from a D40x to the D90. The way it was explained to me at my local camera shop was the D40 platform has moved to the D3000/D5000. That's just an even swap for the most part. However, moving to the D90 platform is literally going to the next level in body capabilities. And the jump from the D90 to the 300 was again on an order of magnitude much like the 40 to 90 jump is.

So there is actually some method to my madness of the initial question. I just don't believe I'm ready for ALL that capability in the 300 series, but I feel as though I've outgrown the 40 series at this time.

double_entendre · October 13, 2009

I've wondered the same things: D300 vs. D90 and when will the D90 get replaced.

I pretty much reached the conclusion that the D300 was focused more on a sports/action photography buyer and the D90 a more budget conscious type willing to make the trade off.

On the life cycle, I'm not planning to wait until 2010 for the D90 replacement to come out so that I can get a D90 for less. The D90 is a good fit for my needs. I won't need the new features that the D90 replacement will have anymore than I need the D300's features. Waiting until 2010 would be a price reduction plan.

Right now my plan is to go wtih a D90 and expect that at some point in the next 3-5 years I'll upgrade to a D700 or other full-frame Nikon. I looked through a D90 and a D700 at a local shop and the difference was telling. I loved the D700, but I am not in that income bracket right now.

Good luck on your decision and purchase!

Rancho

Joves · October 13, 2009

Even when the D90 gets replaced I dont see there being a great price drop. There wasnt on the D300 because Nikon cut its production months before they released the D300s. Before Nikon had too many units of previous models when the new ones came out so, they learned a lesson. I dont think there will be any BestBuy D200 sales anymore, unless a local store bought too many. It is a smart move in this economic market.

Zerodog · October 14, 2009

Who cares about the body life cycle? If you like it get it. Lens are what cost the big $$$ and they are interchangable right? You will have them when you get a new body some day. I bought a D90 as my first DSLR and I love it. But I wish I sprung for the 300. The more AF points would be nice. More speed wouldn't hurt either. And I use my camera in dusty conditions and outside 95% of the time so more weather sealing would be good too. But I still love the D90. I don't think upgrading to a 300 or 300s would be much of an upgrade from it for me.

double_entendre · October 16, 2009

Joves wrote:

Even when the D90 gets replaced I dont see there being a great price drop. There wasnt on the D300 because Nikon cut its production months before they released the D300s. Before Nikon had too many units of previous models when the new ones came out so, they learned a lesson. I dont think there will be any BestBuy D200 sales anymore, unless a local store bought too many. It is a smart move in this economic market.

Speaking of price drops and whatnot, am I the only one who thinks that the price spread between used D90s on eBay and a new one from B&H just isn't enough to justify buying used? I've seen 'em trade for within a hundred dollars of new.

Rancho

chrisjohnson · October 16, 2009

In Holland you can buy a new Canon 40D for around half of what it originally cost and it is a great camera. I don't intend replacing mine for a long time. Unless the next camera to be launched has exactly what you are missing in terms of spec I recommend you look for bargains. Invest instead in lenses - most of the bodies sold in the last few years are good enough. By all accounts the D90 is also a great camera.

M38A1 · October 30, 2009

The Big Brown Truck (ie: UPS) came today and delivered my new D90 body. Looks like I've got some battery charging/reading to do now!

ziggy53 · October 31, 2009

M38A1 wrote:

The Big Brown Truck (ie: UPS) came today and delivered my new D90 body. Looks like I've got some battery charging/reading to do now!

Congratulations.

D90 lifecycle?

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