anyone agree that......

[hoofandmouf]

.... the D90 has a unique, intimate quality.... that I just love

shaky, skew, kind of gritty but it looks and feels real and honest to me, I dare say that this little camera has more integrity and humanity than a lot of other pricier cameras

its imperfections are precisely what makes it amazing IMO

getting one next week, I'm sold.

[ben wheatley]

yeah ive got one, and its been a challenge jumping through all its little hoops to get it to work. But when you get it right its just great. It loves faces, they are just full of emotion. I guess i will upgrade the d90 when Nikon bring out a less jello version but until then I'll make a lot of films on tripods and wont pan too quick! I look at it as a never ending super 8 camera. I am looking forward to making some shorts on it.

[jaybirch]

to be honest, although the look is nice... I think everyone is clutching at straws in thinking that this camera is anywhere near professional level. At HD, it's unusable, at SD it is just about ok for a few shots.

give it a year and we will be into a special period for shooting footage though.

[ydgmdlu]

it looks and feels real and honest to me, I dare say that this little camera has more integrity and humanity than a lot of other pricier cameras

I just don't get how such statements could possibly apply to a mass-produced piece of electronics whose images are nothing more than packages of electrical signals—just like any other digital camera/camcorder. "Integrity"? "Humanity"? Yes, there's no doubt that the D90's footage has a unique and special quality, but saying that it's more than that is ridiculous.

And if you want "real" and "honest," then any prosumer HD camcorder, the Canon 5D Mk II, the RED One, or any professional HD camcorder is far superior. The footage from any one of those cameras is cleaner, sharper, and less distorted and boasts more realistic color—in short, a much more accurate representation of reality. If anything, the word to describe the 5D's footage is "dreamy," not "real" or "honest."

[ben wheatley]

And if you want "real" and "honest," then any prosumer HD camcorder, the Canon 5D Mk II, the RED One, or any professional HD camcorder is far superior. The footage from any one of those cameras is cleaner, sharper, and less distorted and boasts more realistic color—in short, a much more accurate representation of reality. If anything, the word to describe the 5D's footage is "dreamy," not "real" or "honest."

i think "real and honest" can be taken a number of different ways. Super 8 feels real and honest in a way that 70mm maybe dosent. Footage can be too crisp, too sharp.
It wont stand up as "HD" but then it depends on what kind of film you are making. I bet it didnt bother the dogme boys much that they were shooting on cheapo camcorders or the guys who shot all those films on PXL2000 pixelvision cameras. It just looks different.

[Daniel Aragão]

"At HD, it's unusable, at SD it is just about ok for a few shots."

when i look at the d90 footage i shoot in my full hd lcd television played from a blu-ray disc ive made, it dont look "unusable" as HD. Who are you to say something like that with so much authority?

there are lots of michael mann and sodenberg in this community!! hehe

[mrmoe]

"At HD, it's unusable, at SD it is just about ok for a few shots."

At the end of the day, it comes down to the Content!
Kevin Smith, Daren Aronofsky, Chris Nolan shot there 1st films, black and white.
As long as the stories are compelling, people will watch it.

I am liking my D90 more and more.

[jaybirch]

i'm not trying to cause offense... i just think it's time we accept the d90 for what it is, a nice little video addition to a great still camera ....and look ahead to what will be a great technology in a year or two

I have a d90 btw, i like it but will never use it for anything close to commercial motion usage.

As for the arguement of content over picture quality... I agree with it in prinicpal, but.... good content and good image quality sells.... often crap content and good image quality sells.... very very rarely does good content and bad image quality sell.

The jello effect and stair stepping are just too bad to overlook in anything other than the most basic shots. Just my opinion... i truely wish it was just that little bit better, and think it soon will be, in a dslr.

[infurno]

As for the arguement of content over picture quality... I agree with it in prinicpal, but.... good content and good image quality sells.... often crap content and good image quality sells.... very very rarely does good content and bad image quality sell.

I disagree.

Many, many people watch pirated films recorded on small cameras in the back of a theater. Terrible quality, often its difficult to even see whats going on. Even with other people coughing, talking, and walking in front obstructing the view.

DVD rips and HDTV content distributed over the internet is using heavy compression. Artifacts, edges, you name it, its all there and its still extremely popular.

We may obsess over it, but in the end video quality is not all that important to the average person.

I'm not suggesting that video quality is not at all important. It is, but its nowhere near as important as the content.

[HowdyDoo]

.... very very rarely does good content and bad image quality sell.

I disagree completely. In a battle between content and image quality, content always wins in my book. You may be able to fool some people into watching a flashy, big budget piece of crap, but if the content sucks, you won't hold their interest for long and you most certainly won't earn their respect in the end.

As for the D90's ability to deliver quality imagery in a professional environment, I think that relies on the user entirely. This music video was shot using an EX1 w/Letus and a D90. Can you point out which shots are the D90 and which are EX1? No. The D90 was used in an extremely creative and clever way.

http://vimeo.com/2110651

Anything can be used to tell a story and limitations force creative solutions. I think what people like about the D90 is that it has a very film-like image yet also possesses setbacks, like the film cameras of old. The D90 forces you to find interesting and unique ways to work because of it's limitations.