D90 Overheat Problem

T

Tony B

Active member
Looking hard at this camera. I have a D70S and would like to upgrade to the D90 and with the awesome video footage I've seen (looked at probably over 100 samples) this looks like the camera for me.

I was wondering about the possible overheating issues I've heard about. They say you can only shoot 5 min at a time, is that because of the overheating, or another limitation? I mean if it didn't overheat, could you go longer than the 5 minutes?

Was also wondering with the video outputs available could you run an external monitor and not use the live view screen at all, would that eliminate the overheating/5 minute deal?
 
Most of the time you would never shoot that long anyway. If I've heard right you just stop recording and start again.
 
Zim said:
Most of the time you would never shoot that long anyway. If I've heard right you just stop recording and start again.
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Have you worked with the D90 Zim?

The overheat is a real issue if you planning to do some serious filming. The camera shuts down and have to cool down before you start up again. And you get artifacts in the picture when the chip is hot just before it turns itself off. The five minute limitation is something else, But it could be a reason not to get even worse!? But you can’t shoot longer if you standing in a freezer but you want get the shutdown problem so fast. But I can’t see any big problems with the 5min limitation. It’s a great camera and a fun video function but it have some BIG problems that you should look up here on the forum before you decide what to buy.
 
My bro has a D90 and we did some tests with it. They shot a short horror flick with it and the cam heats up so much they literally had to fan it to cool it down.

Anyway, while waiting for the canon 7D, I bought yesterday a Nikon D5000 for our photo department. You might want to forgo the built in lens motor of the D90 and go with the swivel LCD of the D5000!

The specs are the same except no built in motor AND swing out swivel LCD. Which is cool for shooting low and high angles. The 5 min shooting time is still the same.

Most of all the D5000 is cheaper than D90.

I wouldnt recommend you spend so much for these Nikon cameras as I see them as "transitional" cameras both for the shooter, moving up from SD, and for the maker, being their first versions.
As a dedicated HD camera these nikon models wont come close to the image qualities of a regular HD "prosumer" units under ideal situations. As a still camera they are great value.

Im personally waiting for the 7D coming first week october.


Ted
 
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I used the D90 for a massage tutorial video. I was able to shoot several longish takes, up to 5 minutes, but eventually I couldn't shoot until it was left to cool down.

I love the look , but it is a serious limitation for any ambitious project.

In a few years this technology will surely mature enough to give 1080p at 24 fps with plenty of semi-pro options at an affordable price.

Just have to be patient.
 
teddybear said:
The specs are the same except no built in motor AND swing out swivel LCD.
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The specs are not the same. Why do people keep stating this? The D90 is faster, has greater lens compatibility and greater compatibility with the whole range of Nikon accessories, has a genuine pentaprism viewfinder, has one third longer battery life, and on and on...The D90 is a superior still camera, and due to things such as greater lens compatibility and more flexible manipulation of white balance, it is superior for video also - regardless the D5000 screen which, while it moves, suffers a dramatic reduction in resolution compared to the D90 lcd which is an impediment to focusing and exposure if you are not using an external monitor. The D5000 is a lovely camera all the same.

teddybear said:
As a dedicated HD camera these nikon models wont come close to the image qualities of a regular HD "prosumer" units under ideal situations.
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While it is more fiddly using the Nikon cameras in movie mode, the image quality in the hands of someone who knows what they are doing equals prosumer camcorders for much less cost. Prosumer camcorder plus 35mm lens adapter plus extra lighting might be a fairer comparison with the 720p Nikons, and then you're taking, what, 4-5-6k$?. The only thing the Nikons "won't come close" in is ease of handling.

OP - overheating is not a problem, unless you shoot things like documentaries or concerts. You'll recall that overheating has always been a typical problem for film sets - namely that brought about by lighting, the point being that people and things have always needed time to cool down during film shoots. And time is not your enemy. A 35mm film camera can't run all day with a four hundred foot magazine. Stop, detach, load new magazine - all of it requires pauses. A brief pause between takes won't kill you or your project.
 
I don't want the same scene or a person talking for 5 minutes anyway!!

OP - overheating is not a problem, unless you shoot things like documentaries or concerts. You'll recall that overheating has always been a typical problem for film sets - namely that brought about by lighting, the point being that people and things have always needed time to cool down during film shoots. And time is not your enemy. A 35mm film camera can't run all day with a four hundred foot magazine. Stop, detach, load new magazine - all of it requires pauses. A brief pause between takes won't kill you or your project.[/QUOTE]
 
I would actually check out the D300s if I were you. I don't know about overheating but the compression and jello seems to be much better...less "mushiness".
 
If a person can afford it that would be a better idea. The video looks good and jello seems like less of a issue. I'm asking around about the overheating. If I remember some D90's got hot and others didn't.

Ruzo said:
I would actually check out the D300s if I were you. I don't know about overheating but the compression and jello seems to be much better...less "mushiness".
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damonb said:
The specs are not the same. Why do people keep stating this? The D90 is faster, has greater lens compatibility and greater compatibility with the whole range of Nikon accessories, has a genuine pentaprism viewfinder, has one third longer battery life, and on and on...The D90 is a superior still camera, and due to things such as greater lens compatibility and more flexible manipulation of white balance, it is superior for video also -

While it is more fiddly using the Nikon cameras in movie mode, the image quality in the hands of someone who knows what they are doing equals prosumer camcorders for much less cost. Prosumer camcorder plus 35mm lens adapter plus extra lighting might be a fairer comparison with the 720p Nikons, and then you're taking, what, 4-5-6k$?. The only thing the Nikons "won't come close" in is ease of handling.
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Let me clarify that the video quality and video acquisition side of the D5000 is the one similar to the D90.

Having used both and ran both through a test i can categorically say they are similar.

Now the Nikons , while they are usable as a tool, as I said, my bro has finished a short and other projects with it, not to mention that he used it as a STILL camera during my wedding, I can attest to its usability.

Link to teaser of short:http://www.vimeo.com/3707790

But right now, even though we've seen what these slrs can do, and having aquired the D5000 very recently I would still hesitate to use it on an entire project as the image cant hold up in rigid studio controlled tests that we did several months ago.
We aquired it to test form factor concerns in preparation for the 7D which we preordered and also it will mainly be a still camera for our photo department.

link to thread on test we did:
http://www.dvinfo.net/forum/jvc-gy-hd-series-camera-systems/141557-jvcs-d90-sony-hd1000-side-side-tests.html

I finished the chart tests on the D5000 just today and found the same compression artifacts on the thin lines in the chart the same as the D90.

However, despite its quirks and fiddly controls which make setup a hit and miss activity we are going to use the nikon on certain low light scenes which is simply beyond the capability of our JVC HD200 and HD100 + 35mm adapter setup.

I also found out that the video out of these cameras connected to a external monitor can be usable for framing but apparently I think that the image is degraded, since I almost got discouraged reviewing our tests through playback from camera onto a monitor since it appeared so aliased and noisy, but getting back to the studio and loading the clips onto the timeline and viewing on to a real monitor, the images where way better than whats output from the camera.

Bottom line is, this is a good cost effective transitional camera. Once youve got your career and budget up to speed, you move on to proper tools.

Ted
 
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I like the trailer

teddybear said:
Let me clarify that the video quality and video acquisition side of the D5000 is the one similar to the D90.

Having used both and ran both through a test i can categorically say they are similar.

Now the Nikons , while they are usable as a tool, as I said, my bro has finished a short and other projects with it, not to mention that he used it as a STILL camera during my wedding, I can attest to its usability.

Link to teaser of short:http://www.vimeo.com/3707790
Click to expand...
 
The artifacts on thin lines are not the result of compression, they are simply moire patterns caused by line skipping. The 7d has the same unfortunately and it would be present even in raw. The gh1 is the only slr that doesn't line skip.
 
maybe, maybe not, don't risk it for anything important. no, i don't use the gh1 but no other dslr either actually. it's been film or red for pro gigs and the little leica at home.
 
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