Nikon have just announced their newest DSLR – the Nikon D90.

The Nikon D90 builds on the success of previous Nikon DSLRs and breaks a little ground of its own as the first DSLR to incorporate shooting HD movie clips.

Using Auto Exposure and Auto Focus that is featured in Nikon’s pro model DSLRs the Nikon D90 has a 12.3 megapixel sensor, ISO range of between 100 to 6400, 3 inch LCD screen (920,000 pixels with 170 degree viewing), Live View mode (for framing shots with the LCD) and a lot of other great features.

The Nikon D90 shoots movies (a first for DSLRs) at 24 frames per second and at a resolution of 1280×720 pixels (16:9), 640×424 (3:2), and 320×216 (3:2).

The Nikon is already available for ordering at Amazon – check out the prices at:

• Nikon D90 DX 12.3MP Digital SLR Camera (Body Only)
• Nikon D90 DX 12.3MP Digital SLR Camera with 18-105mm f/3.5-5.6G ED AF-S VR DX Nikkor Zoom Lens

You can read more about the Nikon D90 DSLR in the news release announcing it from Nikon below.

Update

Check out this cool video of a pro photographer and his team who got to check out and review the Nikon D90 DSLR before it was released:

DX, full-frame, APS-C, FX, crop factor, 24×36, image circle. Confused yet? Good.

With the new Nikon D700 hitting store shelves and the Canon 5D MkII imminent, now is a good time to clear the air on the whole sensor size thing.

Back in the film days, the rectangle that captured the image on a standard SLR (the film) was one size: 24mm x 36mm. That was all there was to it, and nobody really gave it a second thought.

Every camera manufacturer is slightly different; models from the same manufacturer are even different. People usually refer to a sensor’s size by its “crop factor.” That’s the number you use to find the 35mm equivalent of a given lens. It’s just like taking the middle of an image and throwing away the outside edges. If a sensor is 24mm x 36mm, then there is no crop factor, since it covers the same area as 35mm film.

Nikon has two different sensor sizes: full frame (FX) and 1.5x (DX).

Canon has three sensor sizes: full frame, 1.3x and 1.6x. Other manufacturers are in the same range, with Olympus being the notable exception, at 2x.

What photography gear should I pack when I’m traveling? Today Christina Dickson answers this question. Image by Dean Forbes.

It’s your first trip out of the country as a real “photographer”. Your clothing is packed. Your suitcase is at the door. Now there’s only one question:

What photography gear do you bring?

In 3 days I head off to Ecuador as a photographer for a philanthropic missions group. While there, I get to spend an exciting 23 days documenting the culture, the mission’s work, and the people of Ecuador.

My office looks like a war zone as equipment and essentials are spread out so you can hardly see the floor. One thing is for certain: I don’t want to forget anything. There’s nothing more disconcerting than traveling thousands of miles to a foreign country, only to discover that you left a vital piece of your photographic equipment.

My list of photography equipment should cover me through rain, through dark convention centers, and through the sandy beaches of the coast.

1. Photographers Bag

No tourist bags here. When you are traveling overseas for a photographic mission, you need to protect your gear with something durable, water resistant, and maintain accessibility through mountain regions and the city. My bags of choice vary between the Kata 9, and the Crumpler 7 Million Dollar Home.

Today one of our forum moderators – SIME from Gtvone.com – reviews the Dymo DiscPainter.

I don’t know if I’ve told you this before, but the one thing I hate about printing a design onto a CD or DVD is just that… Printing the Design! I have not, until now, come across a convenient, quick, no mess no fuss way to do it. I have come across higher quality results, but I’ve never come across something as easy to use as the new Dymo DiscPainter.

As with every other device these days that does everything, I expected the DiscPainter to be a multi this that and the other device. It’s not, it just does direct application of your design printed right onto the surface of the disk. And it does it surprisingly well for a single cartridge inkjet printer.

Ever needed a lens but have been unable to afford it? In this post Peter Carey explores how you can have them – by renting lenses.

I admit it.  I like to dream about owning many, many lenses.  It seems I can always conjure up at least one photo to justify purchasing any given lens.  But when it comes right down to it, I’m not a big fan of tying all my money up in glass that sits for months and months at a time.  Sure, having a 600mm pro lens would have been great for a friend’s soccer game, but that would be over $5000 sitting in the corner in my house, collecting dust on the box right now.

So what to do to get my niche lens fix while still maintaining the ability to keep food in the kitchen?   Rent!

I used to live near Seattle, Washington and there has always been a great local shop which rents out a wide variety of lenses.  But now that I have moved further away, it’s a royal pain to head into the city for that one lens, and then to turn around a week later to return it.  And that’s where the joy of the internet and FedEx come in.

Most lens rental sites allow borrowing for a week, month or more.  Rates vary from site to site as well as shipping costs.  What I have found most convenient is the ability to have the lens shipped to a remote location if I happen to be shooting a wedding on the East Coast.  As long as there is someone to sign for the package, I’m set.  Returns are equally as easy with most shops including a prepaid shipping sticker.  Just wrap the lens back in the packaging it arrived in, slap the label on the outside and drop it at the appropriate shipping counter.