D90 actually available in Australia?

[kevinnugent]

Hi guys,

Probably more frustration than anything, but I've been trying to get information out of Nikon Australia since the D90 was "released" a couple of weeks ago. Basically, I just wanted one thing. The date it would be available to purchase here in Australia.

They have been unable to give me a date... or even close to a date. The best I can get (there are 2 people in Australia responsible for Nikon Australia sales - don't ya know) is "end of September, we hope".

Lucky the product is good. I have a pre-order in place and am prepared to wait another few weeks. Buying in the States isn't an option at the moment because of the exchange rate and the fact that this "new technology" may require local warranty support - but it's a big release for Nikon. I'm amazed they are as "dim" as they appear to be.

Kevin

[chrisk]

you may be expecting too much. no point them giving you a date if they dont know which is very common with new products especially. this is the case regardless of the product or brand. try buying a new model car and ordering it from o/s and see how "accurate" they are.

[mickeyjuice]

you may be expecting too much. no point them giving you a date if they dont know

+1

[kevinnugent]

Boxes hit the shelves today. Most retailers already sold out of their minimal supply. None knew they were arriving until the truck pulled up.

Kevin

[azza_25]

Yeah got mine Friday - So far I've been playing around with the iso, movie shots, live view etc..... Feels a bit odd compared to my d80, but feels mor natural with the buttons being in a more "practical"place - like the position of the ok button - makes a difference

[aim54x]

Yeah got mine Friday - So far I've been playing around with the iso, movie shots, live view etc..... Feels a bit odd compared to my d80, but feels mor natural with the buttons being in a more "practical"place - like the position of the ok button - makes a difference

Congratulations on your purchase!! Cant wait to see your pics from it.

[kevinnugent]

I spoke too soon. Just got a call from a very popular Nikon reseller in Sydney (who i had pre-paid) to be told that Nikon have today admitted to not actually allocating any cameras to them (after twice telling them their delivery was on it's way - literally). There's no-one in Nikon Australia that can answer why not, and no-one can actually say when (if ever) the situation will be rectified.

Terrible customer service and appalling business practice so far...

[gstark]

I spoke too soon. Just got a call from a very popular Nikon reseller in Sydney (who i had pre-paid) to be told that Nikon have today admitted to not actually allocating any cameras to them (after twice telling them their delivery was on it's way - literally). There's no-one in Nikon Australia that can answer why not, and no-one can actually say when (if ever) the situation will be rectified.

While it's very likely that there's nobody within Nikon Oz who is able to answer "why not",. there's also a very high likelihood that nobody in the store has really - I mean really - asked them the question either.

What I think you should be doing is asking these so-called sales people (order takers, really) why is that you are paying them a premium when they are not even able to answer for you the simplest of questions - like when in the world can they deliver to you the camera that you have paid them for.

I'm not suggesting that you should buy offshore, but I do think that you should point out to them the realities of doing business in the 21st century means that they need to be able to provide you with a reason to not be buying off-shore, and those reasons need to be valid, and strong.

And if the ordertaker who takes your call cannot provide you with decent answers, don't be afraid to escalate the matter to somebody senior. Any decent manager worth half his salary should welcome your call. He might not like your message, but a professional welcomes the feedback and the opportunity to address the problem.

[kevinnugent]

I agree with you wholeheartedly, Gary. I have been told, though, that there is no-one senior to these guys in Nikon Australia that are/is available to be contacted. That's what has frustrated everyone. No-one is available.

Evidently, everyone's AWOL.

I think my best option is to get my money back and have a good look at the import places. At least they are keen, and have the goods.

Regards
Kevin

[aim54x]

I spoke too soon. Just got a call from a very popular Nikon reseller in Sydney (who i had pre-paid) to be told that Nikon have today admitted to not actually allocating any cameras to them (after twice telling them their delivery was on it's way - literally). There's no-one in Nikon Australia that can answer why not, and no-one can actually say when (if ever) the situation will be rectified.

That doesnt sound right, have you called Nikon yourself? Or is this what the reseller has told you? Have you considered that maybe the reseller has missed out on initial allocation and is trying to shift the blame? (Just a thought)

It really sucks to be promised goods that dont appear, esp if you have pre-ordered.

[kevinnugent]

Yep. Spoken to Nikon Australia myself. They can't provide a reason as to why they continually fed tripe to the reseller.

T*** at Nikon Australia is evidently looking into it for me, although I don't hold out a lot of hope as he's the one who evidently made the "I don't get paid enough to answer these type of questions" remark.

[gstark]

Yep. Spoken to Nikon Australia myself. They can't provide a reason as to why they continually fed tripe to the reseller.

T*** at Nikon Australia is evidently looking into it for me, although I don't hold out a lot of hope as he's the one who evidently made the "I don't get paid enough to answer these type of questions" remark.

And that sort of remark, if actually made, is grounds to justify that person getting no further pay from the organisation. That sort of comemnt is entirely unprofessional, and unacceptable. How far up the food chain at Nikon Oz have you been able to climb? At this time you need to be speaking with somebody very bloody senior. Clearly somebody who does get paid enough to be held accountable.

[kevinnugent]

To be honest, Gary, I think that's it as far as Nikon Australia goes. From what I've been told there is a receptionist, 2 sales people and no-one else.

Their senior management evidently are "unavailable".

I'll give him until 4pm and then try again...

[MCWB]

Buying in the States isn't an option at the moment because of the exchange rate and the fact that this "new technology" may require local warranty support

Given the support that you seem to have been given so far, I would question how much "local warranty support" is actually worth. Why were you not importing again?

[kevinnugent]

Mate, ask me that question tomorrow. I may be changing my mind.

[gstark]

Given the support that you seem to have been given so far, I would question how much "local warranty support" is actually worth.

Trent, exactly.

[feldy]

Suggest you ask for the marketing director [can't remember his name] or his offsider, who is a guy called Stuart Mitchell [stuartm@nikon.com.au]. Neither of them set the world on fire in terms of.. well, a number of things, but hey, it might be one avenue to pursue?

F PS the only thing they could argue is that it shouldn't be you, the punter, ringing up to query this, rather the retailer, but definitely worth a try

[kevinnugent]

Suggest you ask for the marketing director [can't remember his name] or his offsider, who is a guy called Stuart Mitchell [stuartm@nikon.com.au]. Neither of them set the world on fire in terms of.. well, a number of things, but hey, it might be one avenue to pursue?

F PS the only thing they could argue is that it shouldn't be you, the punter, ringing up to query this, rather the retailer, but definitely worth a try

Guys,

I have given up on Nikon Australia. Absolute amatuer hour. Anyone able to make decisions is either away at Photokina or on holidays.

I'm currently scouring the Net.

[aim54x]

I have given up on Nikon Australia. Absolute amatuer hour. Anyone able to make decisions is either away at Photokina or on holidays.

I'm currently scouring the Net.

It does sound like everyone is away atm. Good luck with the net, there is always Amazon and BH who may have stock already (according to nikonrumors.com)

[aim54x]

I was at Broadway Camera House today, they had a D90 in their cabinet!!

[kevinnugent]

It seems that ECS may have come to the party for me. I got a call late to say that Nikon Australia had "magically" found their shipment of 10 units. We'll see tomorrow I suppose. It's not ECS I have a issue with....

[aim54x]

good to hear that things are getting better for you. cant wait til you let us know how the D90 is like to play with and you post pics

[azza_25]

Finally got a good run on it today - will post up comparison isos tmoz on my flickr - stay tuned!

Unfortunately not too interested in the movie part (you need live view on in order to start recording - *sigh*) but overall it feels less plastic like, which is very good. Also found out a few other little things about it that i didn't know it had. The screen almost looks like it takes up the whole back of the camera - but it is needed i think...

[kevinnugent]

My new Nikon D90 battery is charging as I type. Thank you ECS.

As an aside, it seems Nikon Australia sent a serious batch to ECS.... they were due 10 and actually received 45. So, if you've got a hankering and want one, they should have some spare. Their prices are pretty good. Tell Bruce I said Hi.

Kevin

[Glen]

Congrats on getting guys, will be interested to see some images. You are right about the price being fair at the moment at ECS, that is a lot of camera for $1300 odd.

[JED]

Picked mine up today from Photocontinental. Here is one of the first pics out of it.

Taken with Nikon 105 micro in very low light. Exif - 1/200, f3.0, iso 3200



I'm rapt. And this is the jpeg as I cant process d90 raw files yet.

Fun times ahead it seems.

Cheers, John

[azza_25]

Jed - nice sample - did you have any noise reduction on when you took the photo? Also what - if any- processing did you apply? Friend wanted to know.

I've finally posted iso ranges http://www.flickr.com/photos/azzavg

Didn't want to flood the topic with all the photos.

From iso 100 to 6400 - without ANY noise reduction at all - wanted to do this to see how it would handle it.

Shot in JPEG.

[Steffen]

I saw a D90 on the shelf at Paxton's Macquarie Centre yesterday. I didn't ask whether it was for sale.

Cheers
Steffen.

[gstark]

Leigh had one delivered to him at work yesterday, and I had a brief play with it last evening.

Impressed I am: this is the replacement body for the D70 that neither the D50 not the D80 were.

It feels very similar in size and weight; handles very nicely, and the video recording facility was very sweet. We have a couple of ideas tentatively planned for the weekend, as we currently have the D700 along with the 45mm PC and the 18-105VR as well.

[aim54x]

Leigh had one delivered to him at work yesterday, and I had a brief play with it last evening.

Impressed I am: this is the replacement body for the D70 that neither the D50 not the D80 were.

It feels very similar in size and weight; handles very nicely, and the video recording facility was very sweet. We have a couple of ideas tentatively planned for the weekend, as we currently have the D700 along with the 45mm PC and the 18-105VR as well.

Can I come along???

[gstark]

Leigh had one delivered to him at work yesterday, and I had a brief play with it last evening.

Impressed I am: this is the replacement body for the D70 that neither the D50 not the D80 were.

It feels very similar in size and weight; handles very nicely, and the video recording facility was very sweet. We have a couple of ideas tentatively planned for the weekend, as we currently have the D700 along with the 45mm PC and the 18-105VR as well.

Can I come along???

This won't be quite a straight shoot, and we've not yet nailed down locations or times.

One possibility is the Strathfield Fair on Sunday, where I'll be out doing some broadcasting, but that will be a distraction from the shoot.

More likely is that we'll be somewhere on Saturday, shooting some video (for Leigh's tv stuff and the web) of how the PC lens can be useful, with some practical examples of exactly how it works its magic.

You're more than welcome to tag along, so I'll post more details of this as we nail it down tonight.

[JED]

Jed - nice sample - did you have any noise reduction on when you took the photo? Also what - if any- processing did you apply? Friend wanted to know.

Hi Azza

Shot with the default setting - High iso nr = Normal.
Minimal pp in Lightroom. Just a little sharpening and bumped the contrast a little.

Had a look at your tests and it seems to perform very well in my view. Certainly for the $$$$$.

Cheers, John

[shutterbug]

nikon on broadway has a batch

[gstark]

Can I come along???

You're more than welcome to tag along, so I'll post more details of this as we nail it down tonight.

Tomorrow (Saturday) morning, around 10-ish, at Waverley oval. I'm thinking that the grandstand there should be suitable for our needs, so that's the current plan.

All aboard!

[phoenix]

Just curious if people know if you can still get the high flash sync rates with the D90 that you can get with the D70's? I use my D70 on the rare occasions that a higher shutter speed of 1/250th is required and would love for the D90 to be the same. Anyone know?

[ATJ]

Just curious if people know if you can still get the high flash sync rates with the D90 that you can get with the D70's? I use my D70 on the rare occasions that a higher shutter speed of 1/250th is required and would love for the D90 to be the same. Anyone know?

According to Nikon Australia it is 1/200s.

[aim54x]

Can I come along???

You're more than welcome to tag along, so I'll post more details of this as we nail it down tonight.

Tomorrow (Saturday) morning, around 10-ish, at Waverley oval. I'm thinking that the grandstand there should be suitable for our needs, so that's the current plan.

All aboard!

I'm meant to go out on a uni club event tomorrow, but maybe next time. Thanks Gary

[gstark]

Just curious if people know if you can still get the high flash sync rates with the D90 that you can get with the D70's? I use my D70 on the rare occasions that a higher shutter speed of 1/250th is required and would love for the D90 to be the same. Anyone know?

According to Nikon Australia it is 1/200s.

And you can actually wrangle a sync speed of up to 1/4000 (IIRC) out of a D70, with a bit of tweaking.

[phoenix]

Just curious if people know if you can still get the high flash sync rates with the D90 that you can get with the D70's? I use my D70 on the rare occasions that a higher shutter speed of 1/250th is required and would love for the D90 to be the same. Anyone know?

According to Nikon Australia it is 1/200s.

And you can actually wrangle a sync speed of up to 1/4000 (IIRC) out of a D70, with a bit of tweaking.

Yeah from memory mine's gone that high. I don't even think about it anymore. If i need a high speed i just grab the D70 and fire away. It would really suck if the D90 didn't do this anymore. Another reason to keep my D70 i think

[PiroStitch]

I was using my friend's D90 today and I was stunned! With the 18-105 VR it was still a decent kit, but with the 50 1.4...hate to say it but at ISO 3200 with the 1.4, the IQ was just as good as the 5D at 1600. This is only from my observation and no brick walls or diagrams were used in the test

The video is stunning. One thing that I noticed was that you couldn't adjust the aperture in video mode...I mean you could adjust it but it didn't do anything. Then again, it might have been under a menu option allowing you to do this but I didn't check properly.

Go go Nikon

[chrisk]

i believe that exposure is locked as soon as you enter video mode.

RE: iso, i said things to the same effect in another thread. to my eyes the iso looks great. i'd be surprised...no...shocked, if it was better than the 5d though.

[gstark]

I was using my friend's D90 today and I was stunned! With the 18-105 VR it was still a decent kit, but with the 50 1.4...hate to say it but at ISO 3200 with the 1.4, the IQ was just as good as the 5D at 1600. This is only from my observation and no brick walls or diagrams were used in the test

During my play with the D700 and the 45PC yesterday afternoon, Leigh was using the D90 with the quite impressive 18-105VR as well as the Tammy 90 Macro. Leigh will be putting together an edutorial based upon my shooting with the D700 and some video he shot with the D90, so that will hopefully be something for y'all to look forward to, but to keep on topic, he was shooting other stuff with the D90 and, yes, it's a very impressive, and very capable camera.

Lacks a few features from the D300, but those seem to be more than made up for in other ways: the colour saturation on the video is wonderful, and the way that you can use the good glass on video now should now make people really consider if they want to buy a separate camcorder. The options that this camera opens up for you are really quite amazing, and especially for the lack of $$$$$ that you'll be investing.

Yes, I think the 5Dii will be even better, but it will also be about three times more expensive, and that will be a deal breaker for a great many people: for the cost of the full D90 kit, you can't even scratch your arse in the Canon relam in this part of the market, and thus I look forward to seeing what Canon will be doing in this market segment: it's sure to be good, and it needs to be swift.

The real question though is how this is going to impact the lower end of the market: the D40/D60, and the Canon equivalent. The next generation there must also surely include live view, and thus video. Whoo boy ... this ride is going to be getting bumpy, but it's going to be a lot of fun!

[DaveB]

Gary, all the current Canon cameras already have Live View (ok things like the 5DmkI don't, but it's on its way out: all the new cameras do). What the next model they introduce video into will be (and when) will be interesting. Maybe a 500D next year? They've already introduced 1080p video into one of the PowerShot range.


Incidentally, one of my clients is telling me that they'd have a bunch more opportunities for me if I shot video (and for that work also teach a bit of it) as well as stills, but at the moment I'm really not sure if I want to become a videographer. But who knows what I'll end up thinking after I use the 5DmkII for a while, get used to Final Cut, etc....

[chrisk]

i think if people are expecting the video in dslr to take over from real pro video its asking too much. imo it will comprimise the integrity of your creative eye in taking photos.

but, i love the idea of short video snippets. i think its a cool feature to have. for every portrait shoot i've done i create a DVD of shots, alot of times to music. i reckon some little clips in there aswell will be a real bonus. anything that can make a paying customer a little happier is well worth it.

looking forward to seeing how the 5dMkII AF works in video mode. given dslr's failure to implement LV with AF with any sort of reaspnable speed, i'm not convinced it will be fast enuf to be of much use for anything moving.

[gstark]

Gary, all the current Canon cameras already have Live View (ok things like the 5DmkI don't, but it's on its way out: all the new cameras do). What the next model they introduce video into will be (and when) will be interesting. Maybe a 500D next year? They've already introduced 1080p video into one of the PowerShot range.

Dave,

Leigh and I had already been playing around using LV into a video recorder, and so the move from LV into actual recording was something that we were anticipating. That it's been done better than we expected (in both cams, I suspect) is great news, and very welcome.

And yes, I'm surprised that I'm saying this.

The issue(s) I see with the Powershot range are that they use a PHD sized sensor, and don't have interchangeable glass. That's where the video in the dslr opens up a whole new realm: you just cannot easily get the sort of differential focus in a PHD that you can with a big sensor, and that's where the 5Dii will have an advantage over the D90. But that aside, what I'm seeing that Leigh's pulled out from the D90 with just one day's play is mightily impressive, and says much for the camera's overall design concepts, UI and usability.

Now, take the cost of a D90 body (or the similar Canon one when it lands), add some half-decent glass, and for three or four thou you have more than just a semi decent photography kit. You have a video kit providing quality that you couldn't buy in the traditional sense for maybe even five times the investment. This is almost like buying a lighting kit from Poon to just get the stands, and taking the heads as a freebie thrown in to the deal!

Incidentally, one of my clients is telling me that they'd have a bunch more opportunities for me if I shot video (and for that work also teach a bit of it) as well as stills, but at the moment I'm really not sure if I want to become a videographer. But who knows what I'll end up thinking after I use the 5DmkII for a while, get used to Final Cut, etc....

I hear what you're saying. Does the client understand the differences in the disciplines? I'm not saying that you couldn't do it, but from your perspective the changes might be quite significant, at least on the shooting side.

The teaching side? Now that would be fun.

Teaching is the one area where I don't do nearly enough, and it's probably the one where I get the greatest satisfaction. I'm actually planning to undertake a TAFE course in educating, so I can become a qualified educator and run courses for the radio station so that the members at the station can gain accreditation for what they've done.

[MatthewRoberts]

I just bought my first DLSR and chose the Nikon D90 because it can capture video and has similar specs to D300. I bought the twin lens kit - which was a very hard decision against the 18-105.

Noob Question: The 18-105 is wider than the 18-55 and 55-200.. so then what's the difference between a 67mm wide lens and a 52mm wide lens in terms of quality??

[gstark]

Hi Matthew, and welcome. Could you please take a few moments to put a meaningful location into your profile? Please check the portal page for details of what is meaningful.

Noob Question: The 18-105 is wider than the 18-55 and 55-200..

No, it's not.

They both share the same wide angle specs: 18mm is 18mm is 18mm.

The 18-55 doesn't have the same reach as the 18-105, but in getting the 55-200, you have extended the reach capabilities of your kit from 105mm to 200 mm.

This means that you have, in effect, longer glass, which will (appear to) bring (far away) subjects closer to you. And the extension that you have imposed - 105mm vs 200mm - means that you have nearly doubled to available focal length at the longer end of your spectrum.

Perhaps what you might be trying to say is that the 18-105 is shorter than the combination of the 18-55 plus the 55-200, but in that instance it would be more correct even to say that the 18-55 is shorter than the 18-105 which in turn is shorter than the 55-200. In all instances, we're simply referring to the ultimate reach that each lens affords you: 55mm vs 105mm vs 200mm.

Is that making any sense?

so then what's the difference between a 67mm wide lens and a 52mm wide lens in terms of quality??

I'm not sure I understand this question: in terms of the D90, neither of the focal lengths that you refer to would be considered "wide". I suspect that you may be mis-using some terminology here, and so we need to try again with the question.

Are you perhaps referring to the filter size that the different lenses might take? 52mm and 67mm are both common filter sizes (along with 62mm, 72mm and 77mm) but neither of them are well represented in terms of lens focal lengths, which is what we'd generally be discussing with the term "wide".

So, could you please clarify for us from where you are getting your "67mm wide" and your "52mm wide" terminology, and then we may be better able to answer your questions.

[MatthewRoberts]

Sorry Gary, I mean't filter size - thanks!

[ATJ]

Matthew,

There is a (very) loose correlation between the filter size and the maximum aperture (smallest f/stop) of a lens.

Most lenses allow you to adjust the aperture (the size of the hole through which the light passes). The larger the hole, the more light that can pass through. On SLR cameras, digital and film, the lens normally sits at its maximum aperture until you take a photograph. This means that lenses with larger maximum apertures result in a brighter image in the viewfinder which can make taking photographs, easier. Additionally, as the lens can potentially let more light in, you can use it in lower light situations and/or with faster shutter speeds. For these reasons, a lens with a larger maximum aperture will generally be better than an lens with a smaller one, with all other things being equal.

Now, in order to make a lens with a larger maximum aperture, it usually requires the diameter of the lens to be wider and so generally, such a lens will take a larger filter. Additionally, longer lenses (ones with a longer focal length) also tend to have larger diameters (and so take larger filters) than shorter lenses, for much the same reason.

So, to answer your question, while a lens that takes a 67mm filter is not necessarily "better" than a lens that takes a 52mm filter, it may end up being better if it has a larger maximum aperture. We generally don't concern ourselves with the filter size when choosing a lens and only worry about that after more important factors have been considered.

[ATJ]

Just to add to my post above, I thought an example may help.

Two lenses in Nikon's DX range are the 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G ED II and the 17-55mm f/2.8G IF-ED. Both lenses cover a similar zoom range, with the latter being slightly wider at the wide end. The f/3.5-5.6 and f/2.8 indicate the maximum apertures of the lenses. The former has a maximum aperture between f/3.5 and f/5.5 (f/3.5 at 18mm and f/5.6 at 55mm and between the two in the middle). The latter lens has a much larger maximum aperture (the smaller the f/stop, the larger the aperture). If you look at the filter sizes of the two lenses, the former is only 52mm but the latter is 77mm and that is mostly necessary to accommodate the larger aperture.

The 17-55mm is a much better lens in terms of quality and optics, even discounting the larger maximum aperture, but having a larger maximum aperture is icing on the cake. It is not better because it takes a 77mm filter, but it takes a 77mm filter because it is better in other ways.