The Nikon D90 made headlines when it was announced in August 2008: it's the first SLR camera to offer a true video recording mode, and at high-definition 1280x720 resolution at that. After several weeks working with the D90, though, it's the camera's still photography capabilities that have us excited, while the video capabilities are underwhelming.

The D90 is a substantial piece of gear in every sense. It records at 12.3-megapixel resolution, weighs in at well over two and a half pounds with the recommended lens attached, and costs $$999.95 for the body alone, or $1299.95 bundled with an 18-105mm zoom lens. The large 3-inch LCD on the back of the camera is one of our favorite features. While your typical digital camera screen offers roughly 230,000-dot resolution, the Nikon D90 cranks it up to 920,000 dots, and the difference is immediately apparent. Details when shooting and reviewing your photos are crisp, colors are rich and lifelike, even the menus are easier to read. There's also a handy monochrome information display on top of the camera, a traditional SLR feature that's left off many lower-end cameras today, which makes it easy to check your settings at a glance.

While most people will shoot with their eye to the viewfinder, it's also possible to compose photos on the LCD display, as you would with a compact camera, by using Live View mode. The snag here is that the camera focuses much more slowly when using Live View versus the standard viewfinder. We wouldn't recommend Live View at all for fast-moving subjects, though it's fine for landscapes or when shooting on a tripod, and does let you sidestep viewfinder squint.

There's a built-in flash which raises up high over the camera body (good for avoiding red-eye), plus a hot shoe for mounting an external flash to deliver more power and flexibility. The controls are fairly complex, but that's reasonable for this class of SLR: better to have a button for adjusting camera setttings quickly than to wade through a set of complicated menus. Both the button system and the on-screen menus are logically arranged, so the learning curve isn't bad. And the level of customization possible with the D90 is extraordinary: everything from how the controls work to how much magenta you want in an image can be tweaked to your heart's content.

And, of course, you get access to the extraordinary range of Nikon lenses, a huge benefit as your creative urges lead you in new directions.

Performance (read in-depth lab performance at Digitalcamerainfo.com and Camcorderinfo.com)
Our lab testing of the Nikon D90 image quality produced results that were good to excellent across the board. Color accuracy and image sharpness were both topnotch, and image noise was very low. Noise is that speckly, grainy imperfection you see when you enlarge a section of a photo a lot, or take photos in low light without a flash. Nikon cameras generally produce low-noise photos, and the D90 happily upholds this tradition, both in fully lit rooms and even when shooting by candelight. And if you're looking for a camera that's ready to capture sports and other fast-action environments, the Nikon D90 is a fine choice. The option to snag 4.5 photos per second.makes catching the crack of the bat or the winning kick on goal relatively easy.

While the D90 aced our still image tests, the picture was not so pretty when it came to video mode. The good news is that you can use any Nikon lens when shooting video, so everything from papparazi-style telephoto to fisheye footage is possible. However, the camera can't change focus while shooting video, meaning moving subjects will often drift from sharp to fuzzy (and you do want your movie subjects to move, right?). The exposure system is another major stumbling point, since it can't deal with changes in lighting smoothly. We shot video of a dark truck stopping at a light, then driving through an intersection. When the truck entered the picture, the entire screen darkened in herky-jerky steps, rather than making a smooth transition. Same thiing happened in reverse when it drove off, a flaw anyone looking at the video can plainly see. What's more, the D90 has a tendency to produce a wobble effect whenever the camera is panned quickly from side to side. This wobble, caused by a shutter mechanism designed for still rather than video photography,. was sometimes so intense that the whole frame seemed to jiggle like a block of Jello.

Comparisons (read in-depth comparisons at Digitalcamerainfo.com and Camcorderinfo.com)
We're very enthusiastic about the D90 as a still camera. It delivers a level of image quality even professional photographers will admire. The level of manual control is very extensive, allowing you to fine-tune your photographic craft with minute precision if you choose.  At the same time the automatic functions work very well, so point-and-click will yield great results. While this is clearly not a bargain-priced camera, it's one you're unlikely to outgrow, and represents very good value for the money. You could spend another $800 for the Nikon D300, which offers a more sophisticated metering system and a slightly faster shooting speed, but you'll be hard pressed to see a difference in the photos the two cameras produce, and the D90 is easier to use. You could also spend less, say on the Canon EOS Rebel XSi ($830 with lens), one of our favorite mid-range digital cameras, but the D90 provides more in-depth control, a much nicer LCD and superior Live View mode.

If you're looking for an SLR that shoots great video, though, you'll have to wait. Canon has announced a December release date for the EOS 5D Mark II, with higher 1920x1080 resolution and more sophisticated video features than the D90, albeit with a $2700 price tag. We're eager to test it, but expect most SLR shooters will carry separate still cameras and video camcorders for some time to come.