Nikon
D3000
 vs
Nikon
D90

Updated (September, 2010): Compare the Nikon D3100 vs Nikon D7000

Nikon D90

71
Winner

Nikon D90
"Fast Autofocus with useful control options"
dpreview.com | talking about the D90's auto-focus
"High sensitivity performance up there with the best we've seen."
dpreview.com | talking about the D90's iso-noise

Reasons to buy the Nikon D90

Low light performance
 Low noise at high ISO
977 ISO
Overall image quality
 Great image quality
73.0
Dynamic range
 Wide dynamic range
12.5 EV
Screen size
 Large screen
3.0"
Screen resolution
 High resolution screen
920k dots
Viewfinder size
 Large viewfinder
0.63x
Nikon D3000

32
Runner-up

Nikon D3000
"User-friendly ergonomics, without sacrificing control"
dpreview.com | talking about the D3000's button-layout
"Very capable AF system, including 3D AF tracking, on a par with much more expensive DSLRs"
dpreview.com | talking about the D3000's auto-focus

Reasons to buy the Nikon D3000

Screen size
 Large screen
3.0"
Size
 Really small
Prosumer size 126x97x64 mm
Thickness
 Thin
2.5"
Weight
 Light-weight
536 g

differences

Advantages of the Nikon D3000
Size Significantly smaller 126x97x64 mm vs 132x103x77 mm
Help
 Around 30% smaller
Thickness Significantly thinner 2.5" vs 3"
Help
 Around 20% thinner
Weight Significantly lighter 536 g vs 703 g
Help
 More than 20% lighter
Lowest price Slightly cheaper $676.55 vs $869.00
Help
 The best price we've seen is $192 cheaper (more than 20% less)
Nikon D3000 Learn more about
the Nikon D3000

Advantages of the Nikon D90
Low light performance Much lower noise at high ISO 977 ISO vs 563 ISO
Help
 The D90 has a slight edge (0.8 f-stops) in low noise, high ISO performance
Overall image quality Significantly better image quality 73.0 vs 62.0
Help
 Around 20% better image quality
Dynamic range More dynamic range 12.5 EV vs 11.1 EV
Help
 1.4 f-stops more dynamic range
Screen resolution Significantly higher resolution screen 920k dots vs 230k dots
Help
 4x higher resolution screen
Live view Has live view Yes vs No
Help
 Preview your photos on the camera's screen before taking them
Viewfinder size Significantly larger viewfinder 0.63x vs 0.52x
Help
 More than 40% larger viewfinder
Movie format Shoots movies 720p @ 24fps vs None
Help
 Shoots HD (720p) video as well as still pictures
Startup delay Significantly less startup delay 300 ms vs 700 ms
Help
 2.3x less delay when turning on
Battery life Significantly longer battery life 850 shots vs 550 shots
Help
 More than 50% more shots per battery charge
Color depth Better color depth 22.7 bits vs 22.3 bits
Help
 Distinguishes 0.4 more bits of color
Sensor cleaning Has a self cleaning sensor Yes vs No
Help
 Removes dust from the sensor automatically, avoiding spots in photos
True resolution Higher true resolution 12.2 MP vs 10 MP
Help
 Capture more than 20% more detail in your photos
Shutter lag Less shutter lag 208 ms vs 262 ms
Help
 More than 20% less delay when taking photos
Viewfinder Has a pentaprism viewfinder Pentaprism vs Pentamirror
Help
 Pentaprism viewfinders are typically brighter
Continuous shooting Shoots faster 4.5 fps vs 3 fps
Help
 50% faster continuous shooting
Lens focus motor Has a built-in focus motor Yes vs No
Help
 Autofocuses with all autofocus lenses
Sensor type Has a CMOS-family sensor CMOS vs CCD
Help
 CMOS-family sensors often produce better quality images
Light sensitivity Better maximum light sensitivity 3,200 ISO vs 1,600 ISO
Help
 The D90's maximum light sensitivity is 1 f-stop better
Viewfinder coverage Better viewfinder coverage 96% vs 95%
Help
 Almost the same
Light sensitivity (boost) Better boost ISO 6,400 ISO vs 3,200 ISO
Help
 The D90's boost ISO is 1 f-stop better
Nikon D90 Learn more about
the Nikon D90
vs

recommendations

Relative to the best recent entry-level DSLRs, and ignoring price

Nikon D3000 Nikon D3000
32 vs 71
Explain scores
Nikon D90 Nikon D90
Green arrow Snapsort recommends the Nikon D90.

performance Which camera has better performance? Cast your vote!

NikonD3000
 Nikon D3000 vs Nikon D90
NikonD90
Uses Travel score Travel
On holiday or vacation
11
19
Vote Vote
Sports score Sports
Fast action, sometimes indoors
10
20
Vote Vote
Features Color accuracy Color accuracy
White balance in varied lighting
12
20
Vote Vote
Autofocus peformance Still image focusing
Speed and accuracy
10
20
Vote Vote
Manual controls Manual settings
How quickly and easily you can change settings
9
20
Vote Vote
Build quality Build quality
Is it sturdy, well made, plastic or metal
10
21
Vote Vote
Green arrow Join in the discussion below!

similarities

Compared to recent entry-level DSLRs

Common Strengths Common Weaknesses
Lens availability Many lenses available Help
169 lenses
Screen size Larger than average screens Help
3.0"
Sensor size Large sensors Help
APS-C 23.6x15.8mm
Fastest shutter speed Slow max shutter speed Help
1/4000 of a second
Storage slots Fewer storage slots Help
1
Light sensitivity (boost) Poor boost ISO Help
D3000:3,200 ISO
D90:6,400 ISO
Light sensitivity Poor maximum light sensitivity Help
D3000:1,600 ISO
D90:3,200 ISO
HDR Neither has in-camera HDR Help
You could do HDR manually
Screen flips out No flip-out screens Help
Less flexible
Image stabilization No image stabilization Help
Risk of blur
True resolution Capture low resolution images Help
D3000:10 MP
D90:12.2 MP
Cross type focus points Few cross-type focus points Help
1
Autofocus No video autofocus Help
Manual focus only
Panorama Neither camera stitches together panoramas Help
You could stitch photos in post
3D Neither camera can take 3D photos Help
No 3d support

dxomark

DXOMark

competitors

Shared Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages
Nikon D5100

Nikon D5100

Entry-level DSLR

$650 - $749 body only

$600 - $750 with 18-55mm lens
Low light performance Is slightly less noisy at high ISO
Overall image quality Has slightly better image quality
Thickness Is thicker
Size Is slightly larger
Compare the D5100 vs the D3000
Compare the D5100 vs the D90
Nikon D7000

Nikon D7000

Entry-level DSLR

$1,097 body only

$1,227 with 55-200mm lens
Low light performance Is slightly less noisy at high ISO
Overall image quality Has slightly better image quality
Thickness Is thicker
Weight Is much heavier
Compare the D7000 vs the D3000
Compare the D7000 vs the D90
Nikon D3100

Nikon D3100

Entry-level DSLR

$500 - $984 with 18-55mm lens
Movie format Records higher quality movies
True resolution Takes slightly higher resolution photos
Thickness Is thicker
Size Is slightly larger
Compare the D3100 vs the D3000
Compare the D3100 vs the D90
Canon EOS 60D

Canon EOS 60D

Pro DSLR

$899 - $1,304 body only

$1,138 - $1,342 with 18-135mm lens
Movie format Records higher quality movies
True resolution Takes significantly higher resolution photos
Thickness Is thicker
Weight Is significantly heavier
Compare the EOS 60D vs the D3000
Compare the EOS 60D vs the D90
Canon EOS Rebel T2i

Canon Rebel T2i

Entry-level DSLR

$499 - $949 body only

$579 - $867 with 18-55mm lens
Movie format Records higher quality movies
True resolution Takes significantly higher resolution photos
Sensor size Has a slightly smaller sensor
Shutter lag Has slightly more shutter lag
Compare the Rebel T2i vs the D3000
Compare the Rebel T2i vs the D90
Canon Rebel T3i

Canon Rebel T3i

Entry-level DSLR

$609 - $800 body only

$709 - $1,180 with 18-55mm lens
Movie format Records higher quality movies
True resolution Takes significantly higher resolution photos
Thickness Is thicker
Size Is significantly larger
Compare the Rebel T3i vs the D3000
Compare the Rebel T3i vs the D90
Canon Rebel T3

Canon Rebel T3

Entry-level DSLR

$379 body only

$460 - $550 with 18-55mm lens
Light sensitivity Slightly higher maximum light sensitivity
Weight Is slightly lighter
Thickness Is thicker
Size Is significantly larger
Compare the Rebel T3 vs the D3000
Compare the Rebel T3 vs the D90

Nikon D3000 Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages
Canon EOS Digital Rebel XS

Canon EOS Digital Rebel XS

Entry-level DSLR

$334 - $595 body only

$449 - $460 with 18-55mm lens
Low light performance Lower noise at high ISO
Live view Has live view
Screen size Much smaller screen
Sensor size Significantly smaller sensor
Compare the EOS Digital Rebel XS vs the D3000
Nikon Coolpix P500

Nikon Coolpix P500

Super zoom

$339 - $350
Movie format Shoots movies
Screen resolution Significantly higher resolution screen
Sensor size Much smaller sensor
Autofocus Slower autofocus
Compare the Coolpix P500 vs the D3000

Nikon D90 Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages
Nikon D300S

Nikon D300S

Pro DSLR

$1,700 body only

$2,547 - $4,295 with 18-200mm lens
Focus points Many more focus points
Cross type focus points Many more cross-type focus points
Low light performance More noise at high ISO
Overall image quality Worse image quality
Compare the D300S vs the D90

appearance

Nikon D3000 Nikon D90
Nikon D3000 Nikon D90
Nikon D3000 Nikon D90

Find similar cameras

Here are some links to help you find other cameras with similar features to both of these:

discussion Which do you think is better?

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Showing 1 comments

Abdessamad-er (4:55 PM, January 24, 2012)
Mercii :)