Digital Photography Review has posted their own sample pictures using the Nikon D90.

Also, note that DPReview.com has started doing lens reviews. They’re a good source of comparative information for lenses.

Sorry everyone, but the D90 post-whoring continues as I am evaluating this camera for my next purchase. I found a nice set of test shots at various ISO’s that I was interested in to compare it’s low light performance. They’re at Imaging Resource here.

A lot of my friends want to buy digital SLR’s. Many of them want to become more serious about photography and they think that one of the first things to do is to spend $600-700 and get a SLR instead of a compact camera.

While I agree that an SLR has the capability of producing better pictures, for most people to get what they want out of them, they’re going to need far more equipment than just the SLR body and the kit lens. The kit lenses usually barely allow for much improvement than a good compact camera. A good prime lens and a TTL flash are requirements for most people that want to get the most out of an SLR, and thus begins the slippery slope of needing more equipment than just the base camera kit.

Photography has a lot to do with lighting and composition. Admittedly, my composition is horrible and I have an expensive SLR camera (and prime lenses and TTL flashes) - this results in horrible pictures! Some people have naturally good composition like my friend Andrew who tagged along on a model shoot and got one of the best shots with a Canon SD200 or something like that. It was just a natural pose with existing lighting but it worked.

Good pictures cannot be taken when you don’t bring your camera. An SLR can be unweidly at times. Even when I’m a tourist sometimes i don’t want to lug my SLR and big lens around the city and recently I just left it on the hotel and went out. A compact camera usually can fit in your pocket!

There are some fine compact cameras like the Canon S5 and Canon G9 that have more features than a normal compact but still retain a fairly useable size. THe S5 is a “superzoom” and features a very long zoom and Image Stabilization. It also has a flash hotshoe like an SLR. The G9 loses some of the zoom length but is a much more compact package. In it’s most recent version, the lens retracts completely into the body for easier carry.

So while an SLR has many features and benefits that provide the ability to take great pictures, don’t underestimate the advantages of having a good compact. When your skills take you to the level where you begin to hit the limits of a compact, then you can consider trading up and be assured you’re getting some value for spending over $1000 on camera equipment.