D90 review part two - Action

The D90 can shoot at 4.5 fps versus 3 fps of the D80. That elevates it to another level as an option for sports and action photography in my opinion. I personally think the lower limit for a usuable motordrive is around 3.5 fps, below that it is more like an old time “winder” - usable for advancing to the next single frame, but not for action sequences. At 3 fps and slower you wait for the camera and register in your mind the moments you miss.
Why I think the limit is around 3.5 fps is based on my sports shooting experience with Nikon FM/FE cameras and the 3.5 fps MD11/12 motordrive some decades ago. With that combo I have shot soccer, ice-hockey, handboll, volleyball , tennis, track and field and other sports. I considered the speed to be OK, also often for series. When the FM2 was introduced the frame rate with the MD12 was lowered to 3.2 and now it started to feel slowish. I am not refering to sequences only - after all the best photo in a series is often the first shot. But also the general response, the feel that you are instantly ready for a new shot or series of shots.
Naturally the 6-8 fps of a D300 is better, but 4.5 fps with a D90 is workable. The second important factor for action shooting is of course the AF. How does the combination of fps and AF work in real action? That was an important factor for me to find out, deciding if the D90 would be an acceptable alternative to a D300.

The Schnauzer test

Trying to get sharp photos of a small dog running at full speed against the camera is a quite challenge for most cameras. The D300 passed this test with flying colors, when I tried it last winter (see my D300 review), but I must say the D90 did OK. Especially considering that I used the 18-105 VR kit lens on the D90, while the 70-200VR was used on the D300. This is from a sequence with 5 of 6 frames in focus.

See whole series at the end of this gallery.

Indoor sports
But I wanted some more tests. Indoor sports can be a nightmare to shoot with many cameras. Low light levels as a rule and difficult white balance which increases noise even more. Wide aperture lenses with short DOF and fast action challenges the AF system - a perfect test of a cameras abilities under stress. These abilities are not only important for pros, but also for “soccer-moms” and “soccer-dads” (I dont mean it in a disrespectful way - I have been a soccer-dad myself). Many people like to take photos of their kids sports activities, but the conditions are often very difficult in dim gym halls, or late evenings o the soccer field.
I borrowed the camera for a few days to my brother which is professional press photographer with 20+ years of experience. He tried it in a badmintonhall and on a handball match. He has a lot of experience with D300 and came back very positive of the D90s performance. All shots are between ISO 1600 and 3200. Or rather between ISO 3200 and 6400 - I forgot that I had set the camera to Active D-Lightning extra high, before handing it over to him. Since he never uses ADL he never noticed that it was on. (Make a mental note - dont forget to switch off extreme settings…). ADL extra high decreases RAW exposure about a full stop that has to be recovered in post processing, which naturally increases noise levels.
The badminton shots were made with a Sigma 30 1.4 set to F 2.0 and at close range with the limited focal length. Very difficult to shot with a DOF that is to shallow to cover the whole player. Very fast action in very bad light. Expecting all shots in focus would be unrealistic, but a fairly good amount of shots were keepers. If it had been a real job the result would be satisfactory.

The advantage of RAW
As a side note - I usually call my self mainly a jpeg shooter, trying to get it as right as possible in the camera (but of course some PP). But I am starting to shift my attitude. The latest version of ACR (I use Photoshop professionally, so in my workflow I prefer ACR, even though Nikon Capture NX gives better results at high ISOs.) does not render bad colors, the way older versions did. And in indoor sports it is a big advantage to be able to tweak white balance in post processing. Here is a tweaked jpeg versus a tweaked RAW (second image).

Handball
These were shot from the stands, since it was not a real assaignment. The lens was a 70-200VR 2.8. Here the AF worked fine, naling most shots. A performance good enough even for a professional job.


Handball is a physical sport:

4.5 fps is fast enough for short series:


Busy goal keepers:


A last jump shot:

In conclusion - the D90 capabilties in AF and fps makes it capable as an allround alternative. I consider it a basic pro camera that can get the job done, even action and sports.

Next chapter: Video and conclusion
D90 review part one: Camera body and image quality here.