My F90x/N90s Review

The discontinued F90x (or N90s in the US market) is a great camera which can be bought at bargain prices on the second hand market. The user interface is intuitive, though unconventional, reduced to the essentials, and different from modern bodies. The F90x is a good choice for beginners and advanced amateurs alike and was even used by professionals in its day not only as a backup body.

I find the high eyepoint viewfinder to be very comfortable and can recommend the optional DK-6 rubber eyecup as I wear glasses. This is not a camera for copy work as one sees about 92 per cent of the film image through the viewfinder. Also, when I shielded my 24mm against the sun to avoid lens reflections, I sometimes discovered my hand on the slide. The viewfinder is bright, but accumulates some dust over time. An optional screen with grid lines for architecture was available from Nikon. A lever helps to shield the eyepiece during long time exposures at night, something which even the F100 is missing.

The MB-10 battery pack offers a practical vertical release, but the F90x draws considerably less attention on its own and is more practical for hiking anyway. The battery pack *and* the camera both accept standard NiMH rechargeable batteries. A set of four modern NiMHs lasted for approximately 20 rolls of film in my hands. The F90x works well with AF/AF-D/AF-S type lenses. Aperture has to be selected on the lens itself. That is why AF G-type lenses without an aperture ring will not permit aperture priority and manual modes. The vibration reduction (VR) technology is not supported either.

Unfortunately, Nikon restricts mirror lockup (MLU) to select bodies, like the F5 or the D200. A mirror prerelease feature would have helped me reduce vibrations with tele lenses and short (1/30 - 1s) shutter speeds. That being said, wind and subject movement ruin my photos more often than the lack of MLU. With its mirror flapping and the noisy autofocus, the F90x is a rather loud camera. Autofocus with only one – though big – AF sensor in the center is quite fast. I do not use AF a lot and appreciate modern cameras more for their precise evaluative metering and motor drives. The F100 which has replaced the F90X makes less noise, has modern AF, and works with G- and VR-type lenses, but also disappoints with a lack of MLU.

The F90x does not allow for flash compensation on the body. That is not a big deal on SB-28/80/600/800 flashes where one can compensate on the flash unit itself, but a problem with an SB-29 macro flash. There, one would need the cumbersome MB-26 back or an organizer connected to the F90x for flash compensation. Fastest flash sync is 1/250, a big improvement over the F80's 1/125th second. Flash reproducibly works right out of the box, though one has to dial in a flash compensation of +0.7 to +1.0 in bounce mode.

I cannot recommend the optional MB-26 multifunction back at all because of its unreliable electronic coupling to the F90x: I repeatedly cleaned the MB-26's contacts, but it sometimes still failed to communicate with the camera. In addition to that, the MB-26's user interface is awkward, and its rubber coating comes off easily. A lot of users have complained about fine cracks along the screws near the F90x' prism. It has been said that these cracks were due to the screws being overly tightened. Fortunately, I did not experience cracks on my body as it may not have been an early production camera.

Upon pressing a button, the F90x' LCD display is backlit. When using an SB-28 speedlite, the speedlite's LCD display is illuminated at the same time. Very nice! The possibility to download exposure data with a dedicated cable (MC-31) is also welcome, as it freed me from using a log. For troubleshooting and the evaluation of my lenses, these exposure data were very important to me. The same port accepts an electronic cable release (MC-30) that I consider a must-have; fortunately, the MC-30 also works on my F5 and my D200.

I no longer own this camera, but I miss the days when this camera, a 105/2.8D, and an SB-29 ringlight were my basic equipment in my Pro Mag 2 AW that I was using at the time. This was my first Nikon camera, and it rewarded me with many beautiful pictures.

Polyommatus coridon, male (dt. Silbergr. Bl.)
Nikon F90x, AF105/2.8D, 1/250s, SB-29, Fujichrome Provia 100f
© J.C.Krause, 2002-2007, last changed: 01/28/07 – FAQ – Visitors since 11/22/05: