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"   Nikon D90 &amp;amp;amp; 18-105mm VR lens kit /// $1,299 ($999 without lens)   The Promise: Nikon&amp;#039;s new D90 is the first digital SLR that can capture both still images and high-definition movie clips with sound. Because digital SLRs use a mirror to reflect light onto the eyepiece, the mirror needs to be moved out of the way in order to record video. To do this, the D90 employs its Live View mode to lock the mirror back so the camera can shoot HD clips directly from the imaging sensor. And because it can take any Nikon-compatible lens with built-in Vibration Reduction, shaky-handed auteurs can keep their movies looking steady. It&amp;#039;s also supposed to take great 12.3-megapixel pictures.   In Practice: We took the D90 and a Nikkor 18-105mm VR lens (sold together as a kit for $1299) for a spin in my neighborhood in northern Manhattan to see how easy and effective the camera was for capturing both high-resolution photos and HD video clips. Without reading the manual, we found that just pressing the Live View mode button (clearly labeled &amp;quot;LV&amp;quot;) is all it takes to raise the camera&amp;#039;s mirror so you can view the scene you&amp;#039;re about to shoot on the D90&amp;#039;s crisp 307,200-pixel, 3-inch LCD. Once in Live View mode, we followed the on-screen instructions and pressed the OK button to start shooting our first movie.   The one catch is that the camera&amp;#039;s autofocus feature shuts down once you start filming your clip, so remember to prefocus on your subject first by half-pressing the shutter. We learned this lesson the hard way after capturing a couple of blurry movies of tugboats on the Hudson River. The lens&amp;#039;s manual focus ring does work in video mode though, and once we got used to this &amp;quot;old school&amp;quot; style of shooting we were able to take a decent short movie\u2014in focus, this time\u2014of a kayaker scooting by on the Hudson. Though my HD (1280 x 720) movies looked great\u2014the bundled lens produced rich color and excellent sharpness\u2014the 24-frames-per-second video speed was slightly jittery in playback.   One downside to the D90&amp;#039;s video capabilities: The extended exposure to light needed to record video causes the D90&amp;#039;s CMOS sensor to heat up dramatically. This limits HD movies to a maximum length of about 5 minutes, and standard definition moves to about 20 minutes\u2014so no homemade HD Godfather remakes.   The D90 is first and foremost a still camera. And in this regard, it excelled. The video mode was a nice extra, but the D90 really shined for photography, capturing sharp pictures with low noise even in the shadiest areas. We particularly liked the camera&amp;#039;s active D-Lighting mode, which did a great job of handling contrast in images we shot of the George Washington Bridge, with a good balance between the bright blue skies and the dark areas beneath the bridge. In Macro mode, we got great close-ups of flowers with lots of detail. The D90 also showed good speed overall, starting up in a split second and helping me capture the action in a basketball game by shooting at 4.5 frames per second.   Bottom Line: Though the Nikon D90&amp;#039;s HD video mode has some quirks\u2014no autofocus and slightly jittery playback\u2014we really enjoyed being able to shoot both decent movie clips and excellent photos with the same camera. And while the D90&amp;#039;s one-two punch is, in some ways, groundbreaking, anyone wanting to capture more lengthy high-def movies should look elsewhere. \u2014Dan Havlik   RELATED STORIES \u2022 PLUS: Big Nikon vs. Little Kodak, Low-Light SLR Camera Test Drive  \u2022 PM GUIDE: Top 5 Tips (and Cameras) for Taking Better Digital Photos  \u2022 EARLIER: Nikon Vibration Reduction Zoom Lens Out of the Box Review  \u2022 VIDEO: Handheld Camera Extenders for the Self-Portrait Obsessed   Nikon D90 test shot Nikon D90 test shot Nikon D90 test shot Nikon D90 test shot Nikon D90 test shot "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.popularmechanics.com/technology/gadgets/a12804/4282176/>