New Camera

 I have a cousin in California that takes beautiful photos. One day he handed over his Canon dSLR and asked me to snap a few pictures in a dim church. I was surprised when the pictures came out sharp with no additional lighting or tripod assistance. When I asked how he set up his camera he gave me three of the best tips I will ever get. 1.) Shoot manual 2.) Shoot RAW 3.) Get some fast glass.

I have had the D40 for about 3 years, it was my first digital SLR. I tried shooting with the dial set to "A" and "P" but about 99% of the time I shoot "M" (manual). After talking to my cousin I purchased the Nikon DX 35mm f/1.4. It's was my first prime lens and by far the fastest lens I own. I can't stress how versatile you can be with all those extra stops at your disposal. I still haven't taken the last important step of starting to shoot RAW. 

Now onto the camera. Nikon just released some new models, including the D7000, which I really wanted. I went back and forth between the D7000 and the D90. I decided to go with the D90 for now and upgrade to the D7000 soon. Here are the main reasons I wanted do upgrade my D40 to a D90.

1.) Internal autofocus motor. 

2.) More than 3 AF points

3.) Higher shooting frame rate

4.) Better CSOM sensor

5.) More dedicated manual buttons - 2 wheels

6.) Larger, higher resolution LCD

7.) Higher ISO capabilities

8.) Video recording 

9.) Additional top LCD

10.) Twice the megapixels

11.) Live View Shooting