Classic Camera Review: Nikon N90

My first autofocus camera, and what turned out to be my last film camera, was a Nikon N90 35mm single lens reflex (1992–2001). I needed to replace one of my Nikon F3 bodies and I got tired of waiting forever for the long-rumored Nikon F5 film camera to become available. (Sound familiar?)
The F3’s replacement camera, the Nikon F4, was readily available but the F4’s autofocus and metering systems were woefully behind the times, and if you turned the camera from vertical to horizontal or vice-versa, the meter would often get confused. And no, there were no firmware updates.

Photographs © Allan Weitz 2020

The Nikon N90 35mm SLR Camera

The N90 was, in many ways, the Nikon D860 of its day. Though not up to the construction or performance standards of Nikon’s modern-day flagship camera, the D5, the N90 was quite capable and, as is often the case with Nikon cameras, the company’s “Number 2” camera had features not found on the company’s flagship camera.
The Nikon F4 was certainly built to higher standards and could rattle off more frames per second than the N90 (5.7 fps vs. 3.6 fps), but the AF system on the N90 was quicker and more accurate than that of the F4.
Unlike Nikon’s F-series cameras, which were constructed of aluminum alloy with stainless-steel fittings and interchangeable meter prisms, the N90 had a black polymer body with a non-removable prism. Despite the lack of metal-alloy components, the N90 body still offered a solid and secure feel.