Nikon Coolpix P90

Viewfinder

The Nikon P90 has a 0.24-inch electronic viewfinder with a 230,000-pixel resolution and diopter adjustment control. The viewfinder is well-sized and is more comfortable to use than the tiny ones found on compact digital cameras.

The electronic viewfinder on the Nikon P90.

LCD

The Nikon P90 has a 3-inch LCD with a 230,000-pixel resolution and anti-reflection coating. While these specs are decently impressive, the best thing about the screen is its ability to extend and rotate. With a 90-degree upward and 45-degree downward tilt capability, the P90 LCD allows you to take photographs at various angles without contorting your body or craning your neck.

The LCD is capable of 90-degree upward tilt

As good as the LCD is, it's still far from being perfect. We would have liked to see full 180-degree rotation so the screen could fold into the body of the camera when you're using the electronic viewfinder. It would have also been nice if the LCD offered some left/right rotation as well. Overall, however, it's hard to complain about the LCD on the P90 as it's the only camera in Nikon's point-and-shoot lineup with a rotating screen. If you don't like it, there are plenty of other Nikon cameras to choose from.

The LCD is capable of 90-degree upward tilt

Flash

The P90 has a pop-up flash that opens when you press the round button on the left side of the camera. Having a pop-up flash helps make sure your fingers won't accidentally cover the flash when your taking a shot.

The pop-up flash

Lens

The P90 has a large Nikkor lens with a 24x optical zoom. The lens has a focal length of 4.6 - 110.4mm and a 35mm equivalent of 26 - 624mm. Its aperture range is f/2.8 - f/8. Using the zoom feature is easy on the P90, you simply rotate the zoom toggle that is located as a ring around the shutter button. 

The large lens on the Nikon P90

Jacks, Ports & Plugs

The P90 doesn't offer much when it comes to ports and jacks. It has only one and it functions as both the A/V-output and USB port. The port is sealed by a rubberized port-cover, which does a good job in keeping the jack safe and protected from the elements.

The P90 only has one port.

Battery

The camera runs on a rechargeable lithium-ion battery (model EN-EL5) and Nikon claims the battery should be good for approximately 200 shots. The camera comes with a supplied battery and a charger. An optional AC adapter is available for purchase from Nikon as well.

The P90 uses a rechargeable battery

Memory

Just above the battery is a memory card slot for inserting a SD/SDHC cards. The P90 captures images and movies to these cards which are available in a variety of sizes. Nikon also includes 47 MB of internal memory on the P90, but that's only enough to store a trio of photos taken at the highest quality. It's a wonder why Nikon includes this feature at all. We would have liked to see a bit more internal memory on the camera—just enough so you could use it as a back-up if you run out of memory cards while you're on vacation.

Other Features

Smart Portrait System - The P90 features what Nikon labels as the 'Smart Portrait System.' Essentially it's a collection of automatic features that assist you with photographing human subjects. Using face detection technology, the camera can be set to automatically take a photograph when your subject smiles (smile mode) or display a warning if your subjects blinks when you press the shutter button. There's also in-camera red-eye fix and a d-lighting option that can boost the light levels in shadows or images that come out too dark.