Nikon D5500 vs Nikon D90
71 Imaging
65 Features
85 Overall
73


60 Imaging
51 Features
52 Overall
51
Nikon D5500 vs Nikon D90 Key Specs
(Full Review)
- 24MP - APS-C Sensor
- 3.2" Fully Articulated Display
- ISO 100 - 25600
- No Anti-Alias Filter
- 1920 x 1080 video
- Nikon F Mount
- 420g - 124 x 97 x 70mm
- Revealed January 2015
- Succeeded the Nikon D5300
- New Model is Nikon D5600
(Full Review)
- 12MP - APS-C Sensor
- 3" Fixed Display
- ISO 200 - 3200 (Push to 6400)
- 1280 x 720 video
- Nikon F Mount
- 703g - 132 x 103 x 77mm
- Revealed October 2008
- Succeeded the Nikon D80
- Updated by Nikon D7000

Nikon D5500 vs Nikon D90 Overview
Its time to look a little more in depth at the Nikon D5500 and Nikon D90, former is a Entry-Level DSLR while the other is a Advanced DSLR and they are both built by Nikon. There is a large difference among the sensor resolutions of the D5500 (24MP) and D90 (12MP) but they come with the exact same sensor dimensions (APS-C).

The D5500 was revealed 6 years after the D90 which is a fairly serious difference as far as camera tech is concerned. The two cameras come with different body type with the Nikon D5500 being a Compact SLR camera and the Nikon D90 being a Mid-size SLR camera.
Before we go through a in depth comparison, below is a quick highlight of how the D5500 grades versus the D90 for portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

Nikon D5500 vs Nikon D90 Gallery
Below is a sample of the gallery pics for Nikon D5500 & Nikon D90. The full galleries are provided at Nikon D5500 Gallery & Nikon D90 Gallery.
Reasons to pick Nikon D5500 over the Nikon D90
D5500 | D90 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Revealed | January 2015 | ![]() | October 2008 | Newer by 76 months |
Display type | Fully Articulated | ![]() | Fixed | Fully Articulating display |
Display dimension | 3.2" | ![]() | 3" | Larger display (+0.2") |
Display resolution | 1037k | ![]() | 920k | Sharper display (+117k dot) |
Selfie screen | ![]() | Easy selfies | ||
Touch friendly display | ![]() | Easily navigate |
Reasons to pick Nikon D90 over the Nikon D5500
D90 | D5500 |
---|
Common features in the Nikon D5500 and Nikon D90
D5500 | D90 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Manual focus | ![]() | Very precise focus |
Nikon D5500 vs Nikon D90 Physical Comparison
In case you're aiming to travel with your camera frequently, you are going to need to factor in its weight and size. The Nikon D5500 offers external measurements of 124mm x 97mm x 70mm (4.9" x 3.8" x 2.8") and a weight of 420 grams (0.93 lbs) whilst the Nikon D90 has specifications of 132mm x 103mm x 77mm (5.2" x 4.1" x 3.0") along with a weight of 703 grams (1.55 lbs).
Examine the Nikon D5500 and Nikon D90 in our completely new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.
Take into account, the weight of an ILC will differ dependant on the lens you are utilising at that moment. Underneath is the front view measurement comparison of the D5500 compared to the D90.

Considering size and weight, the portability grade of the D5500 and D90 is 71 and 60 respectively.

Nikon D5500 vs Nikon D90 Sensor Comparison
Usually, it is hard to imagine the contrast in sensor dimensions simply by researching a spec sheet. The image underneath should offer you a stronger sense of the sensor measurements in the D5500 and D90.
As you can see, each of these cameras posses the exact same sensor measurements but different megapixels. You can expect to see the Nikon D5500 to result in greater detail because of its extra 12 Megapixels. Greater resolution can also let you crop photos somewhat more aggressively. The more recent D5500 should have an edge with regard to sensor technology.

Nikon D5500 vs Nikon D90 Screen and ViewFinder


Photography Type Scores
Portrait Comparison

Street Comparison

Sports Comparison

Travel Comparison

Landscape Comparison

Vlogging Comparison

Nikon D5500 vs Nikon D90 Specifications
Nikon D5500 | Nikon D90 | |
---|---|---|
General Information | ||
Company | Nikon | Nikon |
Model type | Nikon D5500 | Nikon D90 |
Category | Entry-Level DSLR | Advanced DSLR |
Revealed | 2015-01-06 | 2008-10-13 |
Physical type | Compact SLR | Mid-size SLR |
Sensor Information | ||
Powered by | Expeed 4 | - |
Sensor type | CMOS | CMOS |
Sensor size | APS-C | APS-C |
Sensor measurements | 23.5 x 15.6mm | 23.6 x 15.8mm |
Sensor area | 366.6mm² | 372.9mm² |
Sensor resolution | 24MP | 12MP |
Anti alias filter | ||
Aspect ratio | 3:2 | 3:2 |
Highest resolution | 6000 x 4000 | 4288 x 2848 |
Highest native ISO | 25600 | 3200 |
Highest boosted ISO | - | 6400 |
Minimum native ISO | 100 | 200 |
RAW support | ||
Autofocusing | ||
Focus manually | ||
Autofocus touch | ||
Continuous autofocus | ||
Single autofocus | ||
Autofocus tracking | ||
Selective autofocus | ||
Autofocus center weighted | ||
Autofocus multi area | ||
Autofocus live view | ||
Face detect focus | ||
Contract detect focus | ||
Phase detect focus | ||
Total focus points | 39 | 11 |
Cross type focus points | 9 | - |
Lens | ||
Lens support | Nikon F | Nikon F |
Number of lenses | 309 | 309 |
Focal length multiplier | 1.5 | 1.5 |
Screen | ||
Display type | Fully Articulated | Fixed Type |
Display sizing | 3.2 inches | 3 inches |
Resolution of display | 1,037k dots | 920k dots |
Selfie friendly | ||
Liveview | ||
Touch operation | ||
Display tech | - | Super Density TFT color LCD with wide-viewing angle |
Viewfinder Information | ||
Viewfinder type | Optical (pentamirror) | Optical (pentaprism) |
Viewfinder coverage | 95 percent | 96 percent |
Viewfinder magnification | 0.55x | 0.64x |
Features | ||
Lowest shutter speed | 30 seconds | 30 seconds |
Highest shutter speed | 1/4000 seconds | 1/4000 seconds |
Continuous shooting rate | 5.0 frames per sec | 4.5 frames per sec |
Shutter priority | ||
Aperture priority | ||
Manual mode | ||
Exposure compensation | Yes | Yes |
Change white balance | ||
Image stabilization | ||
Integrated flash | ||
Flash distance | 12.00 m (at ISO 100) | 17.00 m (at ISO 100) |
Flash options | Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Slow sync, Rear curtain | Auto, On, Off, Front curtain, Rear curtain, Red-Eye, Slow Sync |
Hot shoe | ||
AE bracketing | ||
White balance bracketing | ||
Highest flash synchronize | 1/200 seconds | 1/200 seconds |
Exposure | ||
Multisegment | ||
Average | ||
Spot | ||
Partial | ||
AF area | ||
Center weighted | ||
Video features | ||
Video resolutions | 1920 x 1080 (60, 50, 30, 25, 24 fps), 1280 x 720 (60, 50, 30, 25 fps), 640 x 424 (30, 25 fps) | 1280 x 720 (24 fps), 640 x 424 (24 fps), 320 x 216 (24 fps) |
Highest video resolution | 1920x1080 | 1280x720 |
Video format | MPEG-4, H.264 | Motion JPEG |
Microphone port | ||
Headphone port | ||
Connectivity | ||
Wireless | Built-In | Eye-Fi Connected |
Bluetooth | ||
NFC | ||
HDMI | ||
USB | USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) | USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) |
GPS | Optional | Optional |
Physical | ||
Environmental sealing | ||
Water proofing | ||
Dust proofing | ||
Shock proofing | ||
Crush proofing | ||
Freeze proofing | ||
Weight | 420 gr (0.93 pounds) | 703 gr (1.55 pounds) |
Dimensions | 124 x 97 x 70mm (4.9" x 3.8" x 2.8") | 132 x 103 x 77mm (5.2" x 4.1" x 3.0") |
DXO scores | ||
DXO All around rating | 84 | 73 |
DXO Color Depth rating | 24.1 | 22.7 |
DXO Dynamic range rating | 14.0 | 12.5 |
DXO Low light rating | 1438 | 977 |
Other | ||
Battery life | 820 shots | 850 shots |
Battery type | Battery Pack | Battery Pack |
Battery ID | EN-EL14,EN-EL14a | EN-EL3e |
Self timer | Yes (2, 5, 10 or 20 sec) | Yes (2, 5, 10 or 20 sec) |
Time lapse shooting | ||
Type of storage | SD/SDHC/SDXC | SD/SDHC |
Card slots | Single | Single |
Pricing at launch | $700 | $1,199 |