What is the pixel pitch of the Nikon D90?

The Nikon D90 provides 12.2 megapixels from an APS-C sensor. This pixel density gives rise to a size of the individual pixel of 5.53µm.

The pixel size or pixel pitch can be calculated by dividing the sensor area by the pixel count and then taking the square root. In particular, the sensor in the Nikon D90 measures 23.6mm in width and 15.8mm in height, so that the total imaging area of the sensor amounts to 373 mm². Moreover, the D90 has 4 288 horizontal pixels and 2 848 vertical pixels, for a total of 12.2 megapixels. Then, the size (height or width) of each individual pixel can be calculated as the square root of the ratio of the sensor area (373 mm²) to the MP count (12 212 224).

Larger pixels provide advantages with respect to gathering light, particularly in low-light situations. Large pixels notably have a better signal to noise ratio, meaning that they can better differentiate between incoming photons and the noisy signals that the internal processes of the camera create. As a result, big pixels are particularly helpful to the photographer when shooting with high ISO settings.

Sensor specs and performance

The table below compares the sensor specs of the Nikon D90 to those of several similar cameras. The reported DXO values are indicators of the sensor's imaging quality (higher is better), covering color depth (DXO Portrait), dynamic range (DXO Landscape), and high-ISO noise (DXO Sports). Larger sensor cameras tend to outperform cameras of the same generation that are equipped with a smaller imager. On the other hand, larger sensors are more expensive and require bigger and heavier lenses than smaller light receptors.

Sensor Characteristics

		Camera Model	Sensor Class	Resolution (MP)	Horiz. Pixels	Vert. Pixels	Video Format	DXO Portrait	DXO Landscape	DXO Sports	DXO Overall
1.		Nikon D90	APS-C	12.2	4288	2848	720/24p	22.7	12.5	977	73
2.		Canon 40D	APS-C	10.1	3888	2592	none	22.1	11.3	703	64
3.		Nikon D40X	APS-C	10.0	3872	2592	none	22.4	11.4	516	63
4.		Nikon D60	APS-C	10.0	3872	2592	none	22.5	11.4	562	65
5.		Nikon D80	APS-C	10.0	3872	2592	none	22.1	11.2	524	61
6.		Nikon D3000	APS-C	10.0	3872	2592	none	22.3	11.1	563	62
7.		Nikon D5000	APS-C	12.2	4288	2848	720/24p	22.7	12.5	868	72
8.		Nikon D7000	APS-C	16.1	4928	3264	1080/24p	23.5	13.9	1167	80
9.		Nikon D7100	APS-C	24.0	6000	4000	1080/60p	24.2	13.7	1256	83
10.		Nikon D7200	APS-C	24.0	6000	4000	1080/60p	24.5	14.6	1333	87
11.		Nikon D7500	APS-C	20.7	5568	3712	4K/30p	24.3	14.0	1483	86

Further information on the sensor in the Nikon D90 and the camera's operation can be found in the camera manual.

In the United States, the D90 was initially launched in August 2008 at a price of $1,299.

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Camera to camera comparisons

In case you are interested in seeing how this camera compares to another one, just use the search menu below. There is also a set of direct links to comparison reviews that other users of the CAM-parator app explored.

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