For reasons which I will later divulge, we got our happy hands on a Nikon D90 a couple of weeks ago. If you want an exhaustive review, check out dpreview, because that’s what they do much better than I can. I did, however, want to throw out a few reasons why I like it so much, and why it’ll probably be the camera I recommend when somebody’s cousin decides to move up from a point-and-shoot to a DSLR and asks “Which camera should I get?”

Price: Right around $1,000, $1300 or so with a kit lens. For a starter DSLR with some room to grow, that hits right on the mark. And I know people make fun of kit lenses, but not all of us can or are willing to shell out $1K plus for an f/2.8 zoom.

Size: I can hold a D90 in one hand and not get fatigued. My hands aren’t particularly big or small, and the D90 seems to be sized and weighted just about right, especially for people who aren’t used to holding a DSLR.

Video Mode: The D90 records up to five minutes of high-def video — a first, as far as I know. Now you can put your pet’s antics on YouTube, or better yet, Vimeo, like the rest of the internet.

Buffer: When shooting full-size RAW+JPG, the D90’s buffer can handle seven frames in succession. Once the buffer is full, it’ll let you shoot as space clears — in-studio, once the buffer was full, I managed a frame a second. Seven frames (at 4 or so fps) is probably enough to get you through that miracle catch at a high school football game, or to capture your hyperactive dog at the apex of a jump.

Self-cleaning Sensor: Dirty sensors cause a lot of sighs around our office, and sometimes a blower bulb just doesn’t cut it. (I’m too chicken to use any contact-based cleaning methods.) Wonder when this will show up in the top-of-the-line models…

Live View: The mirror locks up so you can see what you’re shooting on the LCD screen. Ideal in situations where you can’t put your face against the optical viewfinder. And you can turn it on with just one button.

Highly customizable via menus: I set up a D3 for Joel two days ago, and a D90 today, and I’ll be darned if many of the same options aren’t available on both of them.

The High ISO Magic of the D700: I’m not sure if it’s the exact same sensor as the D80, but I do know that it goes up to ISO 6400 and still produces something recognizable, and printable with a little finessing.

In summary, the D90 is a richly-featured camera with many of the latest-greatest bells and whistles for a basic price. I’m amazed at how far DSLRs have come, even since the D2X three years ago. (Gracious — has it only been three years?)