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Introduced in fall 2008, D90 is the current top of Nikon's line of consumer digital single-lens-reflex (SLR) cameras, succeeding the D70, D70s, and D80, and sits roughly in the middle of the company's range of DSLRs overall. It was also the first DSLR in the world to offer an HD movie mode (in this case, 1280x720p at 24 frames per second motion JPEG, with mono sound), just beating Canon's EOS-5D Mark II to market. Like all of Nikon's consumer DSLRs, it uses an APS-C size "DX" sensor, which is about 33% smaller than a traditional full-size 35mm film frame.

Unlike the lower-end D40, D60, and D5000, the D90 supports autofocus on all Nikon AF lenses, including older AF Nikkor and AF-D Nikkor designs that require an autofocus motor in the camera body, as well as newer AF-I, AF-S, and AF-G with motors in the lens. It also features a full 920,000-dot high-resolution rear LCD screen, backlit top LCD panel, up to 4.5 frames-per-second burst mode, depth-of-field preview, support for the MB-D80 vertical battery grip, more dedicated hardware buttons and controls, extensive customization, and other features for enthusiast photographers that lower-end Nikon models lack.

Unlike Nikon's prosumer and professional models the D300, D700, D3, and D3x, the D90 includes consumer features such as scene modes (portrait, sports, landscape, night scene, etc.) on its mode dial, a smaller number of focus points in the viewfinder (11), no support for exposure metering with manual focus lenses, and somewhat less robust build quality without extensive weather sealing. The D90 competes most directly with the Canon EOS-40D and T1i, Olympus E-520 and E-620, Panasonic Lumix DMC-L10, Pentax K20D and K7, and Sony Alpha DSLR-A350 and A380. It is available as the body only, or with several different lens kits.