If you have postponed getting a digital SLR (exchangable lenses) until the price/quality ratio was right, perhaps the time has come.
"Shooting with the Nikon D80 was a blast [...] Though I only had a short time, I was pleasantly surprised by the Nikon D80's easy nature. "Easy" doesn't really do justice considering the depths you can explore with the D80 if you want to, but I'm referring more to its ability to reach out and get the picture you want in the way that you want it. [...] Nikon has hit on the right combination of camera capabilities and zoom range, such that I'd call the Nikon D80 a near-ideal camera. I'm not sure the competition could have seen this one coming, especially the groundbreaking inclusion of a very good quality 7.5x zoom. Add a bigger viewfinder, more integrated access to the Nikon Creative Lighting System, a 10.2 megapixel sensor, very fast performance, and some of the best enhancements from the Coolpix line, and Nikon has another potential runaway best seller on its hands."
This is from the article linked above, a very experienced reviewer. I'd call it very promising indeed. :)
19 comments:
The time has indeed come. I've been pondering about getting the D200 for some time know. First you couldn't get them due to backlog, and now that it's finally readily available comes this to again confuse me. :-)
What I can't fully decipher from the initial brief reviews is what are the D80's main differences to the D200? For obvious reasons it gets compared to the D70. But I need to make a choice between this and the D200. Is the D200 still worth the higher price tag?
I would say only if you need 5 pictures a second, and will use it for hours every day and in the rain.
Bummer! I was planning to use it in the shower to take rapid shots of my willy. :-)
Seriously, it looks like I'll be placing an order for the D80 as soon as they become available.
I would probably get it if I did not already have the D200.
Your recommendation weights a lot here.
The only problem is that from past experience we know that whenever Nikon announces the availability of a new camera it still takes months before you can actually get hold of one. They are too popular. Oh well.
Much as I like Nikon film cameras, I prefer the color of Canon digital cameras. It's another of those Kodacrome, Ektachrome, Bumperchrome things.
I expect to retire my Nikon soon for a digital camera. It is just too hard to find good photo processing anymore.
Fred
Ordered!
Good for you. I have a good feeling about this one.
I know! It's cool.
Ten years ago I'd have killed for it.
Luckily I didn't have to kill anything. :)
nikon d80 review
SDHC performance test using Nikon D80
So TTL, what's it like?
$899 with 18-55 lens. Almost in reach. (Wolf Camera, physical store)
I held this and a D60 alongside a Sony Alpha last night.
The Alpha seemed spartan, but probably has all I "need".
The D60 just sat too small in my hand, though I'd like the smaller unit for toting around.
The D80 had the right heft, clean display and so on. One thing though, the focus indicators in the viewfinder were black rectangle, unlike the D60's red lit ones. I almost missed them on a darker subject, maybe the D60 is the way to go.
Two things:
Make sure you get the new lens with VR (vibration reduction).
And be aware that the D80 will probably be replaced soon. Get it on offer at least.
We only talked about VR lenses, so that will happen.
I have a purchase date of mid September in mind, so I may see the price drop.
I may buy on-line.
I love it! But keep in mind that before this, my first and only digicam was a Sony Cybershot P1. So, don't ask me to compare the D80 to other cameras or anything.
But with that being said, it does produce consistently surprisingly high quality images. I still haven't quite gotten over how good the images look. And how easy it is to snap them.
Almost no accessories are included in the kit. You wan't to use the camera from AC (rather than battery)? The cord has to be ordered separately. You want to fire the camera from a distance? The simple remote controller is extra, etc. At least the USB cable and the charger comes standard.
I like how the camera feels in hand. Not too big, not too small. You can not monitor from the LCD, which is a bit of a disappointment. But for everything else the LCD works beautifully.
I use Apple's Aperture now. Transfering photos from the camera to Aperture is very easy. All metadata gets transferred automatically, and working with the photos there is a breeze.
I can't really find anything to fault in the D80. Of course, if I could afford the D3, I wouldn't think twice about getting it (I'm not one of those "I'm not a pro so I can not buy a nice camera" people ;-) But for my budget, for the time being, the D80 is ideal.
At least one of the three I looked at could do live preview, but at the expense of longer shutter delay - the auto focus/metering required the mirror down, and of course the live view and exposure need the mirror up.
I wonder if the D80 can be controlled by a PC for say stop motion animation.
Thanks for the update...
I think the D3 can do live preview, but I am not aware that this one could. I'll experiment.
Tethered operation (from a PC) I understand is possible. At least when using Nikon's own software.
Camera Labs' video review of the D80.
Love it!
And I haven't gotten further than a pile of cuddly toys on a nightstand.
I like the feedback for focus in the viewfinder, my glasses are always greasy, or flexed out of true by the eyepiece of the camera, so I have given up trusting my eyes for focus.
I found that the viewfinder lights up red, so I can see where the focus is when in the dark.
The focus assist light is "too bright" according to my son when I tried to "shoot" him. I turned it on myself, and could see what he was getting at.
D-Light, great, the details it can bring out. All good fun.
Somehow I got into a mode where 1/400th was the fastest shutter speed. Not sure how I got back to the real one.
Got the 18-55 with IS, will add the 55-200? later for $250 ish.
Anyone interested in a lightly used Pentax ZX-L SLR?
I have the corresponding Canon lenses, and they are amazingly good.
You could try, in dim light, to aim the focus light at the belly of people, hold down the shutter release to half to lock the focus, and reframe.
Post a Comment