I reviewed the Sony A back in June a few days after its official European launch, and I took a look at the impressive Olympus E two weeks ago. The relative pricing of these competing cameras is interesting. Although in terms of size and weight the D80 is closer to the D50, in terms of specification, performance and overall feel it is closer to the D, something that will be welcomed by enthusiasts. Without its lens or battery the D80 weighs in at a chunky g, 30g more than the Sony A, 75g more than the Canon D and a massive g heavier than the Olympus E However the weight is well balanced and the camera feels reassuringly solid and steady.
Measuring x x 77mm the body is just a few millimetres larger than the D It has a plastic shell over what is presumably a magnesium alloy or aluminium frame, and as one might expect at this price level the build quality is superb. The battery hatch is metal, the card hatch has metal hinges and spring, and the connection ports and remote control connector are covered by tight-fitting dust proof rubber plugs.
While the D80 lacks the environmental seals of the D or the Pentax K10D, it is certainly tough enough to survive professional use outdoors. In operation the D80 feels superb.
The shutter release action is smooth and light, and the mirror action is quieter and smoother than either the E or the A The control interface is necessarily complex, combining as it does the high level of exposure control demanded by enthusiasts with some easy-to-use features for less advanced users, including a full-auto mode and a small selection of scene programs.
Compared to the wonderfully quick and intuitive monitor-based control interface of the Olympus E, the proliferation of multi-function buttons on the D80 is very complicated, and their layout seems almost random, with some of them very awkwardly placed. With practice of course this will become easier, but it would be daunting for an inexperienced user.
It has a manually-activated backlight, but even so I found that some of the symbols were quite small and difficult to make out in dim light. The data readout in the viewfinder is limited but useful, showing the exposure settings, flash status, shots remaining and exposure compensation level. The pentaprism-type viewfinder itself is excellent, with approximately 95 per cent coverage and optional superimposed grid lines. It is very clear and bright with a nice big focusing screen and dioptre adjustment.
The D70's mm kit lens was unusually excellent for a kit lens when it debuted. But the D80's kit lens adds unprecedented versatility to the excellence equation, with a focal length of mm, equivalent to a It used to take two lenses to cover this range, but now a single, relatively small lens covers the entire range of 7. I think 10x gives most users just what they want in terms of capturing all that their mind's eye can conceive without a lens, but 7. Sure, it would be better optically to have the excellent mm VR lens, but that weighs more and costs several hundred dollars more than this new kit lens.
Build quality of the is very tight, and it's only a little longer than the mm. Far reaching. The D80's kit lens completes a compelling package that is currently unrivaled at this price point.
This non-cheap kit lens has a long list of fine features, including ED glass, a silent wave motor SWM , digital-specific design DX , a rounded seven-blade diaphragm for smoother bokeh, manual adjustment after AF in AF-S mode, and it focuses as close as However, the D80's master flash control capabilities have been markedly improved, with an expanded Commander mode.
Whereas the D70 could only control one group of remote or slave flashes using its built-in strobe, and couldn't add its own flash to the exposure, the Nikon D80 can control up to two groups of SB and SB flashes in addition to contributing to the scene. Slight reshuffle. Swapping the White balance and ISO buttons allowed the zoom out button to maintain its ability to zoom out to a thumbnail view, while joining the Zoom in button in a more logical position.
In short, the D80 has more complete access to Nikon's Creative Lighting system than any of Nikon's consumer-level cameras to date.
See the Flash section under the Exposure tab for more on the improved flash capabilities in the D Candids become even more fun when you have confidence that your camera is getting what you want, and the large LCD helps build that confidence though more so without the screen cover in place.
Continuous mode used to be on the back beneath the mode dial, but this positioning makes a lot more sense, because I can be looking at the Status LCD as I watch the setting change. AF mode used to be limited to a menu item where you could switch between AF-Single and AF-Continuous, but it's such a common item it really should be adjustable via a button within sight of the Status LCD, and now on the D80 it is. Pressing the button cycles through three options instead of two, including AF-A, which detects subject motion and changes from AF-Single to AF-Continuous when something starts moving.
I found that particularly beneficial in an amusement park, where there's an assortment of subjects that change from static to dynamic at random. For shots where I figured the camera would guess wrong, I switched it back to Single or Continuous with a few presses of the AF button.
Top deck. Simple button additions and relocations make on-the-fly adjustments much easier. Particularly welcome is the AF mode button. The Nikon D80 made all the necessary AF decisions very quickly, which allowed me the versatility to take the shot or else release and half-press the shutter again for another pass.
The D80 would always choose the center point on that second pass, which I could use if I wasn't happy with its first AF point selection. The Nikon representative told me that was a feature designed into the D I'm curious to see whether it will make it into the production unit, because it seems like a good idea. When faced with subject elements all at close to the same focal distance though, it would frequently choose slightly different sets of AF points on successive actuations.
We also found that we could get the camera to focus on a subject closer to the camera that was more on the edge of the frame just by slightly moving the frame towards that subject a little. This was sometimes handy for getting the camera to select an off-center subject for its AF, but I personally prefer to manually select AF points in such situations. On that bright, HOT, summer day, I found I needed to use fill flash a lot, and the onboard flash was happy to oblige.
I just pressed the flash button on the left side of the lens housing and turned the front mode dial. Here's where the screen protector induced more adjustments than were necessary, which I didn't find out until I got back to the computer. That's smart use of digital technology. The Nikon D80 has the usual complement of scene modes, called Vari-program settings, but I seldom use them on any camera, save for night modes. Like other leading SLRs, the Nikon D80 can simulate a number of common filters that are traditionally used with black and white film.
While reviewing these modes, it would have been nicer if the settings weren't buried so deeply in the menu, but once you know what effect you're looking for, you won't mind so much. Like other offerings from Canon and Olympus, you can also tint the images you capture. Taking it further. Physical controls on the top include the power switch, shutter release, exposure compensation button, and mode buttons for adjusting metering, shooting, and autofocus. Other notable buttons include the ones sitting to the left of the LCD monitor on the back of the camera.
These buttons allow the user to easily adjust ISO, white balance, image size, and quality. The front of the camera features the flash button, focus mode level, bracket mode button, and two unlabeled buttons. The first of the unlabeled buttons is a customizable function button, while the bottom is a depth of field preview button. Finally, there are three dials on the body — one controls the shutter speed, the second controls the aperture, and the third adjusts the mode.
For instance, the D80 features a 2. Brightness adjustment is available. The display itself offers up a nice clear view with a user-friendly interface. However, note that the monitor lacks any kind of anti-reflective coating, making it difficult to work with under bright conditions. A clip-on screen protector comes with the camera; whether or not you put it to use is a matter of personal preference.
Some users find that the screen protector results in unnecessary glare. Also included is a pentaprism viewfinder with 0.
I'm talking about cameras and sensors, not software! I went to the sample photos in the review and I am impressed. D40 still looks better than anything I took with a d I wonder where could be the CCD sensor technology now if development for it didn't stopped. CMOS is just a better solution for general photography.
I bought a old d in ! It was my first camera and i was very happy with results. My first "serious about photography" camera? Three AF points was mind-blowing back then. As were 5 fps and spot metering, coming from a Rebel S II. Fantastic camera with which I learned oh so much and, eventually, created pictures I'm proud of to this day. My first serious camera was an EOS My dad was very jealous of that camera.
It was still working until about five years ago. Beautifully made camera, so nice to handhold. And, you're right, sometimes that single central AF point is all you need! Carey, i still have my EOS - it's mint, and like new. Works with flying colors. Only thing got broken within the years - the Eyecup. Unfortuntely, haven't found exactly the same more square but then i've put the Canon Eb as replacement on it - works perfectly.
I could never afford a EOS 3 back then. It's awesome to hear about all these old cameras, especially that are still making images today! Cheers, everyone. Is it worth the hefty price tag? We take a look at the Cine, the high-end model in this series. The Nikon Z9 is the company's first camera to feature a stacked CMOS sensor, which brings a raft of new features, including blazing speed and autofocus performance to the Z lineup.
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Gordon Laing is back at it again with another Retro Review. In this episode, Laing goes back 25 years to provide an in-depth overview of Nikon's unique Coolpix camera, which was half compact camera, half PDA. The adapter includes optics to help offset the crop factor of APS-C cameras. OM Digital Solutions — the company that's bought the Olympus imaging division — has just launched the M.
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The latest report has been released. This second-generation 50mm F1. Submit a News Tip! Reading mode: Light Dark. Login Register. Best cameras and lenses. Now reading: Throwback Thursday: the Nikon D80 comments. Ten megapixels ought to be enough for anybody. After finally getting my hands on one, the D80 quickly became my constant companion, accompanying me on a six week trip to Nepal in I wish I had brought a faster lens, though.
Nikon AF-S mm F3. Photo by Carey Rose Years later, my dad found himself with a D, and I found myself borrowing the D80 for the beginning photojournalism class I'd signed up for. I still see people raving about the color and tonality of older CCD sensors, and in good light, the D80 did well in this regard even at moderately high ISO values. Shame about the very clipped highlights, though.
Nikon AF-D mm F2. Photo by Carey Rose As a photojournalism student in northern Washington state in the winter time, there wasn't an abundance of great light The concert venues in Bellingham didn't always have the best lighting, either. Photo by Carey Rose Okay, so these days the D80 doesn't really hold up as an ideal action or low light camera. The D80 was even there for when I photographed my first wedding.
Photo by Carey Rose I don't really need the D80 these days to be honest, but I hold onto it as a fun camera to go out with every so often. Nikon AF-S 35mm F1. Photo by Carey Rose Nikon D80 review sample gallery. Tags: nikon , throwback-thursday. We are retrieving offers for your location, please refresh the page to see the prices. View Comments Comments All Muskokaphotog Nostalgia runs deep with old tech.
I loved it - also had the 2. Mr Bolton First serious film camera: , Pentax SP, which I still have and it still shoots, although the meter's pretty wonky.
GeraldW Well, you asked for my first serious camera. Asgeirnorway The D50 was my first.
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