Nikon D80
£500.00
| Photo answers rating |
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| Owners' rating |
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The Nikon D80 is quite simply the best D-SLR on the market for the enthusiast photographer. Nikon’s eleventh D-SLR offers a resolution of 10 megapixels and a great price all in a comfortable and easy-to-use body.
Photo answers review
Photo answers rating
Features & handling
Aimed at Nikon’s core target audience of enthusiasts and pros, the D80 has plenty to offer. It’s the first mid-price D-SLR to offer 10.2 megapixels, which will be a major attraction to many photographers.
One area of debate though is the choice of card formats. While the budget D50 and majority of compacts accept SD cards, the rest of Nikon’s D-SLR range uses CF cards.
Both the D50 and D70s lack the availability of an additional battery pack/vertical grip but Nikon has learnt from this and designed the MB-D80. Available separately, it accepts two EN-EL3a batteries or six AAs to give you extra power and improve the handling of the camera, particularly when shooting in the portrait format.
The design is always ergonomic and makes perfect sense while taking pictures. At roughly the same size as the D50, the D80 has a solid feel about it and is very comfortable to use in the field. There are two input dials (good news for those who shoot in manual mode), the LCD light control is now on the on/off switch just as on Nikon’s professional range and there’s a new AF button on the top-plate that gives you control over the autofocus modes.
The large 2.5in screen is great for getting a good look at your pictures and comes with a high quality cover to prevent it getting scratched. In summary Nikon has done a great job with designing the D80. It’s got the balance just right, making the camera suitable for both first-time D-SLR users and those who have been using SLRs for years.
Performance
The metering is spot-on most of the time and will consistently produce accurate exposures. The D80 now offers a lower resolution than either the D50 or D70s rated at ISO 100. This setting is much more suited for many applications and the results are simply fantastic. Noise throughout the ISO range is minimal and doesn’t stand out too much at all. Even at the highest setting of Hi-1 (ISO 1600 +1) noise is well controlled, allowing you to get a fairly decent 6x4in print from it.
Verdict
Nikon has high hopes for this camera and in our opinion it’s a hope well founded. You couldn’t ask much more from the handling, the performance is top-notch and it produces results that are better than most users will even need. The price is good, giving you a really solid photography solution.
Product Specification
| Weight/size (WxHxD) |
585g/132x103x77mm |
| Effective resolution |
10.2MP |
| Lens mount |
Nikon F |
| Focal length conversion |
1.5x |
| Aspect ratio |
3:2 |
| LCD monitor size |
2.5in |
| File formats |
JPEG, RAW |
| Card type |
CF |
| Exposure modes |
Auto, program, aperture-priority, shutter-priority and manual, plus six subject modes |
| Metering modes |
3D color matrix II, centre-weighted and spot |
| Autofocus |
11-point |
| ISO range |
100-1600 (+ 3200) |
| Battery type |
1x EN-EL3a |
| Software supplied |
Picture Project |
| Start-up time |
Less than 1 second |
| Write times |
1.8 seconds (JPEG), 2.5 seconds (RAW) |
| Shutter speed range |
30 seconds to 1/4000sec + Bulb |
| Flash sync |
1/200sec |
| Continuous shooting speed |
3fps for 100 JPEGs or 6 RAWs |
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Resently upgraded from Manual focus Nikon and as expected superb optical and build quality and I am pleased to recommend to anyone wishing to buy a DSLR. Nice one Nikon!
(Written by: Ady M)
03 August 2008 16:58
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I've had my D80 for a year and it's still a joy to use. I spent ages comparing the Nikon to the Canon and in the end it came down to how comfortable the grip was. Most features are just a button away, no having to root through the menu unless you absolutely want to.
(Written by: Eddie26769)
06 July 2008 09:37
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I had a canon 350d before i bought the d80 and its amazing, the 350d felt like a cheap toy after using the d80 for a few days,
(Written by: Cowboy)
19 June 2008 08:11
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just fantastic.
how could you ever use a Canon after this baby!
love it
(Written by: snapper036)
08 March 2008 11:41
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Fantastic camera.
(Written by: olebern)
07 March 2008 21:03
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The D80 is a top camera, whether its your back up or your primary.
Performance wise, its right there with better, more expensive cameras and I have never had a problem any time I have used it.
Value is a bit more of a touchy subject, some would say its too expensive for a semi-pro dslr but I am a great believer in getting whay you pay for, even as a converted Canon user and the D80 does not disappoint.
Build is very solid and strong for the price, especially with the battery extension attached it gives a much more quality feeling during its use.
Features are all there, many of the same as the D200 and it has fullfilled anything I have chucked at it!
Overall it gets my highest recommendation for the price.
(Written by: rossmatthews)
22 February 2008 15:13
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Having used my friends D70 and got totaly hooked i decided to upgrade from my Olympus compact to a DSLR but by the time i had saved up the cash the D80 was availiable. This is a great easy to use camera and apart from the creaky memory card door i can't fault it. For a long time i was stuck on the preset features but soon realised the potential of all the great manual features offered by this camera and thanks to digital photo magazine i'm trying new projects each month.
(Written by: FAWLEYDAN)
20 February 2008 10:33
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Excellent noise control... pin-sharp in results.. spot-on handling.. great features.. im not going to sweet anymore.. if you dont belive... get it and enjoy it.. you wont be disappointed..
(Written by: bart.hoga)
15 February 2008 21:36
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Excellent features and build quality at a reasonable price. The best thing about it is the handling. Everything is right where you want it and all the menus are very intuitive. Love it.
(Written by: Nevzammit)
13 February 2008 13:02
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I have 2 D80, both have been in to service whit fails, they are only 1½ year old so next time it´s Canon!
(Written by: SeanBodin)
12 February 2008 17:25