My Nikon D80 review (4 Viewers)

[Sir William]

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/202174/nikon_d80_emerges_as_top_digital_singlelens.html

Let me know what you think or your thoughts on the D80 if you've used it.

Thanks!

 

[oldgiteggy]

Convinces me to opt for the D80 over the EOS 30D. Thanks

 

[Jaff]

Steven if you can afford a 30D get that instead. I own a D80 and it is a great camera and I'm happy with it but the 30D is quite simply better and at £594 body only on warehouseexpress (that's incl. the cashback offer) it's not that much more money and you then have access to Canon's range of lenses which are the best around.

I can tell you quite truthfully had I known the prices of the 30D would've come this low I'd have waited and got it instead.
Jaff

BTW Good review Sir William, well presented without too much technical stuff, which can get boring.

 

[kinnordyvolunteer]

nikon D80

I took the plunge 7 weeks ago and bought a D80 and am very pleased with it. It was the first step for me from compact digital to digital slr, so i didn't have anything to compare it with. I did my homework and looked around and asked the staff in different camera shops.

I ended up getting mine from jessops on-line. It was £50 cheaper than in-store, ordered it on-line, but picked it up from the high street store, where they took it off the shelf!! Best to shop around.
A good camera and i'm sure i'm going to have a great time with it.

 

[Duke Leto]

it's not that much more money and you then have access to Canon's range of lenses which are the best around.

Jaff there are quite a few people who may question that statement.

BTW this years wildlife photographer awards were dominated by Nikon with a few Canon winners Is the proof in the pudding?


B o

 

[Vectis Birder]

I have a D80 and love it. I had a D70 before that and the D80 is, in my opinion, a better camera, great though the D70 was.

 

[pe'rigin]

I think both cameras are good.

Canon got it right with the 30D, super camera, and better value for money than later Canon models.

Nikon, as they are prone to, nearly got it right with the D80.

Each has an advantage over the other; with Canon you have access to a wide range of lenses, are they any better than Nikon’s? Not really. Having said that, the one lens, which is ideal for bird photography, is their 500mm F4 IS. Nikon have yet to wake up to the impact of this little beauty. (And no, it’s not any sharper than Nikon’s 500mm, just more flexible).

Of the two cameras, you pick and choose which salient point is relevant to you, for me the extra pixels in the Nikon are a huge advantage. I require large original files, but other people’s requirement will be less demanding.

 

[Tannin]

Er .... pe'rigin, I defy you to tell the difference in image quality between an 8MP DSLR and a 10MP DSLR. And I'm not just mouthing off here: I own both, and use both regularly. All things considered, my 20Ds take better pictures than my 400D does. There is more to life than megapixels.

 

[pe'rigin]

Morning Tannin,

Totally agree about your comments on megapixel, but, I spend most of my working day trying to explain to clients about their images, what they can and can't do with them.

For what I do, 2 million extra pixels would be vital in certain instances. It's not so vital for other people. I have to have professional results on a daily basis.

And yes I can tell the difference in quality for my type of work.

 

[Keith Reeder]

BTW this years wildlife photographer awards were dominated by Nikon with a few Canon winners Is the proof in the pudding

It's usually the other way round in a big way, Steve - maybe the judges were feeling sorry for Nikon this time?



As to "proof of the pudding": being absolutely honest and objective here, I see far more sharp, in focus, well exposed pictures - in the BF gallery and elsewhere - taken on Canon cameras than on Nikons. Have a look for yourself.

 

[Keith Reeder]

with Canon you have access to a wide range of lenses, are they any better than Nikon’s? Not really.

I think I'd argue with that - the big difference to me is the number of lenses Canon do with stabilisation (IS). In that sense alone, Canon's lens range is "better" than Nikon's.

 

[bkrownd]

My gripes with the D80 are probably pretty standard DSLR shortcomings. Off the top of my head:

Default "focus priority" behavior in AF-S stinks.
Tendency for autofocus to lock onto bright background bokeh. (or perhaps it just gives up and shoots to maximum/minimum, I'm not sure)
Buttons require too much pressure to operate.
Buttons are too spread out on the back - all buttons should be within thumb-reach with your hand in its normal shooting grip position.
Having to reach across the screen to use image review buttons (zoom, etc) is very silly.
Overly bulky DSLR size body.
The lens release button is on the wrong side of the lens, making lens changes awkward.

Nevertheless, it was the best set of compromises available at the time.

Sadly, life isn't perfect...you just gotta "make do"...

 

[Duke Leto]

It's usually the other way round in a big way, Steve - maybe the judges were feeling sorry for Nikon this time?



As to "proof of the pudding": being absolutely honest and objective here, I see far more sharp, in focus, well exposed pictures - in the BF gallery and elsewhere - taken on Canon cameras than on Nikons. Have a look for yourself.

Keith, not gonna be dragged down that thread again ) I've made my bed and I'll lay in it..............financially I'll have to stick with Nikon until the lottery numbers come up and then I'll take the best of both.............

Hoping all our pictures are sharp and in focus


Steve

 

[pe'rigin]

Morning Keith,

That really was the point I was making, Canon's range is extensive compared to Nikon's, which makes Canon a very attractive combination with a range of cameras to suit all budgets. But, saying that I would still take Nikon's 105mm, 70-200mm, 300mm, 400mm F2.8's VR's anytime over the Canon's equivalent.

 

[Vectis Birder]

My gripes with the D80 are probably pretty standard DSLR shortcomings. Off the top of my head:

Default "focus priority" behavior in AF-S stinks.
Tendency for autofocus to lock onto bright background bokeh. (or perhaps it just gives up and shoots to maximum/minimum, I'm not sure)

I agree, the AF can be a major pain in the backside, I find myself reverting to MF for birds.

I disagree with the other gripes, though. The buttons are not a problem for me and I just use my left fingers to operate the lens release, image review and zoom buttons.

 

[bkrownd]

I disagree with the other gripes, though. The buttons are not a problem for me and I just use my left fingers to operate the lens release, image review and zoom buttons.

I've always got my left hand on the lens to support the lens barrel (most of the mass) and operate the VR and AF/MF controls and manual focus and zoom rings. On my FZ7 I can operate all the controls with my right thumb without changing my grip at all, which is incredibly fast and convenient.

Here's an another annoyance I just encountered this weekend - the file naming system only goes up to 10000 photos. After DSC_9999 it goes back to DSC_0001. I haven't been able to look through the manual yet...is there a way to change how it names the files?

 

[Jaff]

Sorry I've not been on in a while to see what's been going on. I fear I've whacked a metaphorical wasps nest and agree with all above, each to his own and let the pictures do the talking.

To explain myself though I didn't actually mean image quality in Canon lenses was better than Nikon but that Canon have a greater range and more potential, as pe'rigin said. I mean there is no getting round the fact that more Canon lenses have IS than Nikon and while there are many great lenses available I don't think Nikon have as of yet produced the defintive affordable lens that every Nikon owner aspires to own. For the most part they all have slight drawbacks. Examples, the 80-400mm no SWM, the 300mm F4 no VR as with other prime lenses. This has been pointed out countless times before so i'll just say this last thing once again, if I'd have known the 30D would've come down in price so much I'd have got that instead, probs with the one of the 300mm zooms (last time I checked there were 6 of them! Too many me thinks!).

Regards all.
Jaff

 

[bkrownd]

I agree, the AF can be a major pain in the backside, I find myself reverting to MF for birds.

I've never been able to judge focus well enough to do manual, and I'm not a third as fast as the AF when it does work . Sometimes I'm torn between going manual to get a faster fuzzy ID shot (sometimes a fuzzy ID shot isn't even adequate), and staying with AF to get better focus.

One thing I'd love to see on the camera is a focus button that allows you to control direction of focus in/out. I frequently have the problem that the AF keeps stepping focus in the wrong direction, then goes all the way out/in before going back in the right direction. I know which way it should go, but the camera decides something in the foreground/background is more interesting.

 

[Vectis Birder]

One thing I'd love to see on the camera is a focus button that allows you to control direction of focus in/out. I frequently have the problem that the AF keeps stepping focus in the wrong direction, then goes all the way out/in before going back in the right direction. I know which way it should go, but the camera decides something in the foreground/background is more interesting.

Yes, that's exactly the problem I find with it. It drives me up the wall when photographing birds as it frequently tries to focus on something else which is annoying in the extreme. That's when I end up reverting to MF - I have to say that, for me, the results with MF are mostly good.

 

[bkrownd]

One thing I'd love to see on the camera is a focus button that allows you to control direction of focus in/out.

After reading your reply I notice that I meant but did not type "an directional autofocus button that allows you to control autofocus adjustments stepping in the desired direction in/out." |:$|