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Overall Rating
4 Star Review
Reviewed by: aldewitt
Updated:06-13-08
Duration of ownership:9 Months
Strengths: camera feels good in hand, not too heavy, fast powerup, lots of menu features, vari-programs excellent for novice
Weaknesses: Metering, autofocus problems in low light, durability, LCD can't be relied upon for exposure, underpowered flash
Overall Evaluation: While I am overall satisifed with my D80, there are a few systemic problems with this camera that new buyers need to be aware of. First, there are some cameras that may come with hot pixels in the image sensor. Every single photo will have a glitch in it if you get one of these. The metering tends to be overexpose a lot of things. The camera has so many options that it is easy to set them and forget you've set them. The on-camera flash is not very powerful. You need an SB-800 or SB-600 if you intend to do serious flash work.All that said, the camera is an amazing piece of work. It takes great photos, feels good in your hand, and works well with the Nikon and Tamron lenses. If you're not familiar with photography, it's probably not the right entry-level camera for you. On the other hand, if you have a basic understanding then the vari-program modes (close up, landscape, sports action, etc.) provide a means for you to get very good pictures without knowing a lot of the camera jargon.Magic Lantern and Blue Crane Digital both put out guides for the camera (ML is printed, BCD is video). A novice user will want to acquire these.
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Overall Rating
4 Star Review
Reviewed by: sig538
Updated:02-19-08
Duration of ownership:
Strengths: Large LCD, crystal clear viewfinder, very easy to use, battery life.
Weaknesses: No auto turn off function.
Overall Evaluation: Bought this dSLR (my first) after months of research. Wanted to make the step up from P&S for years but never had the money. As a guy with fairly large hands, I found this the most comfortable dSLR under $1000 and that was a big factor in my selection (didn't want something I hated holding!!). Have had the D80 now for 2 weeks and have taken at least 50 pictures a day...I even left it on over night last night, and I have yet to recharge the battery. As someone who travels alot that is a big plus. After taking the time (prior to purchase) of understanding the basics of SLR shooting, I found the D80 very easy to use right out of the box.Would recommend this camera!!
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Overall Rating
5 Star Review
Reviewed by: jclay1967
Updated:12-27-07
Duration of ownership:
Strengths: Easy of UseGreat Pictures
Weaknesses: None yet
Overall Evaluation: I have been using point and shoot cameras since I learned how to use a SLR on my Olympus OM-1 which has been almost 20 years. So, I am a little rusty, but wanting to learn again as well as be able to take great pictures immediately...The D80 fits the bill perfectly. In just 14 days, I have taken over 200 photos and boy what a difference over my previous cameras!!! Yes, I might have gotten by with a D40x, but I love my new D80.
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Overall Rating
5 Star Review
Reviewed by: ltwiss
Updated:11-27-07
Duration of ownership:
Strengths: I really like my Nikon/ great camera
Weaknesses: none
Overall Evaluation: Will any Nikon lens from film camara fit this digital camara? I have a N70 Nikon/ I want to go digital, with out having to buy all new lens also?
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Overall Rating
5 Star Review
Reviewed by: sgtdisturbed47
Updated:10-27-07
Duration of ownership:3 Weeks
Strengths: Many settings, strong build, great ergonomics, big 2.5" screen, 10.2 MP, meter is extremely accurate, wireless flash commander mode, bright viewfinder.
Weaknesses: Battery life could be a bit better. Plan on getting a vertical battery grip.
Overall Evaluation: I bought this camera refurbished from Adorama. I have to say, it doesn't look or feel refurbished. Looks brand new, feel brand new. Amazing how Nikon reconditions their cameras. Flawless.This is my 2nd Nikon DSLR. My first was a D50. The D50 suited me pretty well, but I had grown with it and beyond it. I had to sell the D50 anyway. The D80 has settings and functionality that the D50 lacked, like a commander mode for wireless flash and exposure delay (so mirror slap doesn't cause blurring), among many other settings. Oh and the top LCD lights up too using the power switch. Very useful for night-time shooting.This is an amazing camera. I learned so much from my D50, so I can only imagine how much more I will learn now that I have a more capable camera.Oh and the meter is spot-on. Turned to Aperture Priority and having Matrix Metering on, just about every shot is perfect. If I need more light, I just change exposure using the top Exposure button to either brighter or darker. that simple. For more complex artsy shots, it's not hard to get them right the first or 2nd time. If you can imagine it, this camera will let you do it easily. That's what it's all about, having tools to make art easier. If you've got "the eye", this camera will allow you to take amazing pictures. I suggest pairing this camera with a Nikon 18-70mm and a 70-300mm VR. Better image results than the 18-200mm and better range. Great lenses for a great camera.
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Overall Rating
5 Star Review
Reviewed by: Jaguar07
Updated:09-12-07
Duration of ownership:33 Days
Strengths: Full featured, tack sharp imagery, excellent accessories.
Weaknesses: First unit I received was defective from the factory.
Overall Evaluation: I initially ordered this camera as a replacement for a Nikon D40X. The first unit I ordered arrived defective from the store. I had a terrible ordeal with that unit specifically. I purchased the 2nd D80 from Buydig.com I love my Nikon D80, it's fast, responsive, and has settings for even the most discriminating Prosumer. This camera produces consistently tack sharp images in the most strenuous conditions, without fail. I often work outdoors under low light and create images of fast moving objects. This camera does what I need and more.
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Overall Rating
5 Star Review
Reviewed by: heffalump
Updated:01-14-07
Duration of ownership:4 Months
Strengths: Quality and a plethora of features. Fun to use!
Weaknesses: Plastic eye piece shutter is a pain.
Overall Evaluation: Although I've owned and used Nikon gear for years, this is my one and only DSLR, and I'm happy to own one. All the detail and options are laid out well on the easy to read LCD. The camera has multiprograms that are easy to use. It also has an extensive customisation menu, and a retouch menu for on camera editding after the shot. I'm very impressed with the fast .18 sec start up time and only 80ms shutter lag.
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Overall Rating
5 Star Review
Reviewed by: jgallman
Updated:12-31-06
Duration of ownership:
Strengths: Most of the same features as the D200 without all the cost. When Shooting Raw + JPG user can select the quality of JPG being saved. Some in camera editing options exist.
Weaknesses: Built in Flash not high enough to avoid shadows on longer zoom lens. Upgrading from a D70 means investment in SD flash cards to replace compact flash cards. Navigating the menus takes time to master.
Overall Evaluation: Having owned a D70 for over 2 years I found myself drawn to upgrade to one of the newer 10.2MP cameras. With the 6.1MP D70, 11x14 was the maximum picture print I could produce that was suitable for framing. I expect to be able to go larger with the D80. I already own a Nikon SB600 flash, so the issue noted in weaknesses above is moot. If you've shot with a Nikon DSLR previously this easy enough to pick right up and use, though there is definitely a step up in available features including some in-camera editing options. I prefer to run my do my editing on the computer using a variety of programs, but some people may appreciate being able to do some of this on the fly. If you're finally moving from a Nikon SLR setup to DSLR the D80 will not disappoint. Consider the D200 if you're hard on your equipment.
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Overall Rating
5 Star Review
Reviewed by: jackm2211
Updated:12-13-06
Duration of ownership:1 Months
Strengths: 10 Megapixel; large 2.5" screen; V.clear LCD; ability to control 2 speedlites; larger view finder (closer to film one); ability to use with Nikon made battery pack (MB-D80); In-camera image adjustment
Weaknesses: Flash sync speed only upto 1/200 sec (D70 has upto 1/500 sec); Plastic made (unlike the D200)
Overall Evaluation: Before I bought, I needed this camera for its 10 megapixel capability. I want to take picture from a stage that quite far away even with 70-200mm. I need to crop the picture so much, so with a lot pixel, I would get the crop I want. After I have got the camera, I found that this camera is my jewel!!! I like it very much. I has a large 2.5" screen that I can use to view my picture after I took and decide right away if I want to keep it or delete it. I can even zoom into the picture almost definitely to see very detail in the picture. With a small screen , I would have a hard time to make up my mind. In-camera image adjustment is another big plus. I do not know what other people think about this, but for me I love it since I usually do post image processing and adjustment in computer. With this, I do not have to waste my time in computer again. If you like vivid and sharp picture, this function is for you. The battery life is very good, too. Consider buy this with MB-D80 for even longer life. I still have the D70s with me, but it is getting harder and harder to find a chance to use the D70s...
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Overall Rating
5 Star Review
Reviewed by: robsf23
Updated:11-16-06
Duration of ownership:30 Days
Strengths: Hi res sharp pictures, great color, lots of customizible menu items, fast AF, very low noise
Weaknesses: RAW processing software extra, no built-in sensor dust remover, no built-in sensor image stabilization like competition
Overall Evaluation: This is my very first DSLR but I've owned a film SLR (canon)and "point and shoot" digital cameras (Canon A30, Canon G3, and Casio EX750) for many years. I wanted to wait to buy a DSLR until the MP count was in double digits and the price was right (under $1,000). So in Septemeber there were 3 10MP models that came out almost simultaneously! So I was faced with deciding among the Canon XTi, Sony Alpha, and Nikon D80. All 3 have different features and pros and cons. All 3 are major industry players with great reputations. So why did I choose the Nikon D80? Well, I'll explain below...I will not get technical in my review. You can find plenty of reviews on the web with tech specs and test results. Instead, I'll give my impression of the camera, why I chose this model, why you should consider this model, and how it worked for me so far. I purchaed the D80 BODY only and used a 3rd party lens (Tamron 17-50mm f2.8) on my review.Even though the Sony has a built in (sensor) image stabilization and the Canon a built in sensor dust (shake) removal system, I didn't think those (major) features on each model made a difference for me. Also those 2 models cost about $100 cheaper than the D80. I wanted a DSLR with the best picture quality, excellent color reproduction, solid build, good ergonomics, good performance, and excellent overall quality. To me, the D80 fit those criteria. I'm sure the Sony and Canon are also great DSLR cameras and many people will love using them. But based on the research, reviews I read, and sample photos I saw, the Nikon D80 had the slight edge in meeting my criteria.The D80 also has post processing features built in the camera like image correction - Dlighting for changing the contrast, brightness of an image. There are others correction tools as well. You can do these changes on a copy and the original is still intact. Nice feature, but most users would probably want to do their post processing on Photoshop. The D80 also has a nice slideshow feature (Picmotion) that you can show on a TV monitor. It uses the pan and zoom action on each photo and you can also select it to play with built in music. Nice feature but sometimes the contantly moving picture can give you a headache! So these features are unique to this Nikon DSLR. I don't believe any other current DSLR has these.I recently used the D80 (with the SB800 flash unit) at my cousin's wedding. The photos I captured came out great! I did get a few overexposed pictures (with flash) but that was user (my) error and not the camera's fault. I shot in RAW (NEF)+JPG. I plan to use the Photoshop RAW processing when it comes out for the D80 later this year. I also tried a RAW processing program called Bibble (trial version). It's works for the D80 and has some great RAW Processing commands. I will also TRY the Nikon CR software, but I have no plans on purchasing it. I'll stick with the PSCS2 CR version unless I find the other RAW proc programs superior.It's too bad Nikon doesn't include their Nikon Capture NX (raw processing) software with this camera. I end up using Adobe's (just released for D80) RAW plugin for CS2. The adobe software works very well with the NEF raw files. So you can save $175 by using Adobe's.Would I love to have the built in IS and dust removal? Would I love to pay $100 less? Get the RAW processing software included? Yes, yes, and yes! But those features will probably be standard features in all DSLR's in the next few years. The digital camera world is contantly changing and in 12-18 months there will be new models with more MP, more features, and cheaper prices. I find the D80 has the best PICTURE TAKING features, and I'm very happy with my Nikon D80.
