Print This Page
Customers most agreed on the following attributes:
from Northeast Wisconsin on 7/14/2008
I bought the D80 thinking that it would replace our film SLRs. But digital is still not perfect. The high ISO capability is great in a church which prohibits flash, and the ability to switch ISO ratings is like having several film choices. But the dynamic range is not nearly equal to that of film. When shooting people in shade near water, the water and sky are white, as the sensor in the D80 can't pick up the shade and bright background as well as film.
[1 of 1 customers found this review helpful]
from Lincolnton, NC on 11/14/2007
This is my first DSLR and the pictures have been fantastic. The D40 was too small in my hands and the D200 too much camera. My wife liked the scenery settings also.I purchased this camera with the 18-200 VR lens
Images shared by: smoorencPumpkins
Tags: Made with Product
Stream in Waynesville, NC
Tags: Made with Product
[1 of 2 customers found this review helpful]
from Hudson, NC on 10/12/2007
Great size/weight for travel work even with MB-80 battery pack. Fast focusing and shooting. The use of SDHC cards is a plus ... 4GB cards are a must!
I love it. I have two.
Fall Waterfall
Green Swirl
[1 of 1 customers found this review helpful]
from Israel on 7/26/2007
I've had my camera for a couple of weeks now and I'm very pleased! It replaces my D70 that got stolen, and it's definitely an improvement. The big, bright LCD and the bigger viewfinder are great! I love the colors that come straight out of the camera (after cranking up saturation in the camera) and I already shot many great pictures. Very easy to use and very easy to take great pictures with.
Images shared by: HayeTel Aviv, Yafo (With 18-70 mm DX)
Tags: Made with Product, Using Product
Roses (With 18-70 mm DX)
Tags: Made with Product, Using Product
[2 of 2 customers found this review helpful]
from Algona, IA on 6/4/2007
This is my first Nikon. It was easy to learn the controls. The colors are vivid, details sharp. Lag time almost nonexistent.
[2 of 2 customers found this review helpful]
Nikon D80 was a huge upgrade from my old F80 film camera! I was very proud owning an F80, but I had to go digital. This model makes a huge difference if you're looking for quality, sharp photos. I loved the fantastic focusing system and the b&w features. I didn't find anything yet to hate. I live in Brazil and my sister got it for me at [...], so I'd probably say that I hated to wait till it get here! I think D80 lacks some of the D200 features but it is great in the same way and it's cheaper. The auto functions are very easy to use for the beginners and the extra functions are just what the professionals needed.Buy it with SB-600 speedlite or go with the SB-800 model if you got some extra dollars.
[3 of 3 customers found this review helpful]
from Marquette, Michigan on 4/29/2007
Comfortable to hold, fast boot and recycle time, controls are easily within reach and custom options are superb. Only drawback is the seals and construction. I've had this unit nine months now and have had to clean the low pass three times. But I love everything else about it. In fact, with the money saved from not buying the D200 I was able to get another quality lens.
Images shared by: alacaman
Tags: Made with Product, Using Product
Tags: Made with Product, Using Product
[2 of 2 customers found this review helpful]
from San Jose, Ca on 3/26/2007
This is an awesome camera. It has all the features that you will need and want. I highly recommend it. I got the scandisk III SD 4 GB and the 2GB version. It will give you the fastest speed if you like to take continues shots.
[3 of 3 customers found this review helpful]
from San Jose, Costa Rica on 3/13/2007
Only problem I have found is that I have so much fun shooting, I carry it EVERYWHERE. When I shoot, I can quickly eat up a 1 GB chip (about 250 photos on Large Fine jpg setting). Once you start, you just can't stop.
I have blown up a very challenging contrast image to 24X30, no pixeling, no loss. Perfect
I slammed on the brakes & pulled out the camera
Tags: Made with Product, D80 18-135 DX lens
[2 of 2 customers found this review helpful]
from Fargo, ND on 3/1/2007
I was N50 user for several years, I tried other digital cameras before finding the Nikon D80. This is a very flexible camera, easy to learn and produces excellent pictures. I am quite happy indeed.
[2 of 2 customers found this review helpful]
from Nashville, TN on 2/19/2007
I am very pleased with this product. I have access to a Nikon D2Hs and D80 at work. I purchased this product because of reliability and quality of photos with work cameras. The number of accessories available for Nikon is also a plus.
[1 of 1 customers found this review helpful]
from Olympia, WA on 2/17/2007
I have the D70 and bought this as next step up. Having large hands I particularly like the optional MD-D80 grip.
[2 of 2 customers found this review helpful]
from Lewisville, TX on 2/15/2007
I bought two VR lenses to go with it, the 24-120mm and the 70-200mm. Super fast processor compared to the D50! Change that ISO and your low light volleyball pictures look great! Enjoying this camera.
[1 of 1 customers found this review helpful]
from Denver, CO on 2/13/2007
I owned a Nikon D70 before this and the D80 is a significant improvement.
[1 of 1 customers found this review helpful]
from Andover, MA on 2/12/2007
EXCELLENT "BANG-FOR-THE BUCK!"..Sold my D70 and my Olympus C5060 to get this body..Wish it still had the 500th/sec flash sync as my D70..Excellent LCD for reviewing pix/perusing menus..
[2 of 2 customers found this review helpful]
from [...] on 2/12/2007
having traded up from the D70 this is a great next step..I would reccomend that all users read Ken Rockwell set up for the D80. It takes all the guess work out how to use this camera
[1 of 1 customers found this review helpful]
from northeast Tennessee on 2/12/2007
I have been impressed with the D80 so far. I've only had it a little over a month, but I think it's going to work out well. I especially like the bigger LCD screen than the D70 has and the fact that you can zoom in to the pictures on the screen more than just one step. I do wish that the some of the controls were in the same location as on the D70; it is hard to get used to some controls doing different actions than I am accustomed to.
[4 of 4 customers found this review helpful]
from new hampshire on 2/12/2007
My biggest beef with this camera is its tendency to overexpose...But that's not news. In fact, I knew about it when I bought it. In pretty much every other way I'm completely satisfied. It's nice and lightweight and feature rich. For my purposes, I need the 10mpx resolution, however...the d80 fits in a strange niche between the d40 and the d200...as Ken Rockwell says, the d40 does most everything an average user would need, and if you need it to do more, just get the d200. Cost was an issue for me, though, so I went with the d80, and I've had no real regrets.
Conclusion: if cost is an issue, go with the d40 or a closeout d50 (I just got a great deal on one!), if you need the resolution and cost is an issue, the d80 is a great performer, very flexible, and you won't regret it. if cost isn't so much an issue, don't play around-go for the d200...it feels like driving a sportscar.
from Tulsa, OK on 2/12/2007
I love this camera. I use this camera for my portrait business and have used Nikon for 4 years now. Wouldn't use any other camera now. Love the low light capability and the ease of the controls. The only thing that I had an issue with at first was the flash synch was lower than my previous version but once I lowered the shutter speed to 200 (which is the flash sync) the darkness at the bottom of the frame went away and I am now getting great pictures. Would highly recommend this camera for novices and pros alike. Love it.
from Fairhope,Alabam on 2/12/2007
Nikon is my personal preference for cameras and camera accessories.The Nikon D-80 has met all
expectations and I have paired it with a Nikon 800 DX Flash.This is an excellent combination and if I had to replace for some unseen reason I would buy the same.
Brdge in Sevastopol Ukraine
Tags: Using Product
[1 of 1 customers found this review helpful]
from Orange Park, FL on 2/12/2007
This is my first digital and well worth the wait. What a great camera for just about any use. Great for taking shots of my wifes' paintings and for out door shots for her to paint.
from Durham, NC on 2/12/2007
Wanted to switch from an old film (N70) camera to digital. Opted for D80 due to usage of the camera (mostly family events and travel). This camera was chosen based on other reviews -> very satisfied.
Use of the old N70 has been significantly reduced to a mere 5%.
from Little Rock, AR on 2/8/2007
Finally! A digital SLR with pro features and great resolution for an amateur's price tag. I can't wait to get an underwater housing and try this camera on my next dive trip!
from Fayetteville, AR on 2/5/2007
I use as back up or second camera to my D200. It's size and weight are a big plus. Great photos.
from Belvidere, NJ on 2/5/2007
I love the camera, it takes great pictures, it does all kinds of neat things, I can use my old Nikon lenses (in manual, of course), or I can use it with the new auto lenses (I bought 2 to start). I love versatility! I used Nikon manual SLR cameras for years (FT2, F, FM2) so manual mode doesn't scare me, it's fun & challenging. I would hesitate recommending this camera to a rank amateur unless they realize that it is complex, that is how it does so much, but other than that is is perfect for anyone who wants to upgrade without going all the way to the full pro cameras like the D2X or D2Xs & can't quite afford the D200, like me.
[1 of 1 customers found this review helpful]
from St. Lucia on 2/5/2007
A lovely little camera that is excellent bang for the buck. You will not be disappointed.
[1 of 1 customers found this review helpful]
from Bowling Green, Ohio on 2/5/2007
I was a previous ower of a Nikon D70 and had issues with the Auto Focus and the low light shooting, Nikon corrected these problems on the D80. It is amazing camera however and I simply love it. No Complaints besides I had to switch everything to SD instead of Compact Flash. Its like buying the Professional D200 with the added touch of the Auto Features, just without the Magnesium body.
[4 of 4 customers found this review helpful]
from Lima, Peru on 2/5/2007
The Nikon D80 is a long waiting upgrade to the Nikon D70, it has almost the same features you found on the D70 but the flash sync which goes down from 1/500 to 1/200. Another feature you wont find on the D80 is the maximun shutter speed which has been reduced to 1/4000 seconds. (1/8000 on D70)
On the other hand, there are many new features on the D80, which put this camera very close to the semi - professional Nikon D200:
* Multicam 1000 (New autofocus system) + 11 area TTL (exactly the same used on D200)
* 10.2 MP but not the same D200 sensor.
* New Imaging processing engine based on D200, 2-channel, 12-bit algorithms.
* 3 fps (23 jpg/6 RAW)
* Improved viewfinder witch a frame coverage of 95% and a magnification of 0.94x
* 2.5" LCD TFT with 230,000 pixels and 170 degree viewing angle
* High Speed USB 2.0 (480mbs)
* Compatible with SDHC
* New battery which shows the remaing charge in 5 stages.
* Optional Vertical Grip made by Nikon (MB-D80)
* Faster and more accurate autofocus system.
* More Top panel controls.
* Lighter and smaller (668g)
* Confortable Grip.
* Improved Noise Reduction algorithms, no noise from Iso 100 to 320, visible noise at Iso 400, noisy at Iso 800, too noisy at Iso 1600 and unnaceptable level of noise at Iso 3200.
* Now you can shoot NEF + Fine jpg at once.
Some gripes:
* All my gripes are on the noise department, I really do not like the high noise at Iso 800 and above, having owned in the past a Nikon D50, I found the last one much better at high Isos. Canon imaging processing is also better at high Isos than Nikon D80, I've had the chance to try the Canon 20D and to be honest, I really like how good is the Canon 20D at Iso 800, however I rather prefer the colors and the body building of Nikon cameras.
Thats all, I recommend this product to everybody, almost same features of D200 but a fraction of the price.
[6 of 6 customers found this review helpful]
from NJ on 12/1/2006
In comparison to my Fuji S2 Pro, I'd take the Nikon D80 without question. It's considerably lighter than the S2 and works with the Nikon lenses I already had. Battery life is far better than the S2. The large screen is very clear and easy to read even in sunlight. The variety of features is wonderful and probably more than most photographers will regularly use on camera, but great to have just in case.
[26 of 26 customers found this review helpful]
from Hong Kong on 10/2/2006
Read all the reviews from photo mags. It is a fantstic camera, and it's only real limitation will be the user, not the hardware.
Having owned a D70s and a Rebel XT before, I can say this is clearly the winner of the three. Image quality is fantastic, and although the jump from 6mp to 10mp isn't as much as you would actually think, it does make a slightly noticeable difference on large prints. In terms of ease of use, speed, etc - if you have owned a Nikon D70s or D50 before, you'll feel right at home with this camera - maybe right at home in a slightly comfier sofa chair. :)
My favorite upgrades: increased resolution, and the new 2.5" LCD REALLY makes a big difference over the D70s...
It is a little bit smaller in my hand than the D70s... I have pretty large mitts, so this is a big deal for me. I've found that my bottom pinky tends to hand off of the bottom of the camera a little; I think this size is definitely going to be the 'just right' size and feel for most people though.
As compared to the Rebel XTi... man, I'd take the D80 any day. Just get into a store and feel one in your hand (and try to rub the XTi with your fingernail a little, and watch the weird scratch marks form...). I tend to think aesthetics are highly underrated in cameras... this is a great performer, and feels great in terms of construction and quality.
[29 of 39 customers found this review helpful]
from Downingtown, Pa. on 9/14/2006
The new D80 takes some of the pain out of retiring my beloved F5 which is now my backup camera. Regarding ruggedness, time will tell, however, it seems like a very sturdy camera. Although some of the controls are somewhat alien to a novice digital user, there is fortunately a good owner's manual to assist in the camera's operation. The camera performed very well in some low light tests, as well as scenics and "people" photography. My guess is that its uses are nearly unlimited.
[26 of 36 customers found this review helpful]
WOW... its an excellent camera... its faster than my D50... Im not regret with D80 eventhough my wish was D200...
The lens 18-135mm is also very good... fast likes my nikon 18-200mm... I fitted my 18-200mm to Nikon D80 and 18-135mm to D50...
[...]... no problems so far... [...]..