Nikon D80

Conclusion Check out the Nikon D80

Nikon D80

Nikon D7000

Nikon D3200

62%

86%

85%

FeaturesView Details

67%

52%

33%

Community RankingView Details

56%

75%

72%

PerformanceView Details

87%

81%

ReviewsView Details

68

SortableScore

First reviewed December, 2011

Features Key features of the Nikon D80

10 MP

APS-C

It is very clear and bright with a nice big focusing screen and dioptre adjustment.

Rated 90% by by TrustedReviews (Feb, 2011)

megapixels

0 MP

D320024.1 MP

D8010 MP

EOS 60D17.9 MP

30 MP

We have also included a comparison to the Nikon D70s (6 megapixel) and Canon EOS 350D (8 megapixel) as a comparison of the increase of resolution with these new ten megapixel cameras.

D80 by DPReview (Sep, 2006)

Indeed despite several passes up and down the crops (and examining the rest of the image) I was unable to identify anything in the D80 image which wasn't resolved just as well as the eight megapixel 350D (there really is no useful difference between 8 and 10 megapixels).

D80 by DPReview (Sep, 2006)

sensor size

Nikon D80

APS-C sensor

D80 APS-C sensor

Canon PowerShot G1X

Four Thirds sensor

PowerShot G1X Four Thirds sensor

Canon EOS 60D

APS-C sensor

EOS 60D APS-C sensor

Nikon only offers one size digital sensor, where as Canon must offer two series (for 3 different chip sizes).

D80 by Hiram-Grant--just-call-me-Sam (Sep, 2006)

It is NOT a full frame FX camera.

D80 by S.-Deligan (Jan, 2009)

viewfinder size

Nikon D80

0.62x

D80 0.62x

Nikon D3200

0.5x

D3200 0.5x

Canon Rebel T4i

0.53x

Rebel T4i 0.53x

Pentamirror solution they selected a quality Pentaprism setup which is, we are told, similar to that in the D200.

D80 by DPReview (Sep, 2006)

Rather than utilizing a cheaper pentamirror like some of the competition, Nikon elects to use a genuine pentaprism which allows the finder to be nice and bright.

D80 by Chad (Sep, 2006)

body size

D80132 x 103 x 77 mm

PowerShot G1X117 x 81 x 65 mm

EOS 550D129 x 98 x 62 mm

Cons: price (still near impossible to find one of these for a steal), weight (it feels solid and well constructed, but you pay for that with the weight).

D80 by Kate-Stokes (Jun, 2007)

It has a good ergonomical grip and body weight.

D80 by M.-Marquez (Feb, 2007)

Performance Real world tests of Nikon D80

DxOMark image quality

Nikon D80

61.0

D80 61.0

Nikon D3200

81.0

D3200 81.0

Nikon D7000

80.0

D7000 80.0

The focus, metering, exposure, flash, color balance... Everything is perfect so far.

D80 by David-Grimm (Nov, 2006)

All my night shots using the automatic night mode look brilliant and vivid.

D80 by Ning-Zhao

DxOMark low light performance

Nikon D80

524 ISO

D80 524 ISO

Nikon D7000

1,167 ISO

D7000 1,167 ISO

Nikon D3200

1,131 ISO

D3200 1,131 ISO

So far, so good, but if you use a UV filter you will find that shots taken in low light or those involving prolonged shutter exposure will cause light to reflect off of the lenses.

D80 by S.-Maxwell

My camera works well as a studio camera (with strobes) but is very inconsistent for natural light photography.

D80 by Michele-Dodson--Michele-Dodson (Sep, 2007)

continuous shooting

D803 fps

D70006 fps

EOS 60D5.3 fps

The rapid burst mode is perfect for my high action soccer and softball shots.

D80 by P.-LaClaire--Soccer-Mom (Mar, 2007)

I am happy with the Ultra II line but they cannot quite keep up with lots of continuous shooting and they do not have the undelete utility.

D80 by R.-P.-Poletti--Just-a-guy (Jun, 2007)

Our analysis How does it stack up against its top 10 competitors

pros

Large sensor

APS-C
Has a flash hot shoe

Generic
Has a viewfinder

Gives you more flexibility when framing your shot
Has a viewfinder mirror

Opaque
Starts up pretty quickly

500 ms

cons

Quite small screen

2.5"
Quite less recently announced date

Aug, 2006
Quite low resolution screen

230 k dots
Significantly worse overall image quality

61.0
Quite low light sensitivity

3,200 ISO
Quite low resolution

10 MP
Much slower rapid fire

3 fps
Much worse noise at high ISO

524 ISO
Image stabilization

None
Smaller dynamic range

11.2 ev
Lacks a flip out screen

The screen is fixed in place
Doesn't support HDR

No automatic HDR
No phase-detection focus points

0
Less viewfinder coverage

95%
Doesn't support live view

Rely on the viewfinder to preview photos
Doesn't have a touch screen

Use buttons to access features and menus
Can't capture 3D scenes

No automatic 3D
Isn't weather sealed

You'll have to protect your camera from the elements
Doesn't support panorama

No automatic stitching
Heavy

668 g
Big

132 x 103 x 77 mm
Slow max shutter speed

1/4000 s

full specs

Reviews Word on the street

	Read the review (Sep, 2006) You can turn the sharpening up, although as always for the crispest most detailed images shoot RAW and convert using Nikon Capture NX or Adobe Camera RAW.

	Rated 80% Read the review (Aug, 2006) Colors were accurate and neutral and the camera's meter did an excellent job of reading the scene and providing an accurate exposure.

	Rated 90% Read the review (Feb, 2011) Naturally the D80 can shoot in RAW mode, as well as three different JPEG quality settings, and RAW+JPEG with all three JPEG modes.

	Rated 90% by 364 users at amazon.com I love the LCD status screen on the top of the camera - it's much easier than using the color LCD on the back for basic functions. Rated 100% by by L.-Busch (Oct, 2007) Wide-angle lenses become less wide; telephoto lenses become longer (your 70-200 mm is suddenly 105mm to 300mm). Rated 100% by by tachi1--tachi1 (Mar, 2010) For sports events or nature, the 300 is the minimum, I'd say. Rated 80% by by kylejpatrick (Sep, 2012)

Lens

I am definitely not impressed with the new G lenses - my older 2.8 lenses produce a far clearer image.

Nikon D80 | Rated 80% by by Joseph-Myers (Nov, 2007)

I love the 18-135 lens that came with the camera, it allows me to capture close-ups, landscapes, or zoom in for intricate detail.

Nikon D80 | Rated 100% by by Shannon (Dec, 2007)

Two negatives are the sheer size of the beast with the big zoom lens, and the unnecessary image editing capability of the camera.

Nikon D80 | Rated 80% by by B.-Sublett--G-O-Flies-Guy (Feb, 2009)

Sensor

It is not just a film camera with an electronic sensor, it has programmed controls to change the ASA, automatically bracket exposures, change the autofocus modes, shift the color balance before or after the shot, crop, and much more that I am still learning.

Nikon D80 | Rated 100% by by J.-Tortorelli (Mar, 2007)

At ISO 100, ISO 200, and ISO 400 noise was practically nonexistent, with only an extremely fine grain beginning to become apparent at ISO 400.

Nikon D80 | Rated 80% by by c|net (Aug, 2006)

After a month I can say the research was worth it and pics in RAW are significantly better than jpeg it reminds me of when I first heard CD v vinyl.

Nikon D80 | Rated 100% by by Bubba (Feb, 2008)

Focus

The 11 focus areas are a great help to accurately focus, color is excellent.

Nikon D80 | Rated 80% by by francisco-moll--paco (Jan, 2007)

Auto-focus is fast, and colors and contrasts are great.

Nikon D80 | Rated 80% by by Brian-K.-Klein (Dec, 2011)

When I view the picture on computer on original size (X1), I found the letters were not well focused, I could not see them clearly.

Nikon D80 | Rated 20% by by G.-Shen (Mar, 2009)

Photography

I don't mind it though because I know it is more solidly built), seems to underexpose outdoors, but the detail and colors seem richer.

Nikon D80 | Rated 100% by by Kate-Stokes (Jun, 2007)

Bought both this camera and the Nikon 40X as Christmas gifts and everyone in the family couldn't be happier with both of these excellent cameras!

Nikon D80 | Rated 100% by by Lynnster (Jan, 2008)

I am totally impressed with this camera, it is a professional model and I use it for wildlife pictures.

Nikon D80 | Rated 100% by by Lowell-E.-Hepner (Jan, 2008)

Image stabilization

I have used both(and own the 18-135) and they are both great lenses, but if you are Serious the 18-200 VR will be the only lens you would ever need in that range, the Vibration Reduction (VR) will remove blur for up to four stops higher than what you would normally be able to shoot at.

Nikon D80 | Rated 100% by by Ryan-D.-Heatley (Jan, 2007)

However it is surrounded by some very strong competition most of which is equipped with shake reduction, and although it may be one of the best 10MP cameras so far, it is not necessarily the best value for money.

Nikon D80 | Rated 90% by by TrustedReviews (Feb, 2011)