- Conclusion Get the lowdown
- Features How they compare
- Performance Real world benchmarks
- Differences Technical showdown
- Reviews Word on the street
- Competition Others to consider
- Discussion Answers and opinions
Compare with...
- Nikon D5100
- Nikon D5200
- Nikon D40
- Canon EOS 60D
- Nikon D3100
by DPReview (Sep, 2006)Color balance was very good if clearly 'consumer biased' (more saturated, richer colors), the D80 coping well with highly saturated color in bright light (such as sun lit red flowers).
Rated 73% by by DPReview (Jul, 2012)Resolution and detail aside the Nikon D3200 offers good image quality, with reliable focusing and metering.
Conclusion Which is better for you?
Features Key features of the Nikon D80 compared to the Nikon D3200
MP10
APS-C
Rated 90% by by TrustedReviews (Feb, 2011)It is very clear and bright with a nice big focusing screen and dioptre adjustment.
24.1 MP
APS-C
Rated 73% by by DPReview (Jul, 2012)Color rendition, tonality sharpness and detail are as good as identical.
megapixels
| 0 MP | 24.1 MP   | 30 MP |
D80 by DPReview (Sep, 2006)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.
D3200 by Photography Blog (Jun, 2012)With its huge 24 megapixel sensor, the entry-level D3200 instantly becomes the highest-resolution APS-C DX format Nikon DSLR, and it offers more pixels than any competing manufacturer too.
sensor size
D80 by Hiram-Grant--just-call-me-Sam (Sep, 2006)Nikon only offers one size digital sensor, where as Canon must offer two series (for 3 different chip sizes).
D3200 by TrustedReviews (Jun, 2012)While that ticks most of the boxes of what can be expected from an entry-level DSLR, the headline-grabbing feature of the D3200 is undoubtedly its 24.2MP APS-C CMOS sensor.
viewfinder size
D80 by DPReview (Sep, 2006)Pentamirror solution they selected a quality Pentaprism setup which is, we are told, similar to that in the D200.
D3200 by DPReview (Jul, 2012)One figure hidden away in every SLR's spec is the size of the viewfinder (often in a format that makes comparison between competing models impossible).
body size
132 x 103 x 77 mm
125 x 96 x 77 mm
D80 by Kate-Stokes (Jun, 2007)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).
D3200 by Photography Blog (Jun, 2012)The 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 VR kit lens that Nikon supplied feels fairly well-balanced - if a tad front-heavy - on the Nikon D3200 and it fits into place with a reassuring mechanical click.
Performance Real world tests of Nikon D80 vs Nikon D3200
DxOMark image quality
D80 by David-Grimm (Nov, 2006)The focus, metering, exposure, flash, color balance... Everything is perfect so far.
D3200 by CKE (Jul, 2012)Image Quality - Absolutely top-notch - the Nikon D3200 takes super crisp photos with excellent color representation.
DxOMark low light performance
D3200 by Gablud (Oct, 2012)I have been using this camera for over 2 weeks now and I am more than satisfied with the quality of the images even in low light condition.
continuous shooting
D80 by P.-LaClaire--Soccer-Mom (Mar, 2007)The rapid burst mode is perfect for my high action soccer and softball shots.
Differences What are the advantages of each
Advantages compared to the D3200
| Larger sensor | APS-C | vs | APS-C |
|---|---|---|---|
| Almost the same | |||
| Significantly bigger viewfinder | 0.62x | vs | 0.5x |
| More than 20% bigger viewfinder size | |||
| Significantly more highly reviewed by consumers | 86.76% | vs | 80.97% |
| Around 10% more highly reviewed by consumers | |||
Advantages compared to the D80
| Much larger screen | 3" | vs | 2.5" |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20% larger screen | |||
| Much better overall image quality | 81.0 | vs | 61.0 |
| More than 30% better image quality | |||
| Much higher resolution screen | 921 k dots | vs | 230 k dots |
| More than 4x higher resolution screen | |||
| Marginally more recently announced | Apr, 2012 | vs | Aug, 2006 |
| Announced date over 5 years later | |||
| Much higher resolution | 24.1 MP | vs | 10 MP |
| Around 2.5x higher resolution; Capture more detail, good for large prints | |||
| Shoots video | HD video | vs | None |
| Most cameras shoot video | |||
| Much less noise at high ISO | 1,131 ISO | vs | 524 ISO |
| More than 2x higher low light performance | |||
| Much more color depth | 24.1 bits | vs | 22.1 bits |
| Around 10% more color depth | |||
| Significantly better dynamic range | 13.2 ev | vs | 11.2 ev |
| Around 20% better dynamic range | |||
| Higher light sensitivity | 12,800 ISO | vs | 3,200 ISO |
| 4x higher light sensitivity; Avoid blur in low light situations | |||
| Supports live view | Yes | vs | No |
| Somewhat common; Preview photos before you take them | |||
| More phase-detection focus points | 11 | vs | 0 |
| 11 more phase detection focus points; Faster autofocus in reasonably lit settings | |||
| Faster rapid fire | 4 fps | vs | 3 fps |
| More than 30% faster continuous shooting; Take photos in rapid succession to capture motion | |||
| Significantly lighter | 505 g | vs | 668 g |
| More than 20% lighter | |||
| Smaller | 125 x 96 x 77 mm | vs | 132 x 103 x 77 mm |
| More than 10% smaller | |||
Reviews Word on the street
Nikon D80 | Nikon D3200 | ||
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|---|---|---|---|
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 | Rated by 364 users at amazon.com Rated 100% by by L.-Busch (Oct, 2007) Rated 100% by by tachi1--tachi1 (Mar, 2010) Rated 80% by by kylejpatrick (Sep, 2012) | Rated by 308 users at amazon.com Rated 100% by by killahca-h (May, 2012) Rated 100% by by Annette-Tucker--xapod (Mar, 2013) | |
sensor
Nikon D80 | by DPReview (Sep, 2006)Having removed the camera's image processing from the equation is very revealing, there really is no difference in the underlying images, both ten megapixel sensors (CCD in the D80 and CMOS in the EOS 400D) capturing the same levels of detail.
Nikon D80 | by DPReview (Sep, 2006)As you can see the D80's chroma-biased noise reduction keeps the visibility of the more digital-looking chroma noise to a minimum, as low at ISO 1600 as the EOS 400D at ISO 800.
Nikon 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).
resolution
Nikon D80 | by DPReview (Sep, 2006)Results from the D80 were very good, the new ten megapixel sensor delivering as much detail as we have seen from other such sensors.
Nikon D80 | by DPReview (Sep, 2006)The D80 delivering quite a bit more detail than the six megapixel D70s.
Nikon D80 | by DPReview (Sep, 2006)We have also included test results from a six megapixel D70s which has slightly higher noise than the D80 throughout the range.
size
Nikon D80 | Rated 100% by by S.-Deligan (Jan, 2009)If I was in the market for a DX size camera I would certainly buy it again and I have no intention of buying another DX formatted sensor, so I will hang onto the D80 until I purchase an FX camera.
Nikon D3200 | Rated 73% by by DPReview (Jul, 2012)The viewfinder of the D3200 is basically the same as its predecessor, and offers coverage of 95% and a magnification of 0.8X. These numbers might not mean much, but in normal shooting, the D3200 offers a reasonably large, bright finder which compares well to its entry-level APS-C format peers.
Nikon D3200 | Rated 80% by by Doctor.GenerosityThe XPro1 images were remarkable; except for pixel count (16 MP vs. 36 MP for the D800E), the JPG's were almost as good as the full frame Nikon.
raw
Nikon D80 | Rated 80% by by Ricardo (Aug, 2007)Nothing is worse than having the flash pop up and fire because the dial slipped.4- While not exclusive to the D80, Nikon is the only manufacturer that does not include a fully-featured RAW converter in its software package.
Nikon D80 | Rated 100% by by Chad (Sep, 2006)The D80 can also shoot NEF (RAW) files simultaneously with JPGs in one of three compression modes.
Nikon D80 | Rated 80% by by hot4hypatia (Jul, 2009)The only feature on the D80 that I probably need to check on is the compressed NEF raw file format.
iso
Nikon D80 | Rated 100% by by Jane-C.-Mounteer (Aug, 2008)While the d60 does have a higher ISO index, up to 3200, I find the Nikon D80's ISO 1600 to be pretty good unless the light around me requires it.
Nikon D80 | by DPReview (Sep, 2006)At ISO 1600 the D80's gray patch looks the cleanest, followed by the EOS 400D and DSLR-A100.
Nikon D80 | Rated 100% by by Ryan-G.-Jesena--Lush.i.ous (May, 2007)I like the low noise on higher ISO of the 20D and the 30D, but the difference isn't that much more significant between them and the D80.
Competition What else you should consider
 | 1 | Nikon D5100 3-way tie: Highest ISO |
 | 2 | Nikon D5200 Best image quality as rated by DXOMark |
 | 3 | Nikon D40 Smallest |
 | 4 | Canon EOS 60D Fastest rapid fire mode |
 | 5 | Nikon D3100 6-way tie: Can autofocus while shooting video |
 | 6 | Canon EOS 600D 3-way tie: Highest resolution screen |
 | 7 | Canon Rebel T4i Has a touch screen |
 | 8 | Canon EOS 1100D Fastest to start up |
Popular Questions
December 14, 2012
Lens for D80 and D3200
Can the lens that I currently use with D80 be used with d3200?
Beginner I
1
Answers Nikon D80
marie-paige 
Beginner II
If you don't want to buy new lenses, you may want to stay with your Nikon D80. That is, unless you already are using VR lenses. I have both cameras, and just recently purchased the D3200. I to... View marie-paige's recommendation
- 0 comments
- December 18, 2012
- Reply to: Lens for D80 and D3200
