like the title says. i was thinking about getting xsi but the feel of the camera felt cheap. i know xsi is better, but all the reviews i read everyone is a nikon user so that kind of convince me to follow the flow as well. i would like the d90 but its expensive and i dont need a video because i have a camcorder. but like everyone says invest in the lens so that is what i am going to do. i hope i am making the right choice
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i have decided to get d80
- Thread starter daesup45
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You nailed it when you said the D80 felt better to you, that's ultimately what it's about. Any of those cameras can make nice images, it's about personal preference. Enjoy your DSLR.
(I'm a Nikon user too, but the market is about evenly split with Canon and Nikon both having 40-something %, so I wouldn't say everyone has Nikon.)
(I'm a Nikon user too, but the market is about evenly split with Canon and Nikon both having 40-something %, so I wouldn't say everyone has Nikon.)
I have the D80 and am very happy with it, i don't believe the D90 is worth paying extra for unless you are serious about recording video as well, in which case you would already have a camcorder.
Honestly, there's not a major "better" or "worse" in the consumer space or the pro space these days- there's better-suited and worse-suited if you're shooting in a particular niche. For general-purpose photography, it's really difficult to go wrong with any DSLR body in the marketplace in terms of getting good images. If I were looking for a consumer-level body, I'd have no problem choosing a D80.
Congrats on your choice. I have had a d80 after I upgraded from a d40 several months ago, and have been very happy about the upgrade. Here are a few things you will notice about the d80 vs the d90.
1) The metering on the d90 is better than the d80. One thing I noticed is that the matrix metering on the d80 is a little inconsistent. This is mostly apparent if you are shooting some drastic contrasts in the same shot. The other thing that sometimes gets annoying is that the shots taken in the same conditions will sometimes have a different metering in matrix mode. The d90 has a much better metering system in matrix mode. Personally I fix this by simply shooting mostly in spot metering or center weighted mode. I shoot mostly portraiture so this is fine for me, although people who shoot a lot of landscape images tend to be annoyed with the inability to apply the same post development to all pictures taken in the same conditions.
2) The ISO on the d90 is better than the d80. I don't shoot in really high ISOs personally, but there are times where a few extra ISO points would help me out especially in tricky lighting conditions. There is an indoor swimming pool that my son takes lessons at that I shoot pictures in that I could use the higher ISOs, but for the most part it isn't a HUGE difference unless you are shooting professionally.
These were the two major drawbacks I had, but at the time the D90 came out it was just at 1,000 for body only. My d80 was just at 600 bucks because it had just dropped in price because of the d90 release. Again it all depends on your shooting, but I think most entry level DSLR users could do much worse than a d80.
1) The metering on the d90 is better than the d80. One thing I noticed is that the matrix metering on the d80 is a little inconsistent. This is mostly apparent if you are shooting some drastic contrasts in the same shot. The other thing that sometimes gets annoying is that the shots taken in the same conditions will sometimes have a different metering in matrix mode. The d90 has a much better metering system in matrix mode. Personally I fix this by simply shooting mostly in spot metering or center weighted mode. I shoot mostly portraiture so this is fine for me, although people who shoot a lot of landscape images tend to be annoyed with the inability to apply the same post development to all pictures taken in the same conditions.
2) The ISO on the d90 is better than the d80. I don't shoot in really high ISOs personally, but there are times where a few extra ISO points would help me out especially in tricky lighting conditions. There is an indoor swimming pool that my son takes lessons at that I shoot pictures in that I could use the higher ISOs, but for the most part it isn't a HUGE difference unless you are shooting professionally.
These were the two major drawbacks I had, but at the time the D90 came out it was just at 1,000 for body only. My d80 was just at 600 bucks because it had just dropped in price because of the d90 release. Again it all depends on your shooting, but I think most entry level DSLR users could do much worse than a d80.
If you have just a D80 you won't notice any of that and most people even if they had both wouldn't even notice, you would have to deliberately compare the two in that regard or read about it online.
That's not necessarily true, it depends on how you shoot. I notice the improved high ISO over a D80 I borrowed for awhile, because I tend to shoot at high (800 or so) ISO quite a bit. Also the gorgeous screen on the D90--I love that thing. Compared to the D40 and D80 I've used before, I can much more easily tell if a shot was good/sharp on the D90's screen.
But yes, for $400 or so more than the D80, you've got to really love those differences to get the D90. For me, it was worth it...but I understand not all the improvements on the D90 will be as valuable to everyone. The D80 is still a great camera.
Picked up a D80 as my first digital SLR about 18 months ago and never looked back. At the time I had the choice (roughly speaking) between a D200 with one lens or the D80 with three, and as the OP said, the money's better spent on the lenses (which will all work fine if/when I upgrade to a new body).
And I totally agree with the comments about the feel of the camera, whether it's the quality, size, comfort, whatever. At the end of the day it's about taking photographs, and you'll be more inclined to get out there with something that feels right.
And I totally agree with the comments about the feel of the camera, whether it's the quality, size, comfort, whatever. At the end of the day it's about taking photographs, and you'll be more inclined to get out there with something that feels right.