To buy or not to buy-D80

[chriscorbin]

I have been using my nikon d50 for a while now and i am very happy with it, but somtimes i wish it was just a tiny bit faster and i need more mega pixels-i do alot with final cut and my project usually ends up being presented and sold so i want to sell a high quality product, do you think Nikon will update the D80 soon or should i just buy one soon.

WILL NOT SWITCH TO CANNON(already invested in nikon lenses)

Chris

 

[Clix Pix]

A better upgrade would be to the D200, for any number of reasons. Look at reviews of both cameras at http://www.dpreview.com and other places.

 

[snickelfritz]

The D80 would be my first choice in that price range.

 

[chriscorbin]

Well my options are buy a D80 reasonably soon or save for a few years an buy a D2x, i think i want to keep in the D80 price range for now
and i will still be able to use SD cards i already own

 

[Clix Pix]

In that case, go with the D80! It is a good little camera and offers a few more features than the D50 while still retaining some of the benefits of the D50 as well. I doubt that Nikon will be coming out with a D80s or x anytime soon, as the D40x has kind of slipped into the niche there. They may eventually bring out a D90, but it's hard to predict. Right now a lot of people are eagerly awaiting a replacement for the long-in-the-tooth (while still excellent) D2Hs. Chances are that in a few years the D2 series will have long been superceded by the D3 series and we'll be into the D4 series!

 

[Abstract]

Yeah, I'd get the D80. I don't know what you do, but I doubt you'd need the D200 or D2Xs. The photo quality from the D200 isn't any better than that from the D80, and unless you're shooting in tougher conditions (ie: you require speed and robustness), you may as well get the D80 and stick with that.

 

[Plymouthbreezer]

The D80 would be an excellent choice.

It was my first choice, but I got a good deal on a D70s last year when I purchased my DSLR. I'm happy with my D70s, but wouldn't mind the added enhancements of the D80.

That said, by this time next year, I'll hopefully be shooting with a D200, and using the D70s as my backup body.

Good luck with your shopping.

 

[taylorwilsdon]

A better upgrade would be to the D200, for any number of reasons. Look at reviews of both cameras at http://www.dpreview.com and other places.

Uh, why? The D200 basically takes the same pictures as the D80 when using the same glass, it just has more advanced controls that are way over the basic (and prosumer, and most pros) user's head.

Go with the D80. Its fantastic. I've just bought one to replace my Canon Digital Rebel XT and Nikon D70 and it should do just that nicely.

 

[Clix Pix]

Uh, why? The D200 basically takes the same pictures as the D80 when using the same glass, it just has more advanced controls that are way over the basic (and prosumer, and most pros) user's head.

Uh....why NOT?

Actually, the D200 has a lot of buttons right on the camera body which makes shooting a lot quicker in some situations because you don't have to dig down into the menu the way you do with the D70, D70s and D80. Quite frankly, I don't think that having a button clearly labeled "ISO" is over anyone's head! LOL!!!

 

[NickElls]

Uh....why NOT?

Actually, the D200 has a lot of buttons right on the camera body which makes shooting a lot quicker in some situations because you don't have to dig down into the menu the way you do with the D70, D70s and D80. Quite frankly, I don't think that having a button clearly labeled "ISO" is over anyone's head! LOL!!!

Define "some situations..."

I may be able to prove you wrong.

(then again, I may not be able to prove you wrong)

 

[epicwelshman]

Define "some situations..."

I may be able to prove you wrong.

(then again, I may not be able to prove you wrong)

Even if it's not quicker in some situations it's a hell of a lot easier, not to mention less of a strain on battery life. I wish my D40 had dedicated buttons for all the settings instead of having to dig through menus. Sometimes conveniance is worth the extra money.

 

[cube]

D200: weather sealing, metal body, meters with manual lenses...

It's not "pretty much the same" as a D80.

 

[taylorwilsdon]

D200: weather sealing, metal body, meters with manual lenses...

It's not "pretty much the same" as a D80.

Maybe you didn't even read my post. I said it basically takes the same pictures with the same glass.

I didn't say anything about them being the same. If you even took two seconds to read through, you could have made a constructive response.

 

[cube]

Maybe you didn't even read my post. I said it basically takes the same pictures with the same glass.

I didn't say anything about them being the same. If you even took two seconds to read through, you could have made a constructive response.

You said "it just has more advanced controls". You mentioned none of the things I said, which are much more important.

 

[stcanard]

I don't think that having a button clearly labeled "ISO" is over anyone's head! LOL!!!

Are you sure you were looking at a D80? My D80 has a button clearly labelled ISO -- its on the back, left side, second from the bottom. I use it constantly for fast ISO changes.

I'm not debating the D200 has significantly better controls, but wondering if your impression might be from an older model -- the D80 is pretty complete unless you're a professional -- I have instant access to metering mode (spot/centre weighted etc), auto focus mode, ISO, flash mode, and bracketing off of buttons on the camera body. That covers at least 95% of the setting changes I make in the field. (there's more, but I don't use things like WB adjust -- that's covered in the raw processing after, and EV compensation is useless for manual exposure)

After having just spent 2 weeks with a D80 in Fiji and Australia, I echo the sentiment that its a great camera -- my impressions were:

1) It has enough buttons that I didn't have to go into the menus even in wildly changing conditions (taking a cablecar from skyskapes into rainforest).

2) I really stretched the dynamic range to its limits, but as long as you were careful -- manual metering, check the RGB histogram constantly, and ensure the sun wasn't in your frame -- it had just enough range to capture landscape / forest detail without blowing out the clouds. There were only few case where I just could not do it, and either had to (usually) sacrifice some detail in the dark or blow out some cloud detail.

3) As long as I was careful not to underexpose I could push it to ISO 800 without distracting noise, to 1600 and -- in one notable occasion -- to 3200 to capture images I simply would not have been able to otherwise.

You could certainly do a lot worse selecting a camera!

 

[Plymouthbreezer]

3) As long as I was careful not to underexpose I could push it to ISO 800 without distracting noise, to 1600 and -- in one notable occasion -- to 3200 to capture images I simply would not have been able to otherwise.

Any chance you could post one of your ISO 32000 images? I've been curious to see the results.

 

[stcanard]

Jellyfish in Sydney Aquarium

Any chance you could post one of your ISO 32000 images? I've been curious to see the results.

Always happy to! Here's the one that I was desperate enough to try -- it took several attempts to get it steady enough. As you can see from the exif I was pushing things about as much as I could, there's no way I could have got this image otherwise. I've darkened the image in PP to lower the noise a bit.

Nikon D80 + 55 - 200 VR Nikkor
Exposure: Manual
Shutter Speed: 1 / 8 s (handheld w/ VR)
Aperture: f/4.8
Focal Length: 105mm
Flash: Off
ISO: 3200​

 

[uMac]

Personally I use both the D80 & D200, it all into what you shoot.
Note: Lens make the shoot, not the camera, but I find how easy it is to get those shots can make a bit of a difference. The D80 I find easy to use in situations where your on-the-fly or on-the-move and it gives you manual control, the D200 will give you slightly nicer shots on the same glass but takes more time with the settings to get a good shot so if your not the focus (like in a photo shoot) you'll need quick hands or longer post processing time.

Here is a big difference I have noticed - You can shoot with non-cpu lens on both cameras (check the capability), and each will tell you when you are in focus, however on the D80 many older lens you can use only True Manual, which can make it a pain as you need to guess (take a picture and check) on your lighting; fortunately there is a histogram that is easy to use, but FYI.

By recommendation - These are both great cameras, I would recommed going with the D80 if your not doing a lot of model shoots and use that money for better lens. If you already have good lens, go for the D200 with the magnesium body.

D80 - Landscape, Events, Simple Portraits

Both - Macro, Action, Outdoors Good Weather

D200 - Models (Professional Shoot), Rougher Weather (Because of the Case)

P&S - Underwater (I'm talking snorkelling, professional scuba shoots go with either but you need to invest heavily in lights, waterproof cases, etc.)

Good Luck!

 

[Plymouthbreezer]

stcanard, thanks!

Impressive, considering the conditions.