Build quality is great.
Image quality is fantastic.
VERY long battery life.
Great menu system.
Big, bright screen.
CLS compatible.
Good AF.
Nice size with a really nice grip.

No anti-dust system.
Metering sometimes gets it wrong.
Doesn't shoot uncompressed RAW like the D200.
Uses SD cards. I'd rather CF.

After much reading I was torn between the D80 and EOS 400D. I was swaying towards the D80 but when I felt the camera in my hands I knew that it was the camera for me. The Canon felt so cheap and flimsy by comparison.

So I opted for the D80 with the 18-135 kit lens and have never looked back. The whole Nikon system is fantastic. I now have 1 50mm f1.8 & Sigma 15-30 to compliment the D80 and the handling is great. I also have an SB800 speedlight which is great as the D80 supports the Creatlive Lighting System, which means wireless control of your flash from your camera.

The metering can sometimes unpredictable, which has actually forced me to start shooting fully manual whenever possible, which I'd say is a good thing. It's not as big a problem as you might think, as I always have the camera set to histogram view so you can assess the expsosure level as you shoot.

Customer Service

Not needed so far.

Similar Products Used:

Pentax K10D.
EOS400D.

Didn't like the Canon. Pentax was good but the handling of the D80 is spot on.

There are enough options to keep the beginner and intermediate pleased. The automatic features will work for those who don't want to learn about aperture, shutter speed, depth of field and other lighting details. However, users should not get intimidated about these terms. Get to know your camera.

The 10 megapixals and sensors generate a strong, clear image.

Invest in the optional Nikon 18-200 VR lens. See if you can purchase the body with this as the included lens. It will be an available option with some dealers. It will be an extra cost over the standard "kit" lens but it is very flexible and creates a wonderful image. You won't be disappointed with this choise.

I experienced a few problems with shutter release when the camera failed to grab a photo quickly enough. I have also had some minor problems with getting the image displayed on the camera back but that may be related to times when my optional battery pack is attached and one battery is almost drained.

I would consider moving up to the D200 or D300 to take advantage of faster frames per second for sports photograpy. However for most users the 3 or so frames per second you get with the D80 should be sufficient.

The other reason for upgrading may be the camera body is solid but I wonder if the professional version would hold up to heavy abuse.

First a bit about the reviewer... I shot a lot of 35 mm from the late 70's to late 80's. I shot for a newspaper and college. I took off about 20 years and just re-entered the digital scene.

The Nikon D80 has been a great introduction into digital photography. I originally compared it to the D40x but soon found I wanted a bit more than the introductory camera. The D80 is a great product for the price point. I found most reviewers I researched agreed.

Similar Products Used:

35 mm film cameras

11 point focus area easily change to single or use dynamic area.
great battery life
easy to learn controls well placed
Nikon support and updates with the online digitutor program.

that little plastic hot shoe cover is too easy to lose
also the veiwfinder cover.
overexposes sometimes but easily fixed with exposure controll

I bought this camera in August of 2006 with the 18-135 lens.
II'd owned one digital camera before,(nikon 8700), and though I got some nice pics was very discouraged with shutter lag.
I did a lot of research on currnt models and between canon xti and nikon d80 I chose the nikon.
The camera feels right in my hands.
The controls are well laid out and once I got used to them and learned what did what, I had no trouble.
The large lcd screen withe protective cover is pretty easy to see, though I seldom use iit.
The battery life is great and I've made hundreds of shots without needing to recharge.
I like the focus options,with the 11point or I often use single point, focusing on what I want and then composing. The metering is easy to change from wide area to center weighted or single point.
II usually use aperture priority but have been using manual more now also.
I've got some pretty nice shots with it and am very satisfied

Customer Service

A+

Similar Products Used:

first dslr

Battery life and image quality when the camera is properly set up are both outstanding. The saturation can be excellent, especially with a polarizer. I sometimes have to turn the saturation down with software. The camera just FEELS solid. The built-in flash is adequate for most casual situations. And even at 6 MP, which I normally shoot at (The camera is capable of 10.2 MP), a 1 GB card goes a long way (over 230 images). I've heard some users say they are using 8 GB cards; they must last forever.

The battery door feels kind of flimsy, and the metering leaves something to be desired. It just flat gets it wrong, and sometimes very wrong, when the lighting is uneven. Setting up the camera can be daunting. The camera feels out-of-balance when the zoom lens is extended. I would recommend the 18-200 VR lens, which has Nikon's version of image-stabilization. I've heard it's fantastic. There's no way to secure the lens cap once it's put on, and I KNOW I'm going to end up losing it eventually. The f-stop has to be adjusted on the camera; not on the lens. And if you adjust the wrong button, like I did on a shoot last week, you can wreck some very good shots. Once in a while, if the lens is not turned 100% of the way onto the camera body, the camera will refuse to work. The shutter will not push down, and the f-stop reading will just flash for a few seconds when you try to push the shutter.

Let me start by saying this is the 5th digital camera I have owned, and so far it's the best. The D80 is a nice, heavy camera that feels very solid. I love the crosshairs in the viewfinder for lining up shots. It's a fairly complicated camera to set up, and if you don't get it right, you can end up with lousy results. I was fortunate enough to find a guide to setting it up. The 18-135 lens works fine, but when fully extended, the camera feels out-of-balance, and it can be difficult to avoid camera shake. The battery lasts forever. I left the camera turned on for almost 2 weeks before I had to recharge it, and I was using it during those 2 weeks. Overall, this is a whale of a camera with a few minor faults.

Customer Service

Haven't had to use it yet.

Similar Products Used:

None

Ease of use, fits comfortably in the hand, great performer in low light.

None

I entered digital photography with a Nikon D70s and was hooked. With some hesitation I then purchased the D80, not certain that it was a significant enough upgrade to justify the purchase. I made the leap and am so glad I did. I love this camera. It is a stellar performer -- easy to use, good quality images, plenty of options. The layout will be familiar to Nikon SLR and DSLR users. I've had no problems with the camera and would recommend it to anyone. I shoot in a lot of low light situations and it really performs well, with little noise given the circumstances.

Customer Service

Haven't needed it for the D80. I did need a new sensor for the D70S and found customer service to be slower than I would have liked and found that navigating the on-line system for getting customer service to be awkward at best. Still, in the end they fixed the camera and I've had no problems since then.

Similar Products Used:

Nikon D70S

grip size, shape, comfort
large viewer
easy to navigate controls
excellent flash, for everything except the most demanding of work
an excellent amateur pro camera

unnecessary scene modes on the mode dial(at least for anyone used to a manual camera)

tends to meter a little dark, but can be compensated for (not really a weakness more just something to take note of when you start shooting)

From the time that I took this camera out of the box I knew I had gotten the right camera. I instantly felt a home with the controls and was able to find what I needed with out any trouble. Coming from a 1970's film SLR this was quite the upgrade, yet I was able to mount a lens and start shooting right away, the auto, and program functions have excellent metering.

The grip is solid and fits larger hands than the canon rebel XT or XTi. one complaint is that if you slide your hand backwards over the side of the grip, the card compartment tends to open, but it is something that you can get used to after a while.

One thing that I wish for is a quick, temporary way of switching to manual focus from auto, the switches on the body and lens are hard to find from behind the camera, and to unlock the lens the switch on it must be in the manual mode, but without doing that the switch on the body just turns off the focusing motor, leaving no way to focus.

If you are using either flash, or VR or both I would recommend a second battery as either of those features use quite a bit of power.

Overall this camera shoots excellent, sharp, well colored images

Fast
Feels good in hands
2.5" screen
Bright view finder

Lots to learn when coming from Digital Point & Shoot Cameras. I've been forgetting to switch the white balance between indoor(incandescent) and outdoor a lot lately.
Pricey lenses.

Great camera that has me excited about photography. I bought camera with two Nikon lenses (18-70 and 70-300) and purchased a Nikon 50mm F 1.8 for indoor shooting. This is my first digital SLR after six years with three Olympus and one Canon Digital Advanced Point and Shoot cameras. I haven't enjoyed shooting photos since I was a kid following my dad around with his old Canon F1 (I got to use the A1).

It feels good in my hands. I was shopping the 30D, D200 (too expensive for a first DSLR) and the D80 and chose the D80 figuring that I'll eventually move into a D200 and be able to use my old Nikon lenses and keep the D80 as a back-up.

I giggle like a kid when I run through my photos. I can zoom into photos and pick out details that would not be visible with my other cameras.

Customer Service

Haven't had to use.

Similar Products Used:

Canon F1, Canon A1, Nikon EM, Olympus 4040, Olympus 5050, Olympus 5060 Wide Zoom, Canon S400, Bronica ETRS

User flexibility, control.
Light weight.It's amazing.
Full auto mode delivers surprising results.
TTL flash is fantastic in outdoors lowlight.
Capture NX.
Nikkor quality lense avail.

Matrix metering(Fixed with firmware update)
Images can be somewhat soft with lower grade glass.

Only the best lenses will perform flawlessly.
Capture NX must be purchased seperately.
Nikkor quality lense price

This is an excellent entry level DSLR. Features are great, the menus are simple, precise. Lightweight, fits your hand like a glove.
10.2 mega pixels provide unlimited photo editing opportunities.

Customer Service

1-800-NIKON USA

Excellent service. Tech support info very helpful.

100/100 feedback.

Similar Products Used:

This is my first DSLR.

Canon AE-1 (Film)
Canon S1iS. (compact p/s)

Build quality.
Spot metering.
Ability to use AA's (with battery grip)
Better kit lens
Fast
Well laid out controls
Better ergonomics

Higher noise at high ASA's than the Canon's (still better than more expensive D200 though)
More expensive than Canon if comparing to Rebel XTi (really I think the D80 compares more directly to the Canon 30D actually)

Price paid was for body and two lenses (saleman sample from Cameta Camera - but the thing looked imaculate/brand new and was refurbished by Nikon before it was sold) I was comparing to the Canon XTi. After I held the cameras in my hand I went with the Nikon hands down (pardon the pun). The Canon didn't feel good ergonomically in my hands. A lot of people have commented on it. Check it out in person before you buy. The "kit" lens which for me was the 18-55mm was better in the Nikon than the Canon, so it helped seal the deal.

The D80 feels solid. Controls are well laid out. You can quickly access most important features by simply holding a button down and turning a thumbwheel. It has spot metering (the Canon doesn't). It also has a fairly inexpensive wireless remote which I highly recommend if you're doing landscape or night shots (two things I do a lot). It also has a battery grip that isn't too expensive. This is another feature I LOVE. It does several things. One, it doubles the amount of battery power the camera can have available to it. You can put 2 of the nikon proprietary batteries in there and shoot forever. Two, it gives you an additional vertical shutter release for when you're holding the camera in a vertical position. Brilliant! Three, it comes with, get this, a AA battery tray. If you get stuck somewhere and your batteries run out, you can zip into a convenience store and grab some alkalines and keep shooting. (rechargeable AA's last MUCH longer than alkalines, btw).

Exposure seems pretty good to me. I haven't noticed highlight clipping others have mentioned.

Having said that - I almost wish I'd purchased the Pentax K10D. Same price, its weather sealed, and has vibration dampening that does work. Do yourself a favor and take a hard look at that camera too if you're looking in this price range. I went Nikon because I have friends that have Nikon stuff (that I can borrow - lol) and because DPReview.com gave the Pentax lower marks. Lots of others have since been highly touting the K10D.

Customer Service

Cameta Camera's customer service is just out of this world! They have a customer for life!

Too Many to List

Inaccurate metering ( Fixable in future software upgrades! )
No capture NX in the package

Great Camera! This is a 5 Star Product!!! The only Flaws are the unusual matrix Meter and that they don't bundle Capture NX with the package. Just go Buy one!

Customer Service

N/A