price and features

Not at this price range!

I wrote here about a year ago after I returned the N80 to the dealer. The main reason for returning the N80 was that I cannot leave behind my MF lenses since the N80''''s metering does not work with the MF lenses. I did give the N80 high marks, though, for the overall features that it offers and for the price. I eventually bought the F100 and love it. However, F100 has one limitation, the weight; it is about more than 200g heavier. I hike a lot so the weight of my camera is very important after several hours on the trail. Since last year, I have accumulated quite a few AF lens; thus, I bought the N80 again! I must say that I hve found myself using the N80 far more frequently than the F100. The N80 has all the pro-features: super metering (including the spot meter), excellent AF speed (not as fast as the F100, but it is more than adequate unless you are shooting fast moving object for living), compatible with the AF-S and VR lens, grid lines for the view finder, good motor, DOF, ergonomics, etc. N80 is much smaller and lighter than the F100 so I carry it around more. With a 18-35 lens attached, the whole thing fits easily in my waist pack for hiking and biking. Furthermore, N80 has a build-in flash which is fully TTL and 3D capable and you can compensate it further via the N80. Hence, the only major difference between the built-in flash and a professional one, such as the SB28, is the guide number. Unless, you shoot indoors a lot and the object is quite far from you (and you cannot get closer), the build-in flash can take care of most of the fill-in flash that you would need to open up the shadow and more. Besides, the SB28 weighs nearly as much as the N80 so I only carry it when I expect flash will be needed on a regular basis. In summary, N80 is one small camera that takes care of nearly all my needs at a very affordable price!!! Can a light and small camera be durable? I have used the N80 for about 6 months. It has gone to the Arizona desert, survive the pouring rain in the Singapore and Kyoto, and so far it is without any problems. Indeed, I would not expect the N80 to tolerate abuses as well as the F100 does, and I will shield the N80 (but not the F100 or FM2) from water as much as possible, but the N80 will shine through many difficult situations, planed or accidental, that most of us can ever imagine. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND IT.

Similar Products Used:

F100 and FM2

Ergonomics Feature Set(Excellent, truly helpful) Metering (absolutly first rate) System capatibility (Nikon''''s outstanding line of AF-D lenses with CPU''''s) Quality (I have never had a nikon fail me and I am demanding)

No metering with Non CPU lenses (If you need to use that AIS 105 1.8 use a hand held meter.) Cannot use infrared film (use your $50 dollar manual from Ebay) Film advance to slow for Pro sports (Buy an F5) Flash Sync (I do wish this camera had 250 flash sync but I can work around it)

I had to write a review after reading the one left by the previous reviewer. I have owned an n80 for some 6 months now and I really like this camera. Nikon has certainly made an intelligent choice by adding this camera to its line of slrs. I own a Nikon FTN, EL, F100, F5 and 2 FM2ns in addition to this N80. I also have many lenses from past and present all of which are nikon. The set of features built into the N80 are very well thought out. This camera is a tops for its price point. I use my n80 when I need a full featured unit that is also lightweight. In addition to people, and landscapes, I take a lot of action photography. Skiing, Kayaking, Cycling to name just a few. As I am also a participant. I like the fact that my N80 will allow me to do just about anything I wish with excellent results. In some situations the N80 falls short, but these are usually professional demands. I turn to my f100 or f5 for these tasks. I spent the last year photographing extreme sports. Many pictures have been sold for great profit and I took many with this camera. I have photograph many graduations. The previous reviewers problem of "missing out" make little sense. He might "imagine" leaving his bleacher seat and move closer for all important shot rather that try to use flash with his 300mm telephoto. Yes, in a perfect world it would be nice to have a camera capable of every conceivable application all for under $400 dollars. One can pick up a old Nikon manual with mirror lock up on ebay for $50. For someone shooting a lot macro like myself, this might be a good idea.

Similar Products Used:

f5 f100

Price, features, available accessories, light weight, easy to use. Nikon finally got rid of those ridiculous program modes that most people never used.

Seems to have a weak film door. The DOF preview button is too easy to hit. I don''t use the focus pad on the back of the camera so I find it useless. I am used to the focus ability of the N70 and the N90s and am quite comfortable with it.

This is a good camera. It has alot of features for the price. I have shot about 100 rolls of film with this camera. The negative reviews that I have read about this camera seem to come from people that are into electronic gadgets but not really into photography. It seems to me that most people that review this camera could write the same review about the latest DVD player. I read complaints like "no mirror lock up" and "too much plastic".Well, plastic is not that bad anymore. Plastic can be stronger than most other materials. Some of the best handguns have lots and lots of plastic and they certainly go through alot of abuse. I knew when I bought the N80 that it did not have mirror lock up. I do alot of macro photography and I have never seen a diffenence when using it and when not using it on my Nikkormat FT3. Maybe I am missing something. [ I came from using an N70 and a Nikkormat FT3 so my summary is not that of a pro]. There are pleanty of cameras that have these features so buying this camera and then complaining that it does not have these features seems silly to me. Just buy the camera with the features you want and can afford. Nikon did fill a niche when they came out with this camera. This is one great camera that makes creating photos easier than with an N70. That is what they wanted to make. A camera that was easier to use than the N70. {I have heard that they are coming out with a newly designed N70} I can''t wait to see what they come up with to fill the gap between the N80 and the F100!

Customer Service

Never used.

Similar Products Used:

N70, NIKKORMAT FT3, F100, N90S, Rollei 35mm slr''s and many point and shoots.

gridlines manual cable release very reliable metering well built for a consumer body

no MLU no High-Speed-Synchronization shutter delay battery consumption

Well, Nikon puts us to a lot of thinking – whether to abandon the whole system and switch to Canon or even Minolta, or to rob a bank and get an F5. I bought my F80 a year ago and already yearn for a better camera. Although I did quite some research before spending EUR 500, I never thought that I would miss the following features: Mirror-Lock-Up and High-Speed-Synchronization. Someone told me that I would need MLU only when either doing a lot of macro or shooting with long telephoto lenses. They were wrong. Even at 85mm (the lens set on a tripod) MLU makes a great difference.The fact that the F80’s mirror is not very well dampened (compared for example to the F100) adds to that problem. The shortest Flash-Synch-Speed the F80 provides is 1/125 sec. This seems decent but it really becomes a problem when using a 80-200 @ 200mm and needing flash to obtain a possible shutter-speed of 1/250 sec if you do not want to use a tripod. Imagine your brother’s graduation and not being able to see much of him because you are 10 meters away and you have to keep the focal length around 100mm while your zoom would easily provide 200mm Both Canon and Minolta offer these features for less than EUR 900. If I wanted to get MLU AND High-Speed-Synch. AND stay with Nikon I would have to pay EUR 2400 for an F5. You are right – I should have known better. But I did not. Beside the mentioned flaws (which may not be a problem for your style of shooting) I noticed two, more neglectable, shortcomings – shutter delay and battery consumption. If you want to believe the German fotoMAGAZIN the F80’s shutter delay is twice as long as the EOS 30’s (Elan 7): 613 msec (F80) compared to 358 msec (EOS 30) when all autofocus sensors are active. The battery consumption is even three times as high compared to the Canon. (26,4 wh to 8,3 wh) As long as you keep in mind the F80’s (serious for me) limitations you’ll buy a modern, well built SLR-Camera. The autofocus is quite fast (while noisy), the grip is fine with the MB-16 attached, matrix-metering takes care of almost any light conditions and you get a real cable release and gridlines in the viewfinder as a bonus.

Excellent value. Light weight. Superb eye level display gives you all the information you need. Optional external battery unit extends battery life and also creates a wonderful camera balance. AF works well and is relatively fast for most situations. Center weighted metering works flawlessly. Customization settings are wonderful. Self-timer is useful when working with a tripod. Old-fashioned threaded external cable release is also helpful. The small size ensures a nice fit in the hand (I have large hands). Love to shoot with T-max (3200ASA) B&W film and the N80 has always given me an accurate exposure. The N80 did very well in high heat (as in 101 degrees in Monument Valley). On board fill flash works well.

The exposure compensation button is in the wrong place. It should be near the shutter release, not away from it. Instead Nikon put the flash compensation in the most handy spot (right where your right index finger naturally rests). The two need to be switched (in my humble opinion). As it is, setting an exposure compensation requires a bit of a finger stretch. Wouldn''t want to use the N80 in a dusty environment as it''s not well sealed. I''ve dropped my N80 several times (onto grass and hard wood) and it seems solid enough. In high action sports situations the AF can be a little too slow. The cheap plastic zoom lens offered with the N80 is less than desirable. (I dumped it on ebay as soon as I got it.)

I''ve had this camera for over a year now. Have used it in an assortment of conditions and have never been disappointed. Despite the lack of mirror lockup, my slides are crystal clear. Integrating technology into a working system is a real challenge and Nikon has done a fine job here. After three or four rolls I had 98% of the controls down pat. Since then I''ve filled in the blanks. Hardly ever had to resort to the manual. The thing must be rugged as I''ve made over six trips with it to Yellowstone, Yosemite, the Grand Canyon, Sedona, and the Painted Desert. The poor thing has been soaked in several downpours yet still performs solidly. The system cost is so reasonable I bought a second body (just for B&W). In short, I''m an N80 fan!

Customer Service

Never had the need to use it. My N80 has beent through the mill and still performs perfectly.

Similar Products Used:

Nikon N60, N65

Lightweight,flexibility of use,good feel,reliable,

None that I can report

This camera is an excellent camera for anyone who wants reliability and flexibility.I have read many reviews from other users and have not found problems as indicated.This camera is easy to use once you get used to the features.Seems to be well built.I have taken 8 rolls of film and pictures turned out well.If you want an alaround cmera that will serve you well buy the N80,this camera will be all that 95% of the camera buff out there will ever need.

Customer Service

Have not needed

Similar Products Used:

Minolta,Pentax

Price. Placement of controls for my hand size. Lightness. Can appear to be a "Nikon Snob".

Glossed over manual, with no in depth definitions for an entry level camera. Can be confusing. Some eye strain for glasses wearers. The big greasy spot on the back of my camera from my nose. Afraid to use it if I have a cold.

As a beginner I am unsure to what I am truely looking for in a camera, but the photographs I have taken have only been limited by my abilities. Many have loved my pics and commented how good I am (in reality how good the camera allows me to be). The bells and whistles of the N80 can be more than daunting to the beginner and have missed great shots while thumbing through the owners manual. I believe this camera will allow me to explore my creative side with some forgiveness. D*** the learning curve, full speed ahead.

Customer Service

Hopefully none will be needed in the near future.

Similar Products Used:

Friends SLR''s (multiple brands) Stupid point and shoot what the hell is this picture of cameras

Light but solid enough, much better than Canon''s cheap plastic cameras. Good grip and looks good too (black). It has no stupid "amateur"-functions, but all the functions you need unless you are professional sports photographer. Excellent 3-D Matrix metering.

Limitations with older lenses.

Probably the best inexpensive 35mm AF-SLR on the market, at least among the ones I have played with. It would have had 5 stars overall from me, if it took older lenses

Customer Service

Excellent

Similar Products Used:

Canon EOS 300, EOS 30

Compatible with Nikon system 3D matrix metering

If you want an cheap F100 go to eBay

I''ve read the other reviews on here and read, too often, that It''s not a pro camera, that it''s a bit slow, that it''s not made in Japan, that it''s a bit plasticy.. and so forth. Well, folks, I don''t know what people expect sometimes but let''s get one thing straight from the off, the F80 is not an F100 and it''s not an F5. It costs a third to a fifth of the price of these cameras so it''s completely unfair to expect it to be one. What the camera is, is an entry to the land of F100 and F5 type features for those that don''t need the ruggedness, speed and flexibility of those cameras .. When the F80 was introduced, the entry level Nikon was the F60, a value for money camera with limited flash control, limited metering capability and limited utilisation of Nikkor lens system (no AF-S capability for a start). The F80, for a little more money, introduced these features into the "budget" end of the Nikon system. The F80 got 3D matrix metering and flash control and multi point auto focus. It was also able to use the AF-S lenses (we''ll get to maybe why one would throw these expensive lenses at an F80 later). So, why F80? Frankly, it''s the budget option for a taste of Nikon''s more advanced features. I took one with me around some of the motor racing circuits of Europe and America last year and it never let me down. The Matrix metering is great, I threw about 150 films through it and, I would guess, that it only "badly" exposed 2 or 3 percent of exposures (the usual type of meter fooling stuff, headlights on cars and the like). With an SB28, I got nice balanced daylight flash and reasonable exposures at night (Le Mans). The auto focus is a bit slow though, it''s not really up to constant tracking of race cars, but as an old school manual focuser, I usually worked around problems and whilst the wind speed of about 2fps is also slow for this sort of use, it''s well matched to the auto focus speed. I wouldn''t downgrade the camera because of this though.. I was asking a lot of the camera and it''s like I say above, if you want F5 performance, buy an F5! I think that the F80 is a lot of camera for the money you pay and that a lot of the gripes in these reviews really don''t take into account what you are paying. Sure, the thing will not stand up to "Pro" use, I don''t think Nikon ever suggested it would, but if you are an advanced/keen amateur lo

Customer Service

Not required, camera hasn''t broken

Similar Products Used:

F100 D1H

it says "nikon" on it many features for the price so much fun to use

not made in Japan small and lightweight not a pro camera

My first Nikon was an N60. It was a very durable and reliable camera. It never failed me, but I had had enough of a "point and shoot" with interchangable lenses. No depth of field preview, no multiple exposure capability, would not accept a cable release, no spot metering,had to select manual to apply center weighted metering. I wanted the F100, but did not want to pay for it. Choosing the N80 as a compromise, I was worried that it would not make me happy. Everything is fine now and i really enjoy it. This little thing does alot for the price! It''s not a pro camera and it feels lightweight like a toy, but the 4AA battery holder attached to the bottom helps this. Usable features over an entry level camera include:DOF preview,multiple exposures, the 5 point AF screen, spot metering, 18 custom menu settings, capability to auto-focus lenses with silent wave or HSM focusing,manual override of film speed setting,auto exposure bracketing,and more. The built in flash is adequate for most situations, and this is a feature most pro cameras lack. I plan to get the F100 next year and use the N80 for a second body. For now I''m sure it will keep me satisafied until then. For beginners,I would recommend the N80. The N60 is no longer made and has been replaced by the N65.I do not know too much about the 65, but I know that if you buy the entry level camera, you may outgrow it quickly. Spend the extra bucks and the N80 will take you far.

Customer Service

none yet

Similar Products Used:

Nikon N60, N6006 canon AE-1