Overall configuration and automation; control placement and lightweight I don''t care what anyone says, Nikons are built better than Canons

Really a bit small for adult male hands; not a major complaint, just make sure you have a good hold or buy the optional vertical grip.

This camera represents a tremendous value for the money; the controls are well-laid out, and the camera is small and unobtrusive. I would definitely recommend this camera to anyone looking for a light-weight travel picture taking machine. I just came back from a three-month expedition to Russia, where I spent three weeks camping around Lake Baikal in Siberia with this camera in temps ranging from 90 degrees to below freezing and all sorts of weather conditions. Absolutely no problems, and the pictures turned out great. Don''t listen to these reviews which claim "doesn''t have this or that pro feature." If you need every feature under the sun, buy the F-5; then again, I really wouldn''t want to backpack that package very far. A great value for the money, an I''ve been doing this for awhile.

Customer Service

Called for technical info one time; professional service and good advice. Never had to send the camera in.

Similar Products Used:

Various EOS models; Pentax; Canon A-1

- Spot metering is back - threaded cable release - DOF preview - do nto use it very much, but sometimes, it does come in handy - the controls are in the right places.

- no vertical shutter release in the MB16 grip - sometimes the AF hunts longer than it should, but no big deal

When I got tired of my FM10 (my first SLR), I looked at the N65 and N80 (F100 being outside my price range). Its got a great feel and functions that do justice to the price. For the serious amateur. If you can handle spot metering, you can create magic. I think it is a great camera, though I wish it could take non-AI lenses - that would have been cool.

Customer Service

with Nikon? never needed!

Similar Products Used:

FM2, FM10, F60, N65, Canon Elan III

Economical. Feature packed. A great camera for casual or student shooters who want entry into the Nikon System.

Plastic construction. Slowish AF. Slowish frame advance.

The N80 is a pretty nice camera, but as I''ve read in other reviews here, and concur, it is not quite a pro model, and not up to the rigors of professional travel photography. I had recently upgraded to Nikon AF system from my old reliable Pentax K1000/ME outfit. I found I was just missing too many fleeting shots with the old manual gear, and it was time to get with the times. So the N80 does have many of the features of the redoubtable F100, although AF and frame advance speed do not compare. I use several Sigma lenses, and the N80 will occasionally, completely fail to operate the HSM focusing in the 70-200, but it''s probably a unique problem. It seems to work allright with the other Sigmas, and works fine though slow with the Nikkor AF lenses. The metering is much the same as the F100 and I have no complaints there. I''m not nuts about the "plasticky" feel and heft, but it would probably survive a drop as well as my old Pentaxes and maybe better. I would also recommend the accessory battery pack if you buy this camera. The little lithiums are expensive and can be hard to find in out of the way places. All in all, the N80 is a good camera, but will never get ''workhorse'' status in my 35mm bag. It was quickly replaced by the F100, and is now my backup.

Customer Service

Never used other than over-the-phone advice. Friendly and helpful. Pretty much.

Similar Products Used:

Other Nikon System gear including F100.

It''s a Nikon.

The only weakness that I found was that the AF assist iluminator is not very effective if the lens is big, because it is in an awkward position.

I got into photography with a digital p&s camera over a year ago. The Nikon N80 is a great camera for someone who wants to progress from the p&s cameras and/or is interested in becoming a serious amateur. Since I am not a professinal photographer, I would not buy FM2 or F100. On the other hand, the N65 is too basic, with many programmed exposure settings that I will not use (because those situations are rare) and a slow shutter speed (1/2000). The N80 is just right. A faster shutter speed and the N80S prints exposure data on the side of the photo on the negatives. That is a great feature if you are a beginner and you have no idea what the result will be when you mannualy set the picture and you don''t want to spend time writing it on a piece of paper. The N80 is the best beginner''s SLR camera that has introduced me to the world of photography and will allow me to learn everything about it.

Customer Service

Not yet.

Similar Products Used:

None, my first SLR camera.

Easy control layout in either manual or automatic modes. Has all the features I need for general and studio shoots. This camera feels good in the hand and price is really good if you are thinking of stepping up to more demanding use. Looks good too. Accepts the full compliment of Nikon lenses. Much better ergnomics than the N90.

The body isn''t as rugged as the F100 or F5 cameras, but it isn''t a wimp either. It also doesn''t look as professional as the other cameras, but personally I can do without the added weight. Besides, non-professional models sometimes find "pro" cameras intimidating.

This camera is great. It offers a lot of automatic features versatility, but the controls and layout are very simple and easy to use in manual mode. I was debating between this and the F100 and realized that for half the price, this camera had easier ergonomics and economics.

Customer Service

Haven''t needed it.

Similar Products Used:

Canon AE-1 :)

For the cost one of the best new Nikons out. It is light although that is also a downside because it is plastic. I personally love the grid option. It makes lining up landscapes and archetecture soooo nice. The metering is usually quite good.

Because I do landscape photography I mostly use this as a manual focus camera. And there in lies my only regret. There is NO assistance when focusing manually, especially in low light. The screen is just a perfect rectangle. There is a little dot that lights up in the meter but it does not compare to a good manual focus screen.

All in all I love this camera. I had budgeted around $450 for a new camera and looked at this one as well as the Canon Elan. The deciding factors were the Nikon lense history (always fit) and the feel in my hand. The weight is nice and it has almost all of the features I wanted. This is a good intro camera as well as a sturdy every day use camera. If you do a lot of manual focus work you may want to consider a different model, especially if you wear glasses.

Customer Service

Never had to deal with customer service.

Similar Products Used:

Canon Elan, 1970''s era Minoltas.

Crystal clear photos Best optics on the market Best camera value in it''s class On-Demand Grind Lines (Awesome feature- a grid matrix pops up in the viewfinder for better photo alignment) Solid body (I''ve dropped mine 3 times and it''s still working perfectly)

No vertical shutter release on optional battery pack No auto shutoff feature- drains battery quickly Only 2.5 fps. I would''ve preffered a faster rate If you compare the comparable Canon''s, you''ll find that Canon had strengths where Nikon has weaknesses and vice versa. It''s all about what you want as a photographer, because quite honestly, both companies make remarkable products. From my perspective, the Nikon had the most features that appealed to me for the money. While the Canon 7e that I was serioulsy considering has 4 fps and the eye focus as opposed to 2.5 and lack of eye focus in the N80, I didn''t find it to be worth the extra money. Plus, I felt the overall number of pros in the N80 outweighed the pros in the Canon 7e.

Coming out of high school, I was interested in getting into serious photography. I wasn''t planning on majoring in photography in college; however, I did want a good camera that would satisfy my needs as I grew as a photographer and in basic photographer courses in college. I was first considering the camera level below the N80, Nikon''s N65 along with the Canon Rebel 2000. I was convinced that for my needs, the N80 is a much better camera and is well worth the extra money. This is definetly true. The N80 takes crystal clear pictures. Nikon optics are simply the best in the business. They pour more money into their optics then do other companies (Canon), and thus the pictures are better. While Canon brags over it''s faster autofocus and "better electronics", these differences are undetectable to anyone that is not professional. Aside from technical differences, the Nikon simply feels better in the hand. It feels more solid and more ergonomic then comparable Canon''s. I must admit that before deciding on a camera, I was unbiased toward Nikon or Canon. After choosing Nikon, I am so happy with the performance that I am officially a Nikon fan. Before deciding on what camera to buy, I was seriously considering the Canon Elan 7e. I won''t lie, the eye focus feature on the 7e is one of the coolest things I''ve ever seen. However I felt that the Canon was harder to operate. The buttons and menu functions are don''t feel natural, and the body felt very plasticky in the hand. For how much it costs, it felt like a toy. Which is another thing, for the money, the N80 is one of the best values on the market. While the 7e had some really cool features, they didn''t outweigh the pluses of the N80. The N80 is for people who want to become good at photography. It has an automatic mode for extremely crisp and sharp "point and shoot" pictures, however it doesn''t have all the submodes built into it for different photo situations (i.e.- landscape, night, portrait, action, etc). In this way, the N80 is a true teaching tool. If that''s what you''re looking for in a camera, I would suggest the N65. I haven''t bought the additional battery pack for my N80 yet, although i''ve heard that it makes an awesome camera even better. Because I''m on the "college budget" I don''t consider the battery pack worth it because it doesn''t have a vertical shutter release.

Customer Service

Haven''t needed it yet; however, I hear that they''re the best in the business.

Similar Products Used:

Canon Rebel 2000, Canon 7e, Nikon N65, Minolta HTsi Plus. If you are considering the N80, the only other cameras that you should consider are the Canon 7 and 7e. Any other camera is either going t

viewfinder gridlines, lightweight yet built well, metal film guides, adequate built in flash for fill, inexpensive

lack of horizontal shutter button on battery pack, 2.5 fps could be a little faster, leader does not stay out on reqind.

Having returned to photography after a 15 year haitus I spent a lot of time researching what I wanted to buy. The choices for me were the Nikon N80 and Canon 7/7e. Having owned a Nikon FM in the past I was partial to Nikon, but with the advances in camera technology I felt a little research wouldn''t hurt. End result, I went with the N80 and I have not been disappointed. The N80 just felt better in my hands. The 7e felt "plasticy" and the controls on the N80 are laid out in a more functional manner than the 7/7e. I wear glasses and the viewfinder in the N80 was considerably brighter and all viewfinder functions are easy to read. I was not able to calibrate the eye focus on the 7e in the store. I kinda feel like this is gimmicky feature anyway. The metering has been dead on. If there have been exposure errors they have been due to me fiddling around with the exposure settings. The optional battery pack is a must. It just makes the N80 feel better in my hands. The features available are almost to many to name. There are more than I will probably need to use. I have shot everything from time trials at Indy, to nature shots, my daughters dance team and pinewood derby races. At every event the N80 has performed above expectation. One drawback though, with the 70 - 300 mm zoom, sometimes the Auto Focus hunts a little bit. This should not though be considered a setback when looking ot purchase. Overall I am highly pleased with my purchase, and the line of Nikon accesories available will more than satisfy my photographic needs.

Customer Service

Have not had to use.

Similar Products Used:

Nikon FM

Built quality very good; Custom features and the rear autofucus button; Quiet operation.

Autofucus problems (never been able to focus track); Cost of mb16 battery grip; Silly fiddly expo-comp and flash control buttons. Why oh why?

Excellent lightweight camera, Fast autofocus, brilliant custom features. Had this SLR for under a year. Served me well but unfortunaly only used a Sigma zoom on it. This camera seems to have leeched ideas from the contax RX. eg custom features and electronic rangefinder; Very durable body but of course probably can''t compete with climate resistant metal bodys. Great shame about position of expoxure buttons. Why can''t Nikon built manual lens metering capability like the f4? Needs faster motordrive as well. Eventually sold it for Contax Rx and Carl Zeiss lenses (better builds, better lenses) The F70 might actually have a better autofocus.

Customer Service

Sold it before i had to. Want camera that can last (see contax/yashica system)

Similar Products Used:

Minolta x-700, Nikon FA and F70,Contax RX Ricoh ff-9

No camera can touch it's features/price ratio

No MF but so what? That's why I have my FM2.

Awesome. Almost everything an advanced amateur could want at 1/3 the price of an F100. Ignore those who do not understand or have no knowledge of the strengths and capabilties of polycarbonate. Also ignore those who post why they did not buy the camera here. This is for review by people who have extensive use, not those who are jealous of this camera and it's price.

Similar Products Used:

FM2, N70, Pentax K1000