feel - my hands are big and while some people were complaining about n80's size and weight, i felt it very comfortable to hold

several useful 'new' functions - such as DOF, built in flash, grid (a great help to shoot architecture and landscape) etc.

intuitive control - i figured out most of the functions except the 'CSM' before i read the manual.

quiet and fast AF, great metering.

rubber coating - don't know how long it will last.
not metering with mf lenses - not a problem to me though ;o)
would like a hotshoe cover like the one comes with pronea 6i

a pleasure to use, a great camera if you don't already have a lot of mf nikkors.

Customer Service

not yet used

Similar Products Used:

mamiya 2000, yashica mp108, n70, pronea 6i

easy to use, built in flash, light weight, grid, rubberized finish gives a good grip

1/125 flash sync, lack of metering on ais lenses, cheesy backlit display...could have used an "indiglo" style which would be easier to read, leaving the leader on the film when its rewound would be a nice feature

for the price it is a great mix of features...i love this camera...its so easy to control. really impressed with it...nice results so far. the few features i wish it had are not worth moving up to the n90 or f100...this is a great camera for any non pro shooter..and it would make a great backup for a pro.

Customer Service

no problems so far

Similar Products Used:

n60, n70, n90s, f100, f5, canon rebel 2000

Awesome Camera! Verry nice! Excellent layout & the perfect camera for me. Just like the F100 at 1/3 the cost!

Can't use meetering system with AI or AI-S lenses.

I couldn't be happier other than the fact that it doesn't use the meeter on older lenses.

Customer Service

Not needed

Similar Products Used:

Nikon N60, FA, EM. Nikkor 28-80, 50 1.4, 50 1.8. Sigma 28-70 3.5-4.5. Quantaray 75-300. Vivitar 35-200 F=3 AI-S

Great metering, easy to hold lightweight, very quiet, just a jot oy use!

None so far.

A great Nikon for non-pros. Very easy learning curve. Layout of controls are nice and simple. Instruction manual is very user friendly! Great value for the price.A lso, although it was not my intention, this camera makes people turn their heads and say "it looks great" or "great design". I know this camera might not be o.k for the most demanding situations but I think it sets a new category that I could call "the entry-mid level SLR killer", or "the non-professional SLR killer".

Customer Service

N/A

Similar Products Used:

N50, N60, N70

It the best designed Nikon camera ever !, it is small like a Pentax, an easy control layout and fantastic metering plus its focusing system is good too!. The on demand grid lines work surprisingly well (I usually bought the E screen on all nikons !). The built in flash is great, good enough for catchlights and fills. The body doesn't feel cheap.

The only thing that made me sick was the fact that Nikon left out intentionally the ability to use older Nikkor lenses (you can use them but no meter!)
no pc cord connection, you have to buy adapter and no eyepiece shutter built in. Hey nikon, leave the film leader out when rewinding ! please !

The built-in flash on a sophisticated metering camera is why I bought it, I dont want to be taking a big flash just for cachlights and fills. Fantastic ! no doubt. If all your Nikkor lenses are old, don't buy this camera.

Similar Products Used:

I own an F100 (is a much better camera but no built in flash), N70 (Which is bigger and not user friendly), 6006 (great

Relatively Quiet Operation
Easy control layout
Nikon Lenses
Solid Construction
Illuminated Display
Grips engineers to fit thumb on back

Sensitive Shutter Release

The most striking aspect of this camera is that the very first second you look at it, it looks like a cheapo Nikon knockoff. That doesn't last long. That "plasticky" look is the result of a nice rubberized coating that gives the camera a much more solid feel in the hand. No, this isn't an F5, but it IS a solid camera. The dials are positioned conveniently, the shutter release is church-mouse quiet, and the display shows everything you need to make an accurate exposure. This is a fine choice for the price point.

Customer Service

N/A

Similar Products Used:

Minolta XTsi

Lightweight,Ergonomic,price /performance ratio.has build-in flash for quick fill-in. Well build .

Flash sync. only 1/125,no option to leave film tongue out. no metering for AI-S (manual) lens.No usable with IR Films.

Excellent camera for novice to professional as back-up for lite-work with excellent control lay-out ,the good start for people who want to gain access to Nikon vast system.If you are looking for a good performance camera for traveling lite this is it.If you are advance photographer go for F100 and use N80 as a nice back-up body this is a good choice.Made in Thailand isn't the problem in quality,Production technology and quality control system are the keys of quality product.GO GET ONE IF YOU 'RE IN THE MARKET for 35 mm SLR.

Customer Service

No needed so far

Similar Products Used:

Canon EOS1V,EOS 3, Nikon F4,F5,F100,N70,F90S. Leica R8.M6, Hasselblad. etc...

light weight yet solid
excellent meter and autofocus
handles beautifully

none so far

Great camera, of course this isn't an F100 or F5, but honestly, about the only people who really need that kind of durability are photojournalists or harcore outdoor photographers. Anyone else should love the light weight and small package. It's almost silly the critics slamming the camera for not being an F5 or F100. It's certain that 99% have never been in a situation where they really needed that kind of durabilty. I've shot outdoors for 3 years with an F4s(like a tank) and a 8008s(plastic), neither failed me and both performed admirably. So far, I like the N80 better than both.

Customer Service

not used

Similar Products Used:

F100,F4s,8008s, FG, Fm2n, Canon A2E

Light-weight, similar to the move
other camera makers have done -
eg Canon Rebel 2000, although not
as light as the lightest SLRs available.

Decently fast AF.

Controls mirror the F100 and F5,
eg. in AF selector & general button
placements.

Has shutter release priority AF.

Built-in flash recharges quickly -
at least once a second or so in
a well lit indoor room.

Decent layout means except for the
custom functions, you can pretty much
use it w/o reading the manual.

"Made in Thailand".

Plastic body. Cheap feel vs. F100.
Makes you wonder - why not go lighter if you're gonna make it outta plastics? At least try to beat the Canon Rebel in weight. Instead, it's halfway between light and heavy, and you do wish it would have been more towards one or the other.

Yucky tiny, dial-knobs to select the
AF mode and the metering pattern
= you can't easily turn them with one
hand's fingers -- they're so tight
that you actually have to use the
other hand to turn the dials. And forget about trying to fingertip these
dials -- they're tight enough to bend
and break nails.

(in other words, why didn't they take
a close look at the Minolta 600si/9
series and learn about those easier
to switch selector dials?)

Cramped thumb/forefinger position when adjusting flash/exposure comp. using the buttons that you must keep depressed near the shutter while turning the rear dial with the thumb.

Clearly, they need another day at the ergonoics class on this point.

Also, unlike other cameras (eg. Minolta 600si), where you can adjust exposure comp. with the left hand while firing away with the right, there is no way to adjust exposure and fire the shutter at the same time with the N80 -- something that is important to those who are in situations with little free time, and the need to quick adjust comp. back and forth.

Two tiny Li-Ion batteries vs. one big dual Li-Ion battery pack. It looks like it takes about the same amount of space -- and we all know how yucky those tiny Li-Ion batteries cost a lot and drain away like smoke disappearing into the wind.

Looking through the viewfinder, the view is not as bright as that of the N60.

AF point choosen isn't displayed on screen in a nice vibrant red - instead, a black that sort of disappears - unlike the F100 with red indicators.

Button beside flash needs to be pressed in to raise flash head. I don't see why this is needed at all -- no other SLR brand uses this, and I've never found a case where the flash head has been accidentally raised through accidental contact and activiated on the other SLRs I own, even in heated shooting situations.

Nikon attempts to go 'cheap' and compete with the cheaper SLR cameras available today, such as the Canon Rebel 2000, and partially succeeds.

The N80 isn't as light as the Rebel, the dials not as easy to turn as one would expect - certainly not smoothly in some cases like the AF/AE mode dials, and in short, it feels like they took a F100 and sucked the guts and 'nikoness' out of the body, replaced instead by a cheap 'Thailand'-made imitation.

Yes, it does have the 5 point AF that works well. It does have access to the entire line of Nikon AF lenses as well as the renowned SB flash system, but somehow, after looking at the price tag of the N80 you just bought, you do feel 'stripped' in comparison to the F100 you should have taken home instead.

It's little things of inconsiderate thought that nag you. The tough to turn dials. The use of two tiny Li-Ion batteries. The not-as-light as it should be weight. The plasticy (IMO yucky plastic vs. the Canon/Pentax decent plastic feel) feel. The viewfinder screen that is darker than the N60 -- no only brighter, but less crowded airy feel vs. the N80 when overlaid with the rule-of-three lines.

Value-wise, it's easily half the price of a F100 that you would rather have. and it does start you off with the nice Nikon lens/flash system. but it does leave you wonder who it is targed towards? The enthusiast who would like to learn and expand his photographic skills? The Joe Blow who'd like to take some nice vacation pictures, and play with the exposure adjustments for fun? The beginner?

Unfortunately, there are so many other good choices out there that are better priced for what you're getting/better designed (IMO). EG. the Canon Rebel 2000 has enough features to fill a hog, yet is cheaper and lighter, has better layout and buttons, and runs about as well feature for feature. EG. the F100 - the choice to pick instead if you've got the money at all - wickedly solid body feel, nice 'red' AF confirmation indicators in the viewfinder, controls that aren't as bad to turn, and the feeling you could go through a warzone w/o worry. EG. the N60, if you're starting out with the Nikon line, just as a beginner, but don't need all those 'pro' features yet. Better, clearer, brighter viewfinder vs. the N80, and a simpler set of controls = more time learning how to take great pictures instead -- it's much like the cult Canon AE-1 series back in the 80s that gave you just enough to let you make wonders, but didn't get in the way of bulky, overloaded machinery.

But, in the end, the expensive 'poor-man's' Nikon, is pretty well featured overall, and doesn't have too many faults to kil the machine entirely. It opens the door to the entire Nikon lines of lenses and SB flash system, now and in the future as you expand. It certainly will do a very good job within the limitations it has, but certainly at a price that makes you wonder why you didn't pick something more expensive or cheaper instead. And those faults do make you wonder if Nikon won't mean solid Japanese made products anymore in the future -- yeilding cheap dials and plasticy bodies that certainly don't belong in a camera that costs more than the other lower-end SLRs available today, esp. since the overall feature set isn't that much more than what's available in let's say a Canon Rebel 2000 to be honest.

Customer Service

N/A

Similar Products Used:

Canon Rebel 2000, EOS 3.
Minolta 600si, 9.
Nikon F100, F5.

This is a good all around camera for the beginner to advanced user that doesn't need the complexity/options/weight of a pro camera like the F100. Easy to use with enough latitude to out perform most photographers needs. A good alternative to the Canon Elan II and aging A2 which I suspect is the cameras primary Canon rivals. Overall very good.

Seems durable, but lighter weight then I'd expected.

An excellent all around camera.

Customer Service

None so far.

Similar Products Used:

Nikon n 90, Canon Elan II and A2