Everything seems compactly designed. Felt solid and light for those long hikes. Grid system is really nice.

The sectional AF doesn't seem to work all that well. I do not ever use it. Instead I AF lock and recompose, which is not the most practical thing to do with fast moving objects.

Mixed reviews. I like my camera a lot but there are some features on the camera which do not appear to work well.

Similar Products Used:

Nikon N60
Canon T-90

- Data Imprinting (I purchased the F80S which is only available in the UK and Japan I believe) This is a must if you hate having to write exposure info down on paper.
- Accurate Auto Exposure
- Exposure and Flash compensation

- Autoexposure and Autofocus lock button is not practical in non-tripod situations. It is difficult to keep the camera body stable when you have to press the shutter button while keeping another finger on the AE/AF lock. It means you often have to reframe the picture. It's a bit acrobatic. There is a way to make life easier by customising but you do lose some features.

-The viewfinder isn't as sharp, manual focus is clumsier than with Nikon's manual focus cameras

- Focus Area selector is virtually useless and "Focus Assist" is not at all helpful in anything but ideal lighting conditions. Manual Focus is often the only way to go to avoid having the camera refocus 5 times before getting it right. Even if it does get it right, once you recompose your frame, the camera tries to focus on something else unless you have AE/AF on. See first comment.

- Flash synch speed could be improved

I've just switched to this camera from an old but reliable Nikomat. The experience has been frustrating as it seems so much more labour intensive to do the easiest of things. I do understand HOW my F80S works but sometimes simplicity is a lot better than gadgetry. I purchased it mostly for data imprinting and chose it over the N90 because it was apparently better designed. I'm also not very impressed by Nikon's lens selection both in the fixed and zoom. I paid up so this thing would work FOR me not AGAINST me. WAKE UP NIKON!

Customer Service

Not used yet.

Similar Products Used:

N80
Nikomat

Accurate metering system
Precise focussing
On demand grid lines
Bright view finder
Light Weight
Not Expensive

Not very strong
Metering/Focussing Knobs are really small

Its a nice camera for every photographer in a really affordable range. I have been using the camera for about six months. Noticing excellent results every time with slides/prints. Both color and B&W.
I recommend this camera for every zealous photographer. Even for pros too as a backup camera!

Customer Service

Not so far

Similar Products Used:

N70, F100, N90s

Metering, spot meter, bright view finder and grid lines.

Does not balance with heavy lenses, not copatible with manual lenses, small controll knobs, battery pack has no shutter button, mirror slap and lag are excessive, slow film wined, body not very strong, no mirror lock.

I owned it for two weeks, but the longer I owned it the more I found it's weaknesses, first of all the F80 cannot use manual focus lenses, that left many great lenses I owned obsolete with the F80, second the F80 does not balance well with heavy or large zoom lenses because of it's small and light body.
The focusing system is good but for me it did not work very well it seemed to hunt a bit to much. Mirror function is to slow, the black out time is to long.
Now for the functions I wish it had, first; mirror lock would be nice and and mid roll rewind would not hurt either and I wish the F80 would have a more functional battery pack plus more functions would make the F80 a keeper, as it is though I ended returning it and kept my FM2N and my F90. I will wait to purchase the F80, maybe in the near future Nikon will improve it.

Customer Service

Good but a little slow.

Similar Products Used:

FM2N, F90

Clear improvements in ergonomics over N70, accurate exposure.

Built quality is rather weak, very noteasable shutter lag, lack of some very important features (mirror lock-up, poorly designed vertical grip), anemic film drive. This is personal, but I believe that quality of controls could be better.

First of all, I've never owned it and never intended to do so. I had an opportunity to use it for few weeks and my experience with F80 is based on 50 rolls of film I ran through this camera. My initial impression was "WOW" which lately turned into "…?". Second thing is: I avoid comparing F80 to any other camera. I am trying to be objective as much as possible. I really liked camera's control layout, it takes only about an hour to start using it like you were doing this for few years on the daily basis. But, if your hands are just a bit bigger than size 9, use of camera is getting problematic since some knobs are way too small and stiff to operate. Vertical grip is next to useless (together with diopter adjustment). It neither does feel solid nor does not add any significant functionality.

Another huge disappointment was about the way this camera is built. I always praised the feel of Nikon bodies but something is definitely not right in Nikon engineering department. Even 8 years old N6006 (or N50) feels a lot sturdier than N80. Probably Nikon has decided that wobbly look of modern mid- and entry-level cameras is a major selling point and wanted to catch up with it.

Camera has a very accurate metering system. I believe that F80 has one of the best meters in its class. Setting the exposure compensation is very easy. However, changing the metering mode “on-fly” is pain in the neck. Only Nikon knows why this so frequently used control knob is of the size of pea!

Film transport is certainly leaves to be desired. It’s not probably a biggest issue but forget to use F80 for sport events. The shutter lag is more serious matter. I found it way too long, but being skeptic about my feeling I’ve read several F80 reviews was discovered the viewfinder blackout is indeed significantly longer than in other comparable cameras. The meaning of this is simple; be careful to use F80 in people photography – you might catch a totally different face impression than you were going to. Slow FPS will only complicate this.

Viewfinder is quite good. Bright enough, information is well organized and easy to read. On-demand grids are amusing, IMO, but they actually work! I have to pay extra to put grid-focusing screen in my camera, whereas F80 owners have it right out of box. Nice and useful feature.

I can’t say anything special about AF. It’s adequate, not outstanding. AF-S lens with full time manual focus should make all the difference, without it F80 hunts and whirrs a lot.

Nikons always has been praised for their flash system. Shame on me, but I had no chance to use an external flash with F80. The built-in one is a pretty standard flash for modern cameras and not to useful for illuminating distant and broad areas. Watch for red eyes, but its true for all built-in flash units.

Now is the touchy moment to sum everything up. F80 is a nice camera, surely capably of taking perfectly exposed pictures, but I believe that Nikon could do better here, IMO. Just look at following list of warnings; be careful to mount heavy optics in this camera, avoid to bump the camera (if you do not want to see it’s innards wide open), watch for AF accuracy when focusing on fast or not too contrasty target, take into account a huge shutter lag… Isn’t to too much for $500 worth mid-class camera of XXI century? I’d say that F80 is rather targeted for casual photographer willing to use most of modern Nikon technologies, like AF-S and 3D flash metering. F80 is also can be used for thoughtful nature and landscape photography, thanks to accurate spot meter. Based on my thoughts and impressions, I rate this Nikon camera as follows;

Customer Service

can't comment on that

Similar Products Used:

Elan II, N 6006, N70

Elegant. Beautifully designed. Well made. And if well made, why should deduct points just because it's made in Thailand. I like it better than the Elan 7, after quickly and not very thoroughly comparing the two.

Could do withought the gadgets: the grid, the various focus points.

Best mid-level Nikon ever made. Most enjoyable too. Professional means more pictures, not necessarily better. If you shooting over 50 rolls of film a week get an N100 or and F5. Most of the time the cheapest N65 will take an identical picture as the most expensive F5, when using the same lense. So spend the big bucks on a good lense. The N80 is as much camera as I'll ever need.

Customer Service

In 35 years, one beef about a rebate. My nikons will be sold, stolen, given away, before they wear out.

Similar Products Used:

Nikons: Nikkormat, F2, FE, 8008, 6006, N70

Improved functionality, compared to Nikons other mid class cameras; N65, N70.

Built quality, auto focus hunts, mirror slap, lack of mirror lock, battery pack.

Never seen so much hype, over a camera that lacks mirror lock, mid roll rewind, battery pack that has no shutter release and cannot be used with manual fucusing lenses.
Built quality does not live up to the Nikon standard. To me it's performance is nothing out of this world, just average. Save your money and go for the N90, "much better built" or the F100.

Customer Service

Good.

Similar Products Used:

N65, N70, ElanIIe, Elan7

Jaw dropping AF performance, Flash metering, ergonomics.

Canon and F5 users will try to knock it at ever oppotunity. Shameless product placement in the film Vertical Limit

Unless you have a pile of manual lenses you want to keep this camera is fantastic value. System support is untouchable, build quality is fantastic (unless you used to a F5). Want to wind up a Canon owner who keeps going one about USM and ECF - get them to open up the back of an EOS 30 (and you thought the F80 was plasticky!)
Bottom line - F80 is a camera built by photographers for photographers not techno geeks

Customer Service

The usual for a company this size (useless)

Similar Products Used:

F5, F100, F70, EOS 3, Dynax 7

Thrust to weight ratio. The N80 has all the avionics of its F-100 sibling in an affordable package.

None observed. Plastic bodies are standard with most cameras now. Would prefer the older builds having to do with the body. However, price is a serious consideration in deciding which features are unnecessary.

This is a very good camera all things considered -- price, features, plus lens availability and customer support.

Similar Products Used:

None

Spot metering, matrix metering, built-in fill flash, AF assist light, viewfinder gridlines, 5-point AF, fits well in hand, compact body, works with Nikon AF-S and Sigma HSM lenses.

Metering mode dial is tiny and very difficult to turn. I would prefer a control that would allow me to change the metering mode while looking through the viewfinder so I can see how the different modes effect computed exposure.

External viewfinder glass has too many reflections. I wear glasses, so I'm not able to put my eye right up against the viewfinder. If there is a strong light source behind me, the glare makes it very hard to compose the shot.

Flash sync is only 1/125. For the type of photography I do, this is normally not a problem. But faster sync speed would be nice for the occasional bright sunlight wide aperture portrait. From what I've read, a faster sync speed isn't possible even with the SB-28.

Exposure control only in half stop steps. 1/3 stop steps would be better for slide film, in my opinion.

I've had this camera for six months, and in general, I'm very pleased with it. It is a very capable camera, however, I do wish it had a few more features: exposure control in 1/3-stops and faster flash sync. In terms of design, as mentioned above, the metering mode control needs to be redesigned, and the external viewfinder glass should be reshaped, and have an anti-reflective coating.

Some people complain that this camera is too small, but I find the size perfect. I've gone on some long hikes, and travelled to a few places with this camera, and I can really appreciate it's compact size.

The pop-up flash is also a very nice feature. This means you can travel without have to drag around a dedicated flash for fill-flash function. With a guide number of 12m(ISO100), the flash can be used as the primary light source for quick indoor people pictures using ISO400 film.

I'm giving this camera a value rating of 5 stars, since it gives you many Nikon features in a fairly sturdy body for a reasonable price. However, I'm only giving it 3 stars overall since it still leaves a little to be desired in terms of more advanced features and ergonomics.

Customer Service

Not needed.

Similar Products Used:

Pentax MZ-5n (ZX-5n in the U.S.A)