Nikon D80 review - hands on

A NIKON D80 REVIEW

Matching the wish list with the results

After following the initial pre-release speculation in our Nikon D80 Users Group forum at Nikonians I'd say Nikon has delivered on many fronts. It's clear this new D80 DSLR can not be slotted simply as a straight replacement for either the Nikon D50 or the Nikon D70, but that's not to say it isn't. It's shaping up to be a lot like a Nikon D50 in terms of size, but these comparisons can no longer be simply made

The Nikon D80 from the front

We're seeing the fruits of Nikon's intent to consolidate parts - almost everything you see on the camera shares some commonality with other models. Besides the legacy from the Nikon D200 and up, the camera also shares the 420-segment meter from the Nikon D50, and a complete line of accessories which draws from both the Nikon D50 and Nikon D70 systems.

This however will probably be a disappointment for Nikon D70 owners with a significant investment in CF media hoping to "move up" without going for the Nikon D200. Also, SD users will have to wait as the market is still catching up to CF in terms of larger media capacities.

The JPEG buffer is big but it still seems to feel like a Nikon D50 to me, although 3 FPS (frames per second) puts it right in the Nikon D70 zone. The compressed RAW may be a deal breaker for those who have sophisticated post-process requirements and live and die in RAW.

No AI/AI-S lenses metering is not a surprise for a mid-range camera, and the fact that the flash synch speed has dropped to 1/200 is not necessarily a deal breaker since AutoFP at any speed is fully supported on Nikon Speedlights.

It features ISO range exactly like the Nikon D200, so ISO 100 is now available to the masses. Huzzah! On the top end, it can actually be cranked up to HI-1 (equivalent of ISO3200) with 0.3EV steps. It shares the same three custom NR (Noise Reduction) settings of the Nikon D200, so high-ISO shooting can be done with confidence.

The AF system includes "refinements" - the new AF button on the top deck will tell us more in a review, but it still has the new mode that links all 11 points into a 7-point center "Wide-Area" AF for faster lock-on.

The shutter lag, slightly slower than on the Nikon D200, is still more than respectable for a DSLR.

The Nikon D80 with MB-D80 battery grip

The shutter release shares the ML-3 wireless and MC-DC1 wired remotes that the Nikon D70s uses, which means no more complaints about having to contort your hands to take a vibration-free shot from behind the camera.

Another great feature will be the viewfinder with 0.94X magnification and 19.5mm eyepoint. That should silence a few D70/D50 viewfinder critics for sure.

This camera includes features drawn from the Coolpix series. It's the first Nikon DSLR we've seen with built-in D-Lighting and Redeye removal capabilities. The Pictmotion is also new; it will be a unique feature to display slideshows and background music using LCD or TV using hook-up cables.

A new Retouch Menu allow for in-camera image enhancements, reducing post-processing time.

The Black & White modes have been enhanced - with Sepia and Cyanotype additional options - again, oriented to beginners and point & shooters.

Out of all the Vari-Programs - Night Landscape is the only new setting. Flash control includes the 2-group Commander Mode (A/B) just like the Nikon D200, which will probably encourage system sales of multiple Speedlights.

It looks like firmware updates will be supported by SD cards, which means the days of having to send in your camera for improvements may finally really be over.

In short - it's a mixed bag of goodies. A lot will appeal to the prosumer, and a lot will also appeal to the first-time DSLR buyer or upsell customer.

One thing is certain - the selection of SD only will become an issue for some potential Nikon D70s converts until better card adapters hit the market. Otherwise, Nikon has again raised the bar for DSLRs in this range.

NIKON D80 and related bodies comparisons

It seems logical to assume this new body is aimed at

* $ USD as of August 2006

What is not in the chart above

Image Quality. Directly related to the final image quality of the image out of the Nikon D80 camera is its new high-resolution image processing engine, inheriting advantages from Nikon's latest professional digital SLR cameras. This is said to result in natural-looking images with faithful color and tone reproduction. The samples so far look very good. We expect to soon confirm this with our own images.

Shutter Speed. Reduced from a top 1/8000 of a second to a 1/4000 will only bother those needing to catch an ultrasonic speeding bullet, without flash. So it shouldn't be a problem for most users.

Sync Speed. We soon got spoiled to a sync speed of 1/500, specially when doing fill-in flash for strong shadows on fast moving subjects under very bright light, or at least 1/250. The D80 has a sync speed of 1/200. But the new SB-800 and SB-600 Speedlights support Focal Plane (FP) shutter synchronization from the flash itself, making this a no problem and certainly a no deal breaker.

No metering of non-CPU lenses. The Nikon D80 is obviously not aimed to Nikon fans with huge collections of vintage MF lenses. But if so, they can be used. Either apply the Sunny-16 rule of thumb, draw out the handheld meter or check your histogram and chimp until you get it right. Perhaps there was that felt need from new digital users currently considering buying the D70/D70s and wanting more features than those in the D50; surely some market research has shown many potential users even if those of the D200 had shown so far no urgency for it.