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Nestling in the middle of Nikon’s range of six digital SLRs, the D80, like the D70s it is set to replace, straddles the gap between the entry-level D50 and semi-professional D200 models.
By borrowing features from both and adding a few new ones of its own, the camera enables the enthusiast photographer to take professional-looking photos without the added expense of industrial-strength ruggedness and features aimed specifically at the photo studio.
Nikon's biggest single improvement in this camera is an increase from six to 10 megapixels, but it’s more than just a D70s with a new sensor.
Many improvements have been made to the camera, which is now easier to use and benefits from plenty of the consumer-oriented features found in Nikon's Coolpix range of compact cameras.
The sensor itself is very similar to that found in the D200. Both deliver the same image resolution, but the D80 uses a single-channel memory architecture, which results in slightly slower data transfer rates.
Where the D200 is capable of continuous shooting at up to 5 frames per second (fps), the D80 is limited to the same 3fps rate found in the D70s. The new camera, however, is capable of shooting up to 23 Jpeg frames at this rate, which is around twice as many as the D70s.
Another obvious upgrade is the new 2.5in rear LCD panel, which has 100,000 extra pixels and a wider viewing angle. This makes both reviewing images and navigating menus easier, especially as the D80’s faster processor makes the interface much snappier.
It is very quick on the draw: from power-on, you can shoot almost instantaneously. It’s so fast that if you flick the power switch and hit the shutter release as fast as you can there’s no perceptible delay.
The control buttons have also been moved around to make control easier.
It’s now possible to navigate the menus with one hand, and in review mode you can zoom in and out of your pictures more easily by using dedicated zoom-in and zoom-out buttons instead of holding down a button with one hand and sliding a thumb wheel with the other.
Not only is the menu system bigger and clearer, it also contains new options.
A whole new retouching section allows you to edit your photos in-camera in a variety of ways including cropping, re-sizing, red-eye removal and D-lighting ; the latter applies a simple fix to poorly-exposed images.
With D-lighting you can dramatically improve such photos, for example where fill-in flash could have been used to compensate for backlighting.
These options are great for those who don’t have the time or the inclination to process their images on a PC and all the edits are non-destructive, leaving the original images intact.
Although great in point-and-shoot mode, the D80 is also a very customisable camera that offers the user extra-high ISO modes with configurable noise-reduction options.
There are certainly no complaints about image quality either. In general it is excellent, and flexible user control of noise-reduction and sharpening options means you can get your photos looking just the way you want, without having to process the raw files yourself.
Three colour modes are available; two using sRGB to optimise skin tones and landscapes and a third using Adobe RGB for accurate colour reproduction of materials and for those with professionally colour-managed workflows.
Unlike its main competitors, the D80 also sports a second top-mounted LCD status display and a true pentaprism viewfinder with a pleasingly big image.
It may cost £600 less than a D200, but the D80 is a serious camera capable of professional results. It’s a big step up from the D50 and a worthy successor to the D70s.
Also consider:
Canon
EOS 400D
The Canon EOS 400D builds on the success of the 350D and is an excellent
entry-level digital SLR
Olympus
E330
More than just an upgrade to the E-300, Olympus's digital SLR now has a live LCD
viewfinder
Samsung
NV10
A novel digital camera with some unusual features
All Digital CamerasTags: Digital SLR, Nikon
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