ProductCritic: Nikon D80 Reviews

vnunet.com (100)

A solid camera in every sense of the word, yet at the same time relatively compact, the D80 marries a wide array of features to a user-friendly layout. If you want crisp, vivid digital images without spending a king’s ransom, and don’t mind a camera that won’t slip into your pocket, Nikon’s flagship budget D-SLR is worth serious consideration.

PC Pro (100)

More expensive than its direct competition, but thanks to its brilliant features the D80 is money well spent

Computeract!ve (100)

An excellent feature set combined with good quality and usability make the Nikon D80 a great mid-range purchase.

Popular Photography (98)

After testing this camera, we began to suspect that the people at Nikon have simply gone crazy. The D80 in many instances equals the performance of the $700-more-expensive D200. Sure, the D200 has a tougher body and tougher shutter, but that’s still quite a gap.

megapixel.net (96)

Positives: Superb image qualit, Instantly On, Excellent 3D Colour Matrix metering, Fast Autofocus, Unlimited Continuous mode at 3 frames per second in JPEG, Excellent viewfinder, Solidly built. Negatives: Some noise above 400 ISO, Complexity of some Custom options, No PC terminal for third party flash, No RAW tools available with PictureProject, the supplied software.

Imaging Resource (95)

By any measure, the Nikon D80 is a superb photographic tool, offering value well beyond its relatively modest price point. It delivers a huge step up in virtually every parameter relative to the earlier D70/D70S, and even the D100 owner on a budget may want to consider it over the the higher-priced D200. It’s solidly built, well-balanced in the hand, highly responsive, and delivers excellent image quality.

Digital Camera Resource Page (95)

This is a heck of a camera, and one that should be at the top of your list if you’re buying your first D-SLR. If you have a D50 or D70 then I’d strongly consider upgrading. And, unless you need a faster burst rate and even more custom functions, then you can save hundreds by skipping the D200 and getting the D80 instead.

KenRockwell.com (95)

I prefer my D200 if I’m doing photography all day, but if I’m spending more time carrying the camera than shooting with it, I grab my D80. I just bought a Canon 5D for three times the price, and I still prefer my D80’s LCD and overall operation. The D80 is an easy camera to love!

Steve's Digicams (94)

I was very impressed with the D80. It can be a powerful photographic tool with its Manual, Aperture priority, and Shutter priority modes, however, even the least experienced photographer can pick it up and capture beautiful photos using the Auto, Program or one of the Digital Vari-Program scene modes.

ePhotozine.com (92)

Like the D100-200 upgrade before it, this upgrade from the D70 to D80 is a worthwhile step up, both in ability and performance. The jump in pixel count and autofocus ability alone warrants the change, but there are literally dozens of other tweaks as you delve further into the menus. The price also seems to be pitched about right, although market forces will soon see it settle into a slightly lower slot, which is all good news. Highly recommended.

Hardware Zone (90)

With the D80, Nikon offers a complete DSLR lineup where there’s something for almost every segment and price category, with this excellent newcomer taking a favorable spot between the low and midrange DSLR categories of the D70s and the D200. The D80 is definitely the best Nikon camera yet for its entry-level class and is strongly recommended for beginners migrating to the DSLR scene.

The Star Online (90)

So is it recommended? Most certainly – the D80 may be slightly more expensive than its rivals in the same class, but for the money you get a great lens, superlative usability and great quality.

DigitalCameraInfo.com (90)

The 10-megapixel Nikon D80 is a success in a conservative way. Nikon didn’t add the dust reduction system or stabilization that many competitors are introducing this year. Still, it has most of what the D200 has for hundreds of dollars less, and adds features to woo snapshooters. It’s a solid DSLR that’s easy to use and a strong performer. It should appeal to casual shooters who aren’t price-sensitive, and some professionals who are.

Trusted Reviews (90)

The D80 is another superb camera in Nikon’s increasingly impressive DSLR range. It is expensive and complicated, but it is also extremely well made, incredibly versatile and capable of fantastic picture quality. However it is surrounded by some very strong competition most of which is equipped with shake reduction, and although it may be one of the best 10MP cameras so far, it is not necessarily the best value for money.

Photography Blog (90)

The Nikon D80 is now part of a crowded market place and there is even plenty of crossover between this model and Nikon’s own 10 megapixel D200 model. Things might get even more confusing with rumour of an imminent D50 replacement due to be released before Christmas but, if one thing is very clear, consumers willing to invest their money in this model will discover that the D80 upholds Nikon’s excellent reputation in the DSLR market.

PC Advisor (90)

The Nikon D80 is an enthusiast’s dream and is incredibly rewarding to use. You can’t get much better than this without spending a thousand quid or more. Highly recommended.

PC Mag (90)

If you want more zoom from a kit lens and are willing to pay just a bit more for a D-SLR, the Nikon D80 is the camera for you.

I Like Cameras (90)

This is a great camera if you are interested in photography and it is a real passion of yours, or you hope to work your way up to being a professional photographer.

Digital Photography Review (88)

So we’ve established that the D80 is a great ‘photographers camera’, but how good are the images? The answer is, really very good, Nikon appear to have shaken off the soft-image demons of the past and are also using a slightly stronger (more consumer friendly) default sharpening level than the D200.

Cameralabs (86)

The Nikon D80 is without a doubt a very classy camera. It feels great, handles well, performs superbly and has one of the best viewfinders around. At times when rivals struggled with various lighting conditions, the D80’s metering remained unfazed and quite simply delivered great-looking images every time.

PC Photo Magazine (85)

The D80 provides the features and controls that I really need to consistently produce sharp photographs with accurate exposures, even under the most demanding shooting conditions.

NeoCamera.com (84)

Considering that the D80 is more expensive than all other 10 Megapixels DSLR cameras, save for the higher-end Nikon D200, people without Nikon lenses may be driven elsewhere.

T3 (80)

Picture quality is essentially the same on all three of the 10MP DSLRs out now, so it boils down to features versus cost. If you’re after a step-up from an entry-level model, then its build quality and nifty features is definitely worth the extra. But if you want built-in anti-shake or the best value, you’ll be better off with the Sony A100 or Canon 400D.

Macworld (80)

Though it’s priced higher than Canon’s Digital Rebel XTi and Sony’s Alpha 100, the Nikon D80 delivers a lot of extra bang for the buck. In fact, users who are considering the Canon EOS 30D will want to take a close look at this camera. Nikon and Canon camera layouts are very different, and you may find that you prefer one to the other. If you like Nikon’s approach, the D80 delivers an excellent balance of features, image quality, and price.

ThinkCamera (80)

Although Nikon D80 is supposed to be an entry level SLR you’re actually getting a camera that is better than, or equal to, some more expensive SLRs. It’s got some of the same features as the Nikon D200, like the same quality settings, 11 autofocus zones with an auto-select mode and some features that the D200 doesn’t have like the seven scene modes and a customizable menu. If you are new to SLRs then this is an ideal first camera.