Nikon D80 Review
Is 10mp really better than 6mp? And can the D80 hold its own against three strong competitors?
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[Disclosure: Normally, all my reviews are based upon product that I purchase from local stores and my review is written using that sample and without consulting the manufacturer. This review is based upon use and examination of an early D80 I purchased, and when I discovered the amp noise issue ( see Performance section) , use and examination of a much higher serial number unit lent to me by NikonUSA. NikonUSA offered to repair my D80 or to let me keep the loaner and send back the body I bought; I accepted the latter offer, mostly because of timing issues. During both my testing process and the testing that I had other D80 users perform, I was in contact with NikonUSA about the problem. When I had a statistically significant sample size to draw conclusions on, I sent NikonUSA a summary of the results I found. At present, Nikon has no official stance on the issue I found. As regular site visitors know, I try not to put myself in positions where there could be a real or even perceived conflict of interest. When I do, as I have in this case by corresponding with NikonUSA prior to the review and accepting an offer of a replacement body, I make that known so that you can form your own opinion about my independence and credibility or my lack thereof. This review took longer to appear than normal because I wanted to be sure that what I said applied not just to the original body I bought, and that I could characterize what I found clearly and with confidence in the findings.]
Well, here we go again. As I write this, we have four enthusiast 10mp cameras on the market, with Canon, Pentax, and Sony being the competition this time around. Last time we had this type of burst of consumer DSLR product the rollout from the manufacturers happened slower, was at 6mp, and KonicaMinolta was the fourth entrant ( now acquired by Sony) .
While it seems like deja vu all over again, this time the stakes are higher. Canon wasn’t actually first to the bar, and neither Canon nor Nikon gets any real time to build up installed base without competitors. Here’s a crude generalization of the way things look at first pass:
Canon 400D ( XTi) : competes on price and brand loyaltyPentax K10D: competes on price and deeper feature setSony Alpha 100: competes on feature set and brand nameNikon: ?
While Nikon has a brand following, it isn’t as large as Canon’s nor is the brand name itself as visible as Sony’s, so Nikon can’t really win the branding game. Nor does Nikon’s latest camera exactly win the feature set war or price war. So at first glance, the D80 seems overpriced and bringing a knife to a gun fight. Seems like bad news, doesn’t it? Well, stick around, a product is more than the sum of its parts, as it turns out.
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The D80 with the Nikkor 18-135mm lens mounted.
The D80 was a bit of a surprise to Nikon users, I think. A D70 replacement, while due, wasn’t the next Nikon DSLR everyone expected to see. But that’s what we got. The camera shipped in early September in most parts of the world, and my review is based upon one of those first bodies and a later sample provided by NikonUSA ( see red section at start of review) .
Along with the D80 we get another new kit lens, the 18-135mm f/4-5.6G AF-S ED DX, and a new vertical grip, the MB-D80. As you’ll soon see, those are about the only new things we got: the D80 is an interesting amalgamation of existing Nikon parts and features. That’s a good thing, actually, as Nikon seems to have chosen well when it consulted its part bin.
Highly Recommended
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Nothing is knocked out of the park, but nothing holds this camera back much, either.
The Basics
HandlingResultsDrawbacksPositives
The definitive D80 eBook is here! Click Here to find out more. The Basics
The D80 is a refresh of the D50 body design with some transplants from the D200. Specifically, the body size, shape, and build is very much that of the D50, right down to the door for a Secure Digital card on the right side. As such, the D80 is slightly smaller and lighter than the D70s and definitely lighter and smaller than the D200. Yet Nikon has chosen to use the D200’s viewfinder in the D80, and many of the controls that are missing on the D50 but present on the D200 have returned ( the FUNC button, for example) . We’ll get back to what all that means in a bit.