"geletine" <adaviscg1 DeleteThis @hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:1160337107.995334.46180@c28g2000cwb.googlegroups.com...
>I also have a interest in that camera too, it would be nice if
>someone
> could give a non - biased review...
I own a Canon XT but had the chance to use the Nikon D80 on the
weekend with the Nikon 18-70 lense. In a single word, FANTASTIC.
The camera is fast when processing images, it's very responsive to
user input, it has great handling and ergonomics, the viewfinder is
much nicer than any other similarly priced DSLR on the market, it has
the most custom functions to fine-tune it to your shooting style, and
image quality is very good or excellent if you use RAW mode.
I was happy to see that the high ISO noise levels were very low,
essentially matching the best models on the market. Canon still has a
very slight advantage at 800, but it's such a small difference I'd say
it's negligible and certainly not a deal breaker.
The in-camera JPG processing is a bit on the soft side with the
default settings, but that can be avoided by using RAW, or simply step
up the in-camera sharpening to your liking.
In the 10mp DSLR race, the Nikon is easily the best model available.
It's also the most expensive of the three main contenders (Canon,
Nikon Sony), but the price difference is more than worth it.
If image quality and camera performance are high on your list (and
they should be with a DSLR), then the Nikon is clearly the best
choice - it certainly won't dissappoint.
The review of the D80 at DPreview nicely echoes my experience with the
camera in the conclusions section:
http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/nikond80/page29.asp
The only point I disagreed with was the image quality rating of 8.0
which was knocked down by the softer default sharpening. Obviously a
slight adjustment brings the image quality in line with the
competition, so I don't think it should be knocked for that.
In fact, I was so pleased with the camera I'm now considering getting
one myself to use along with my Canon, and since a friend uses Nikon
gear I can borrow his glass from time to time.
> i have a film nikon f80 camera, i believe i can use the lenses from
> it
> on the d80...
You can use almost any Nikon F-mount lenses on the D80.
There's a list of older design lenses that will not autofocus (manual
focus works fine) shown in the owners manual and a few oddballs, but
the vast majority will work fine. You can download a PDF from the
Nikon USA website under software downloads.
>> Stay informed about: Is anyone actually using the Nikon D80? 
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