Nikon D80 Camera: Still A Great DSLR
Since the Nikon D80 camera first hit store shelves in late September 2006 there have been many advances in the DSLR format, which is ever-gaining in popularity. Some DSLR cameras now include live preview, similar to what you would find on point-and-shoot cameras.
However, even after all this time the Nikon D80 is still very competitive, still aimed of course at semi-professional photographers or those who are bored with cookie-cutter cameras that pretty much all do the same things, automatically. The Nikon D80 camera being a digital single lens reflex camera, or DSLR, enables the photographer-whether amateur or advanced matters very little-to do much more with being able to control lighting than the best digital compact camera would. That’s mainly done by adjusting the ISO and aperture settings manually. Another plus of a DSLR is the flexibility to change lenses, to use for instance a wide angle zoom lens which will give you a decent landscape shot even from far-off distances, depending on the depth of field.
Anyway, to make a long-story short, if you’re interested in getting a quality digital camera but are concerned about it being too complicated to use, don’t worry, because the Nikon D80 camera will allow you to take photos with a variety of automatic settings. The Auto mode will adjust everything automatically-shutter speed, aperture, flash and so forth. You can choose to give priority to the aperture or the shutter in the respective mode, but you would have to make some adjustments to either one, a fairly simple process anyway with just a few clicks of the joystick to do whatever you need. Then there are scene modes, such as Night Portrait, Night Landscape, Sports, Close-up, Landscape, and Portrait, which you can use as fully automated settings. This means that all you have to do is press the shutter release and in most cases, depending on the shooting situation as well as the setting, you have an excellent shot.
OK, so now you’re wondering why you should switch to an awkward, clunky camera if you can have something that fits in your pocket to take some photos. Well, it depends on what you want to do. DSLR cameras generally take in a lot more light and also a considerably higher amount of color density because they have large digital sensors, which are what process the images. The Nikon D80 features a 10 MP effective megapixel CCD sensor, which is 23.6 x 15.8 mm in size. That’s a whopping digital sensor to put it mildly. Thus, the more information that is processed, the better the end result is. You can make enlargements and not worry about whether the photo is going to grainy when you print an 8 x 10 inch image. The Nikon D80 is also one of the best rated digital cameras out there.
There’s a plethora of Nikon digital camera lenses to choose from out there, but they’re pricey and in most cases will set you back several hundred dollars. However, most lenses from older film SLR models will also fit on the Nikon D80, which will save you money since you can buy a good used Nikon lens on eBay for instance. It may not support auto focus on the D80, however. Don’t forget that you’ll need a decent digital camera flash and some spare genuine Nikon batteries if you plan on taking loads of shots during an afternoon sightseeing. You may also want a digital camera tripod if you’re going to shoot outdoors at night. Now there’s also several digital camera carrying cases out there to choose from–you may want one to help you lug around all those camera accessories. Just make sure that the carrying case will accommodate a DSLR camera.
So how much does it cost? The going price for the body only is between $519- $545, depending on the online store you visit. That’s down from $999 when it was first introduced. With an AF-S DX 18-135mm 7.5 x optical zoom Nikon lens, which is simply fantastic, you’re looking at around $770 (the original price was $1299 in 2006). Obviously the Nikon D80 is priced to sell out. If you are serious about photography, it’s not a bad deal at all.
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