Nikon D80

[Buffalo]

Out here in Western Aus its increasingly difficult to get decent film for my Minolta Dynax SLR and more disappointingly the last probably 18 rolls have been poorly developed and are bloody expensive! (probably $200)

So, with a shiny new Mac for image processing, i have been thinking about my first DSLR. The Nikon D80 seems to float my boat and a better "first buy" than the D70S. I have just bought a D70S for work and i'm very impressed with it despite its principal use being underground in dark and dingy settings (a mine), and having read a few reviews on the D80 it seems to be a good upgrade with a few of teh features of the D200 added..(?).

Does anyone own a D80 yet? I would be intersted in hearing what you think of it... Cheers ~PHIL

ETA: I would also be interested to hear what lens' combos would be a good buy.

Edited by Buffalo on Sunday 25th February 06:43

[Leithen]

We have a D50 and D80 - the D80 Is Excellent. Highly recommended.

Lenses are a hotly debated subject - do a search and you'll find various views.

[dumbfunk]

I bought one when it came out and went with the 18-135mm kit lens. I'm delighted with it - the photos are rich and sharp and the body's been very reliable. I since bought the Nikkor 50mm f1.8 which is even sharper still. There's a great discussion group on Flickr dedicated to the D80 here www.flickr.com/groups/d80/.


dumbfunk

[Lagerlout]

I'm happy with the camera, works well but the kit lens is amateur quality IMO. Put some decent glass on it and it's a super camera for the money.

[stupitheed]

I have a D80 and a D50.

Both come highly recommended from me!

The main points that make the D80 excellent, IMO, are 1. It's colour definition and 2. It's ISO performance. Silky smooth right up to ISO 1000, which is brilliant.

Whatever you do, whatever camera you buy, go to a camera store and try one out for the way it feels / behaves in your hand. I wanted a canon 350D over a year ago, but found I hated the way it handled. The D50 was much better for me.