Hi I am looking at upgrading to a Nikon, really have no idea on which one to look at getting. HELP! Not only the D40, D600 or maybe the D80, When I am looking at purchasing a camera, what should I look for? They say body only, does that mean I have to purchase a len separately? Which lens should I start out with? Does the others have manual focus? Thank for the input!
This thing about Nikon D40 and D60’s not having autofocus has gone too far. ALL AF-S lenses can be used with any D40 and D60 camera, in fact any older AF-S or AF-I lenses are completely compatible with them.
Okay, that said you can get a D40 with fine 18-55 mm lens for under $450.
I don’t know what the difference are in turns of image quality between the lineups in Nikon.
I know there are two extreme bias between Canon and Nikon. Since I am using the D50 Nikon as well as a collection of Nikkor Lens, I am going to ask the difference between the line up only within Nikon.
I have a Nikon D50, and somehow I wasn’t able to take photo as colorful as other people who had higher class DSLR than me. I know it’s part of my skill, but I also want to know if the camera itself was a reason. What about D200, D300, or just D80, D90? is there any image quality improvement in those higher class cameras? or just those cosmetic features.
Thank you and please don’t give me a answer of "get a canon" or "nikon sucks". because I am looking for an answer, not a debate.
I just want to know if I should get a higher class of slr in order to have a better photo.
Thank you again for reading this question.
Aside from the obvious differences between the cameras you mentioned (resolution, frame rates, etc.), the most poignant differences are a result of the advancement of digital technology in the last 4 years, specifically in the area of image processing. Essentially, a camera captures an image as it is displayed through the optics of the lens in use. What happens to that image from the time it is captured by the image sensor to the time it is stored onto the media card, then ultimately when it is either displayed to a computer monitor or printed, is a series of processes carried out by various features you seldom hear about from product literature. Those processes start with the image processing within the camera itself at capture, a series of algorithmic calculations made in order to transform simple 1 and 0 bits collected by a series of photo-diodes, into a full resolution, two dimensional color image. As technology advances itself, the processing capability of the camera increases, making the necessary calculations faster with less waste – resulting in higher image quality in successive models. In order of succession, the following – D50, D80, D200, D300, D90 represent nikon’s advancement in digital technology – each camera model improving upon the last in small steps. Image quality from the D90, compared to the D50 comes from improved analog to digital data transfer through the use of a newer, more efficient CMOS image sensor, which on a microscopic level, differs greatly from the CCD found in the D50 in the way of how bits are transferred through the chip itself to the processor with less loss of signal to noise. That’s where you find gains in sensitivity, for example. The level of quality being drastically improved from a usable ISO 800 (max – 1600) to ISO 3200 (max – 6400), an increase of two stops, along with algorithmic calculations used to apply noise reduction, which improves image detail at higher ISO.
So to answer your question now in short – yes there is a level of improvement to image quality, as well as to cosmetic, fit, and form in the D80, D200, D300, and D90, respectively. Things like color output can be adjusted in camera through the shooting menu>optimize image menu dialog for saturation along with sharpening and tone corrections. The rest is left up to your skill, as you mentioned.
I shoot with a D80, and compared to the model that replaced it in its class, the D90, the image quality that I get still works for what I require from it. In other words, I’m not yet ready to upgrade to the D90, if I ever decide to at all. The other end of the image quality spectrum – the part not influenced by your camera directly, is the ability to build upon image processing in post through the use of a mainstream image editing/manipulation program like photoshop and the knowledge of how to apply additional quality to an image through the use of RAW capture and post capture editing technique. There are many levels of quality to pass through between the time an image is captured to when it is presented in its final form – little of which has anything at all to do with the camera used to capture it.
That’s a bit wordy, I know. But something that should be acknowledged.
I use both film and digital but its time for me to upgrade. I don’t have much money, the most I can afford is a camera around $800. I’m choosing Nikon because it’s all I’ve ever used, and I don’t know much about other makes. Would a Canon Rebel be better for me? Shall I save more money for Nikon’s more professional D300? Or go with the D80, a camera made for amateurs? I’ve read good and bad reviews, though most of the problem with other users were for automatic settings, I use manual.
I’m very serious about my photography, but completely self taught… I am a bit rough and would like to have good equipment. Thanks for your time.
Hi!
I’ve been a professional for the past 8 years and started using the D-80 about 2 years ago, its a wonderful piece of machinery, light, yet capable of capturing a good amount of detail. And good call on on the manual aperture settings and whatnot, people need to a start with a strong set of fundamentals before shortcuts.
Oh, and the D-300, a super nice camera; I myself have not yet mastered the D-200 and am probably going to hold off until they lower the price/work out the kinks. For a beginner, I would recommend you start with a D-80 kit (look around online) and perhaps look at the D-300 in a year. Unless of course you’re the type that just wants to dive in w/ the 3000.
Posted by admin | Under Nikon D80 Lens
Wednesday Jul 28, 2010
I have the opportunity to get a Nikon D80.
But I have to sacrifice jewelry, clothing, animal crossing city folk and other little things.
The camera would be my only present basically.
What would you chose?
Oh and I would be getting really nice Gauges from Zebra too.
well it depends if you really want this camera, its alot to spend but if your going to get your moneys worth out of it, and you need a camera of this level then its worth not getting the other stuff.
I just got a Nikon d80 and when i turn it off
it still shows how many photos are left on the top screen
it doesn’t show anything else, just how many photos
Is this normal, isn’t it wasting battery
Thanks so much
It is not wasting energy at all.
The number on the LCD shows how many more images you can shoot before you need to put another card in your camera or [ E ] if your card slot is empty.
My daughter is going to study photography in September and last year inherited my Nikon D70 + lens + some lenses from a Nikon 35mm SLR (F50?).
So her kit consists of:
Nikon D 70
Sigma 18-50mm F3.5-5.6 (digital)
Nikkor 35-80mm (originally for 35mm)
Sigma 70-300mm (originally for 35mm)
Nikon Speedlight SB-600
She would like to upgrade her camera and it would appear to make sense for her to stick to Nikon because of the rest of her kit and just upgrade the camera body.
She is a poor student so what would be the best value option available to her?
Am I right in thinking the D60 wouldn’t take the 35mm lenses but the D80 would?
Or would she get a better deal if she traded everything in and got a different make?
She is more creative than technical, would use the lenses but probably wouldn’t use the more sophisticated settings especially those involving maths! ;o)
The D60 would mount all the lenses that a D70 could, but:
No autofocus unless the lens is AF-S or AF-I
No exposure metering with lenses that don’t have a CPU (most manual focus lenses)
The D60 shares a lot of the processing power of the D3/D300, but unless you have only AF-S/AF-I glass its generally a downgrade from a D70 except for the EXPEED processor and the megapixel count.
I took my kids to get outdoor professional pictures taken and noticed that the photographer had the same camera as we do, a Nikon D80. The pictures came out beautifully and i feel like we should be able to get the same or similar effect if we used the same lense she did. We have a 50 mm/1.8D. she said she used a 50mm lense. Should i get a wide angle lense? Is there an accessory like a hood that i should get? My pictures don’t come out like hers do – i’m sure some of it has to do with her skill & expertise – but in some of the pictures the boys were just sitting on a stoop and she sat directly in front of them and clicked away. They had that beautiful professional picture look – sharp focus yet soft looking. Any tips would be appreciated. Thanks!
The simple reason your pictures don’t come out the same as the pro’s is because they know what they are doing and have learnt how to use the light, angles, composition etc etc.
Posted by admin | Under Nikon D80 Price
Wednesday Jul 28, 2010
I am looking to purchase a Nikon D80, and wondering if I should just buy the body only. Right now I have a few AF lenses that I used on my F60, so I figure I can still use these (I have an Nikkor 80-200mm AF 4.5-5.6D, a 35-80mm AF 4-5.6D, and a Sigma 28-80mm) on the D80. The price for a D80 body only is CAD$1079. There is a package for CAD$1399 with a 18-70mm DXG lens, or CAD$1349 with a 18-135 DX lens. My friend suggested I just get the body and use my AF lenses, since I want to take a photography course soon. Then I can perhaps spend a little more on nicer DX lenses. Any suggestions?
The price with the 18-135 is right on the money. Yes, you do have a few nice useable lenses, but in the D80, you will find that you are not happy with the wide angle end. Since I see you chose to buy a 28-80 for your F60, I know that you appreciate a bit of wide angle. That lens would perform like a 42-120 on the D80 due to the lens or crop factor. You would probably want a wider angle. 18 mm is about the standard wide angle on a DSLR and on the D80 it is the equivalent of a 27 mm lens on a 35 mm camera.
We do have the same (likely) 18-70 lens and it’s a very good lens for the money. I got one for my wife with her D50 and liked enough to buy as a backup for myself. It does have a metal mount and the 18-135 does not.
In fact, if you want to see some photos with this lens, go to my Flickr site http://www.flickr.com/photos/samfeinstein/ and click on "Tags." Then click on "D50" or and you will find a few pictures made with the 18-70 lens on a D50. Click on "All sizes" and then "Original" and judge for yourself.
Personally, I think I’d lean towards the 18-135 package, though, as you are already well-covered in that sub-80 mm range. It’s a decent lens. Not a top level pro lens, but a decent lens.
Here is a mini-tutorial I made myself to compare focal lengths. This is NOT a lens test or a camera test! It is merely intended to show the difference between various focal lengths. The lens was the Nikon 18-200 VR lens, which is (by definition) an 11X lens, but that 11X does not tell you what the final image will look like. The camera was a Nikon D200 so there is a 1.5X "crop factor," "lens factor," or "focal length multiplier." There is further explanation on the image itself. It would help if you click on "All Sizes" above the image.
Here’s Rockwell’s review on the 18-135, which seems to underwhelm him, but the facts are there for your interpretation.
http://www.kenrockwell.com/nikon/18-135.htm
Here’s his review on the 18-70, which I like.
http://www.kenrockwell.com/nikon/1870.htm
He makes the point that the newer Series II 18-55 lens is a darn nice lens for the money. Maybe you can find in a kit with the D80. I would only add about $100 to the price of the body. With your collection of existing lenses, you wouldn’t need any more for quite a while.
What fish eye lenses or lenses do you guys think is best for Nikon d80 that is affordable for individuals that are new to photography?
Edwin has made some very good points. I’m a generalist photographer, shooting a wide range of subjects – personally I find the most useful lens range to be between ultra wide and moderate telephoto. As Edwin says you’d need to choose according to your needs, so if you’re into sports or wildlife you’d be best advised to look at longer lenses.
Parked, try to find some unusual positions to take pictures from. Standard shots are directly from the side or from the front off to the side. Take a picture right down the nose or from the tail.
Flying, I’ll assume daytime, so work in Shutter Priority mode and set your shutter speed to as fast as you can while still maintaining a good aperture (f8 or above). If this requires adjusting your ISO, try to not go above 800 to avoid noise. (I can’t recall if the D80 has a 100 ISO or not, but I think it does.) Still, daylight, you should be able to shoot ISO 100 or 200 and still get good speed and aperture.
Plan on your arms getting tired as you’ll be holding it with two hands and panning a lot, waiting for that perfect shot.
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