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manaul, but still wants to use
the bells and whistles, this was a great camera. The controls are the most
intuitive I've seen on any camera of its kind, whether you're on your way
to becoming a professional, or you're just starting out, the combination
of versatility and ease of use is perfect.
It's extemely self explanatory to change from automatic/program mode, to
aperture priority, to shutter priority. Its also easy to use the timer and
the multiple exposure controls. bracketing, similarly is easier. I've had
the camera ofr 6 months and enver needed to consult the instruction book,
hopwever there are many features I can explore in the book if I so choose.
The focusing is about the same as you get for most cameras in this price
range. The focus lock works very well, as do the zones. The on;y problem
is focusing in low light conditions, but this is typical of these cameras.
Overall, I've found this camera to be a perfect blend of great price,
great variety of accessories, utter ease of use, and bells and whistles
for the serious student or amateur or aspiring professional.
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Good, but......, February 12, 2004
Reviewer: A customer
I've used Nikon equipment for well over 20 years and this is my fourth
Nikon body. It's also my first Nikon auto focus/auto exposure body.
Frankly, the only reason that I bought this camera is my deteriorating
middle-aged eyesight. Focusing with my FM series bodies has become
dfficult in all but the brightest situations.
The features that this camera offers are excellent. The auto focus works
well enough although it hunts in situations where the lighting isn't
optimal. Like many owners, I've turned off the annoying auto focus aid
light so I really can't complain much.
By the way, the weakest auto focus performance is with the very lenses
that Nikon pushes with this model....the variable aperture zooms. I have
no difficulty with my primes but with my 28-105 zoom the N80 hunts for
focus quite a bit.
Speaking of lenses. Don't fall into the trap of getting an N80 as a "kit"
with the Nikkor 28-80 zoom (or, worse yet, some other brand). Not that the
Nikkor 28-80 is all that bad, but if you're serious enough about
photography to want the N80 you're probably better off putting the money
towards a better piece of glass.
I won't suggest getting the "pro" Nikkor zooms. They cost a fortune and
weigh a ton. However, you won't go wrong with either the 28-105 or the new
28-85 AF-S.
My favorite lenses (and the reason why I've used Nikons for all these
years) are the primes. Put together a kit consisting of the 24mm 2.8, 50mm
1.8 and 85mm 1.8 and you'll be ready for most anything. If you need
something longer, there are a load of options from primes to the really
great (and expensive) Nikkor 80-200 zoom.
The exposure modes are versatile and metering is as accurate as you can
get short of spending [...]on an F5. In other words, more than sufficient
for all but the most demanding user.
The rinky-dink onboard flash works better than it has any right to. Very
accurate as a fill flash. As with all on-camera flashes, one risks red
eye. Still, for a built-in, it's a pleasant surprise.
I have to take exception with Nikon for printing a manual that's mostly
gibberish. No worse than its competition I suppose but can't they explain
the auto-focus options in less than a million words? I figured it all
out...no thanks to the manual.
Maybe I'm old fashioned about these things, but why are today's SLR's so
complicated? Who really needs all these different modes and overides and
compensations and.......well you get the idea.
Although I knew this when I bought the N80, I'm very disappointed in not
being able to meter with any of my Nikkor manual focus lenses. Would it
really have brought the price up that much to add such a feature? Like
many Nikon users, I have/had a collection of older lenses that I'd like to
be able to use. I've sold quite a few and replaced them with AF models but
it's like having ones pocket picked.
Many have complained about the polycarbonate bodies of todays cameras and
the poor construction of the lenses. Having cut my teeth on metal cameras,
I really have no complaint about the build quality of the N80. I can't
imagine anyone but a pro actually wearing one out. [...]
Handling is excellent (as I've come to expect from Nikon) and battery life
is pretty good as well. I'm not a big flash user
so YMMV.
The bottom line is that I'm pretty much satisfied with all aspects of this
camera. I just wish that Nikon had taken its existing customer base into
account and designed the camera to meter with the AI and AIS lenses. I
guess that customer loyalty means very little to companies these days.
EDITED: Sorry to say I just sold this camera and the 28-105 Nikkor zoom
lens. They simply don't suit my style of photography. Having to re-set
several controls and check the cheat sheet each time I want to make a
small adjustment is just ridiculous....at least for me.
I just bought a used Leica M6 and 50mm Summicron that are much simpler to
use and give me better results under most conditions. These old eyes of
mine love the bright viewfinder and I'm getting perfect focusing under
much dimmer lighting than I ever could with an SLR.
Nothing against the N80 (I'm keeping my other Nikon gear) but it's just
not for me.
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