Nikon D80 upgrade or not..

[senecabeach]

I'm having the itch to upgrade my Nikon D80 and didn't know to what, but, knew I wanted a better noise reduction system and more fps and to keep my current lenses.

A few weeks ago I keyed in on the 7100.... Seems the battery & filter sizes will change..lenses OK. Yes..pricey. OK...then I said "Do I really need this?""

I recently saw/found it bundled with an 18-200 VRII f3.5 + extra battery + 1-32card + bag for a better 1700+ price. OMG...should I bite this bullet??

SO....Has anyone upgraded from a D80? To what? If you have a 7100... Do you like it...Why ?? Wondering if there is too much of a learning curve?

Looking for your thoughts.....Please !!

 

[My2Girls66]

I just upgraded my D80. The D7000 was $699 at B&H, I couldn't pass it up. I will probably kick myself for not waiting to be able to get the D7100 but the D7000 seems to be quite a bit better in the noise dept than the D80 so hopefully it will hold me for a while.

 

[senecabeach]

My2Girls66...

Thanks for the quick response and I'm reading that there isn't much difference from the 7000.
I will do some homework on that camera as well. I mostly carry a Nikon 18-135 which I love but inticed with a little more reach with the 18-200 + VR.

 

[havoc315]

My2Girls66...

Thanks for the quick response and I'm reading that there isn't much difference from the 7000.
I will do some homework on that camera as well. I mostly carry a Nikon 18-135 which I love but inticed with a little more reach with the 18-200 + VR.

I just bought my father a d80... Finally got him away from film. It was the right choice for him, but as I tried it out, it was so obviously far behind the current generation of cameras. So yes, I'd say it's a good time to upgrade.

In terms of getting more reach in lens, I wouldn't get trade the 18-135 for an 18-200. The quality of an 18-200 is not particularly good, plus it's not really that much more reach. I'd keep the 18-135, and add a 70-300 or something along those lines.

 

[Pixel Dust]

In terms of getting more reach in lens, I wouldn't get trade the 18-135 for an 18-200. The quality of an 18-200 is not particularly good, plus it's not really that much more reach. I'd keep the 18-135, and add a 70-300 or something along those lines.

I second this motion.

 

[havoc315]

If I was spending $1700 on the D7100.... this is the combo I would get:

http://www.adorama.com/INKD7100K2.html

Nikon D7100 DX-format 24.1MP DSLR Camera Kit with 18-140mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR Lens & 55-300mm f/4.5-5.6G ED VR Lens - Nikon Bundle with WU-1a Wireless Mobile Adapter, 32GB Class 10 SD Card, Pictures in 5 Minutes DVD, and D-SLR Pro Messenger Bag

Or since you already have the 18-135.... I'd consider this package for $1400
http://www.adorama.com/INKD7100L2.html
Nikon D7100 DX-format Digital SLR Camera Body - Bundle - with Nikon 55-300mm f/4.5-5.6G ED AF-S DX VR II VR Lens, Spare Li-Ion Battery, 32GB Class 10 SDHC Memory Card, Carrying Case

 

[senecabeach]

havoc315 & Pixel Dust...

Thanks for the insight.
Yes...Im so used to the 80 that maybe I dont realize its antiquity.
Adorama is where Im seeing the bundle. Also...Costco has almost the same bundle....without the extra battery.
Sure hate the noise, even at a medium iso..UGH!!

Guess I should have mentioned the other lenses I have:
Nikon 70-300VR
Tokina 11-16 f2.8 wide angle
Nikon 10.5 f2.8 fisheye

Anymore thoughts?? How about the "Learning Curve" aspect????

 

[havoc315]

Oh... You're pretty well stocked on lenses. So ok, if you want to add the 18-200 for convenience, go for it. Or just buy body only.

I wouldn't worry about the learning curve. The basics are all the same. PASM... ISO, etc.
It's like driving a car. Newer cars may have new features, but you don't have to re- learn how to drive. The steering wheel, brake and gas pedal are still all in the same place.

 

[fitzperry]

I went from a D70 to the D300 to a D7000. You will notice a huge improvement in high ISO performance when you switch from the D80.

 

[photo_chick]

OP.... dpreview.com has a really good image comparison tool in their controlled studio setting. You can use it to compare performance at specific ISO settings there. It might help you decide one way or the other.

As far as eliminating noise keep your expectations realistic. It's part of the medium like grain is with film and it will be there on all cameras. I use a Canon 6D which has some of the cleanest images of any DSLR out there right now and it still has visible noise at lower ISO settings if you look for it. I'm only saying this because I've known many people who update their body solely for better high ISO performance and end up disappointed because they can still see noise in the images.

 

[fitzperry]

I'm only saying this because I've known many people who update their body solely for better high ISO performance and end up disappointed because they can still see noise in the images.

That surprises me a bit. I agree there is still noise because it is part of the medium. But, IMO, the amount and quality of the noise at various ISO's (in properly exposed images) is strikingly different, especially when comparing a model that is several years old (like a D80) with the current one.

 

[wiigirl]

I just upgraded my D80. The D7000 was $699 at B&H, I couldn't pass it up. I will probably kick myself for not waiting to be able to get the D7100 but the D7000 seems to be quite a bit better in the noise dept than the D80 so hopefully it will hold me for a while.

Nice!

 

[My2Girls66]

I've only had the D7000 for a few weeks and haven't taken many photos but I can feel a huge difference in how fast it focuses, fires, etc. I was pleasantly surprised I gave my D80 to my brother since he still has a film slr.

 

[SkaGoat]

Seems the battery & filter sizes will change..lenses OK. Yes..pricey.

Why would your filter sizes change? They are dependant on the lenses you use, and those won't change since you're sticking with a DX Nikon.

Besides having double the frame rate, and being much better at high ISO, the D7100 has more focus points (15 cross-type points) vs. 1 in the D80, only the centre point is cross-type.

 

[photo_chick]

That surprises me a bit. I agree there is still noise because it is part of the medium. But, IMO, the amount and quality of the noise at various ISO's (in properly exposed images) is strikingly different, especially when comparing a model that is several years old (like a D80) with the current one.

I'm not saying there is not noticeably less noise. It's when expectations are unrealistic that things go wonky.

 

[havoc315]

I'm not saying there is not noticeably less noise. It's when expectations are unrealistic that things go wonky.

Yes..... Very true. In fact, ISO range has increased on many cameras faster than ISO quality. Take a 8-10 year old dSLR.... It's ISO range maxed out as 1600, and "clean" high quality images topped out at 400-800. Today's APS-C dSLRs may have ISO range up to 12,800.. 16,000.. or even higher. But clean images have improved to the 800-1200 ISO range.
So as you try the higher ISO ranges on new cameras, the images may look even worse than an older camera -- since you couldn't even try those images. (In other words, ISO 16,000 on a new camera may look worse than ISO 1600 on a 10-year-old camera... but that old camera topped out at 1600).

Truthfully, even when I upgraded to fullframe, I saw a clear improvement in high ISO, but a little less than I expected. Only 1- 1 1/2 stops in many situations. By learning to take advantage of it though, it has given me a lot more leeway in my shooting. But if I pixel peep, there are still images at ISO 800 and lower that may have some noise. (Typically so little that I don't even use noise reduction.. but I still use it for images at ISO 800/1600+)

 

[senecabeach]

Why would your filter sizes change? They are dependant on the lenses you use, and those won't change since you're sticking with a DX Nikon.

Besides having double the frame rate, and being much better at high ISO, the D7100 has more focus points (15 cross-type points) vs. 1 in the D80, only the centre point is cross-type.

Sorry I wasn't explicit. My 18-135 which is my go to walk around lens is a 67mm and the new 18-200 is 72mm and of course none of my other lenses are 72mm.

 

[Pixel Dust]

Sorry I wasn't explicit. My 18-135 which is my go to walk around lens is a 67mm and the new 18-200 is 72mm and of course none of my other lenses are 72mm.

What filters do you use? I have one 77mm circular polarizer and use step-up rings to use on smaller lenses. Much more economical way to go. Downside is, the lens hood may not fit.

 

[senecabeach]

Thanks to all of you for your help....

I took the plunge yesterday and ordered the 7100 bundle with an 18-200mm f3.5 VRII lens ( a little extra reach than my 18-135..which I love and is my normal walk around lens), extra battery, 2-32GB SDHC10 cards, case (that I dont need), Giottos screen protector, UV and Circular Polarized filter, free shipping and no tax @ Adorama for $1800 + change. Merry late Christmas to me !!

Let the learning curve begin !!

 

[Pixel Dust]

Congrats!

Gotta love free shipping and no tax.