Nikon D80

[Steve's Girl]

I agree with YEKCIM on looking beyond the camera body. Last fall, I had narrowed it down to these two models and ended up with the D80 because I liked the Nikon lens options better than Canon's. I purchased my D80 with the 18-135 kit lens and have since upgraded to the 18-200VR. Both are excellent lenses. I love the D80 and do not regret the choice at all. Kit lenses often are not that great, but the Nikon 18-135 is an incredibly good lens for the focal length and price range. Very versatile and very sharp!

I briefly looked at the D200, but that was more than I wanted to spend and quite a bit bigger than the D80. So, I don't have an educated opinion on that other than I could not imagine carrying that thing around my neck all day at Disney!

 

[photo_chick]

can't really help you out since i think either are good choices. but to ease your mind the canon slr has been called rebel since i think the 90s or so in other words over 20 yrs, so i don't think most people would think of it as anything but a slr. ( dslr)

The first Rebel came out around 1990. It was marketed as a consumer level camera in the EOS line. Remember the commercials with Andre Agassi? Does that make them less professional cameras? Some think so. DO I , no. I have really small hands and honestly can't hold the larger cameras easily. I have had a Rebel since the mid 90's.

Now OP... which camera is right for you? Before you make a decision based on stats, have you been to the store and held them? Also I agree at looking at the lenses and other accessories. This would sway me away from Nikon myself, probably slightly away from Canon and more towards Pentax if I were shopping right now. But all the DSLR's out today I think have good and bad points. It comes down to what fits you. Although there are some really good strong opinions around here on which is the best!!!!

 

[KrazyPete]

I was in the same place you are a few months ago. I had been shooting a Canon film SLR but in the end I decided on the D80. One, the major factors for me was the feel of the camera. The D80 fit my hand better, I liked the weight better, and I liked the tactile feedback from the controls better. I think the XTi is a great camera but in my hands it feels like a toy compared to the D80. The other major factor that swayed me was a few side by side comparisons of similar photos online. Reviewers shot the same subject with each camera and similar lenses. My wife and I both agreed that we liked the color from the Nikon better. That's completely a personal preference though.

The DPReview of the D80 compares it directly with the XTI and seems to give the Nikon the edge.

Source DPReview.com: Nikon D80 compared to...

Key points for me included: A better viewfinder, better metering, Spot metering, LCD on top of the camera

Since I've had the camera now I've really grown to appreciate that the D80 has two command dials. The next time you are in a camera store flip it over to manual, watch the light meter in the viewfinder and play with those two dials. For me, being to able to scroll around my aperture and shutter speed at the same time is a load of fun. I was used to Canon's setup before and I pretty much stayed in one of the priority modes all the time. I'm doing much more shooting in full manual now.

 

[YEKCIM]

I purchased my D80 with the 18-135 kit lens and have since upgraded to the 18-200VR. Both are excellent lenses. I love the D80 and do not regret the choice at all. Kit lenses often are not that great, but the Nikon 18-135 is an incredibly good lens for the focal length and price range. Very versatile and very sharp!

I briefly looked at the D200, but that was more than I wanted to spend and quite a bit bigger than the D80. So, I don't have an educated opinion on that other than I could not imagine carrying that thing around my neck all day at Disney!

I have the D50 and it is all the camera I need, and way more than I've been able to master, at this point (had it since January 07). I have the 18-135 and expect it to be my mainstay, due to the sharpness that Steve's Girl mentioned (it's as sharp as my fifty, if you can believe that), plus the added range over the typical kit lens, which generally top out at 55mm or 70mm. The ultimate "kit lens", IMO, is the 18-200VR, but it is one expensive and hard to find piece of gear. List price is $750, if I recall correctly, but they are going for $900+ ONLINE!

BTW, Steve's Girl, Mrs. YEKCIM is planning on taking her D200 to The World in July and I don't envy her lugging it around in that heat all day. I'll be quite satisfied with my D50, thank you very much. My main concern is keeping her mitts off my 70-300VR at Animal Kingdom!

~YEKCIM

 

[woodlandsparty]

I purchased my D80 with the 18-135 kit lens and have since upgraded to the 18-200VR. Both are excellent lenses. I love the D80 and do not regret the choice at all. Kit lenses often are not that great, but the Nikon 18-135 is an incredibly good lens for the focal length and price range. Very versatile and very sharp!

Thanks for the feedback on the 18-135....that is the kit lens that I was going to go with if I went with the D80. Glad to hear from a couple of sources that it is a sharp lens....I was a little afraid since most feedback I've heard about kit lenses is that they lack sharpness.

 

[ukcatfan]

Thanks for the feedback on the 18-135....that is the kit lens that I was going to go with if I went with the D80. Glad to hear from a couple of sources that it is a sharp lens....I was a little afraid since most feedback I've heard about kit lenses is that they lack sharpness.

A little clarification for you.

The 18-135 is not a "kit" lens. The only "kit" lenses that I know of that are not 18-55mm are the Sony(18-70mm I think) and the Olympus(14-45mm or something close to that). Other lenses are sometimes sold in a set with the camera body, but that does not make them a "kit" lens.

Kevin

 

[YEKCIM]

A little clarification for you.

The 18-135 is not a "kit" lens. The only "kit" lenses that I know of that are not 18-55mm are the Sony(18-70mm I think) and the Olympus(14-45mm or something close to that). Other lenses are sometimes sold in a set with the camera body, but that does not make them a "kit" lens.

Kevin

Beg to differ, just a bit, for the OP's benefit. The D80 is sold in three configurations that I'm aware of: 1) Body only 2) Body + 18-55 3) Body + 18-135. Initially, the 18-135 was available ONLY in a kit with the D80; fortunately, by the time I bought my D50's, that was no longer the case.

~YEKCIM

 

[KrazyPete]

A little clarification for you.

The 18-135 is not a "kit" lens. The only "kit" lenses that I know of that are not 18-55mm are the Sony(18-70mm I think) and the Olympus(14-45mm or something close to that). Other lenses are sometimes sold in a set with the camera body, but that does not make them a "kit" lens.

Kevin

I have the 18-135mm. It came in the same box with the camera body. If that's not a kit lens then what is?

 

[Anewman]

Canon user here so consider that when reading my opinion.

Is the D80 a better camera? YES
Is it $230 better? Not IMO

Seriously if I had to buy today, it would be the SONY A100. Run to the Circuit City Website and purchase it for $606(dont know when the sale ends), then choose from the entire MINOLTA lens selection...

EDIT Circuit City also has the Sony with the 18-70mm "KIT LENS" for an Even $700 and is available for pick up in store(24 minutes) if you purchase online.

 

[ukcatfan]

Beg to differ, just a bit, for the OP's benefit. The D80 is sold in three configurations that I'm aware of: 1) Body only 2) Body + 18-55 3) Body + 18-135. Initially, the 18-135 was available ONLY in a kit with the D80; fortunately, by the time I bought my D50's, that was no longer the case.

~YEKCIM

I have the 18-135mm. It came in the same box with the camera body. If that's not a kit lens then what is?

Like I said before, they may sell other lenses together with the body as a kit, but that does not make that lens the "kit" lens that popular photography culture refers to when someone says something like, "kit lenses are always less sharp". Just being packaged in a box with a body does not make the lens perform worse than if you bought it alone.

Kevin

 

[ktulu]

You're going to be happy with either one I'd imagine. If the XTi feels small in your hands, buy a battery grip (my plan). I went with canon cause 1) I like that the make their own sensors and 2) I have thoughts about moving to a full frame sensor, although they are only thoughts at this point

 

[jann1033]

the 30d kit lens is the 28-135 IS, i know some of the other canon bodies come with other kit lenses ( like the 5d can come with one i can't think of right now)
just to clarify http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kit_lens

 

[Master Mason]

The problem in comparing the cameras to me is that they don't line up side by side

to me the d80 falls between the xt and the 30d
the d200 falls between the 30d and whatever you want to put over it

They don't line up accross the board, which is why the prices don't line up either.

Pick the one you like and go with it.

and I just glanced at the comments about the kit lenses, but you can now get the 30D with the 28-135 IS as the Kit or the 5D with a 24-105 IS as the kit. It is just marketing.

 

[YEKCIM]

Thanks for the feedback on the 18-135....that is the kit lens that I was going to go with if I went with the D80. Glad to hear from a couple of sources that it is a sharp lens....I was a little afraid since most feedback I've heard about kit lenses is that they lack sharpness.

The pic that sold me on the 18-135 is from the dpreview D80 review. Check out #13 of 40 (kids choir group) from the reveiw pix: http://www.dpreview.com/gallery/nikond80_samples/

To see how good the lens really is, click on the link to the full res file below the pic.

~YEKCIM

 

[handicap18]

The problem in comparing the cameras to me is that they don't line up side by side

to me the d80 falls between the xt and the 30d
the d200 falls between the 30d and whatever you want to put over it

They don't line up accross the board, which is why the prices don't line up either.

Pick the one you like and go with it.

and I just glanced at the comments about the kit lenses, but you can now get the 30D with the 28-135 IS as the Kit or the 5D with a 24-105 IS as the kit. It is just marketing.

I agree Gregg. The D80 and XTi are not on the same level. Kind of like comparing a Toyota Camry and Honda Civic.

Both camera's are great. From the review's I've read the D80 seems to get the nod over the XTi by about half a star on average. The biggest difference between the 2 is the size. You really have to hold each one in your hands and feel what is comfortable to you.

As for the lens, I too have the 18-135mm and am VERY pleased with its sharpness as well as its focal length. It has 2 of the 3 things you want in a zoom, long focal length & excellent quality. Only lacking the wide aperture, but you can't have everything.

As kit lenses go it is awesome. It is "officially" the kit lens for the D80, just as the 18-70mm was the kit lens for the D70/70s and the 18-55mm is the kit lens for the D50 & D40/40x and the 18-200 is the kit lens for the D200 (though it still is hard to find the 18-200). Fortunately they are all interchangable, but that is how Nikon had originally set it up.

 

[Groucho]

Well, the D80 is certainly designed to compete at a higher level than the XTi... there aren't exact matchups, but it's really more like D80 vs 30D vs K10D vs Alpha, and D40 vs XTi vs K100D vs E500. The Alpha probably straddling the two groups more than any other.

Unsurprisingly, I'd unquestionably take a D80 over an XTi. But I'd take a K10D over either, for a good bit less money than a D80, and approx. $100 more than an XTi.

Ultimately, you're very rarely find someone who doesn't love their DSLR; you'll almost certainly be happy no matter what you buy.

 

[YEKCIM]

Ultimately, you're very rarely find someone who doesn't love their DSLR; you'll almost certainly be happy no matter what you buy.

Excellent point, and well illustrated here, not only by words, but by results. Well said, sir.

~YEKCIM

 

[Anewman]

Well, the D80 is certainly designed to compete at a higher level than the XTi... there aren't exact matchups, but it's really more like D80 vs 30D vs K10D vs Alpha, and D40 vs XTi vs K100D vs E500. The Alpha probably straddling the two groups more than any other.

Unsurprisingly, I'd unquestionably take a D80 over an XTi. But I'd take a K10D over either, for a good bit less money.

Ultimately, you're very rarely find someone who doesn't love their DSLR; you'll almost certainly be happy no matter what you buy.

To be accurate the K10D is not a good bit less money than the XTI, even after rebate it(the camera) is still about $100 more expensive compared to the XTI. Once you start adding lenses and other stuff it may change depending on what your preferences/needs are but that comparison has an infinite amount of variables.

 

[Groucho]

Whoops, correct, I meant cheaper than the D80. I'll edit my original message to make that more clear.

 

[jann1033]

aww, isn't it a relief to have a "what camera to buy" thread that is nice and peaceful and i'm not afraid to open