Nikon D80 DSLR Camera (Body only) (OLD MODEL)

I am the typical point a shoot upgrader and was in the market for a DSLR for the month of may. After extensive online research, I ultimately decided for the Nikon D80 and received it 2 days ago. If you want my blessing to buy this product, you got it. If you are interested in my detailed reasoning, read on. My Sony P&S had reached its limits in terms of image quality and creative freedom (though it has a pseudo manual mode). I long hesitated to go DSLR due to their size and weight, but if you are looking for serious image quality, there is no other option (plus they came a long way in shrinking them). The consumer DSLR market is largely driven by feature craze, so let's take a look at what's out there and how useful some features are at closer inspection. Benchmark is the Canon XSI, since it has all of the latest features and is the newest on the market: 1. Live view: Coming from P&S and wearing glasses, this is obviously a feature I liked. However, it is not practical in real use, since it can cause add'l noise on the sensor due to heat and focusing is not fast enough (Sony and Olympus got canceled off my list due to other reasons). Friends who own the XSI say they never use live view. It's also a significant battery drain. Canon's 600 shot bat life compares to 2,700 on the Nikon. 2. Dust reduction: Already had dust problems on my P&S and it's a known problem on DSLRs. However, tests show that the vibration systems are mostly ineffective, with Olympus having the best and Canon the worst. Even on Nikon's web page where they showcase the feature, they say that a blower is a very effective way to remove dust from the sensor. Tests confirm this, there is no way around it. 3. Lens selection: Web pages advise shoppers to not only look at the body, but also at lenses, which is very true. I got the impression that Canon's lens selecton for APS-C sized sensors in the consumer segment is straight out horrible. Terrible build and image quality, terrible zoom ranges. They are still stuck in 35mm film stuff. 4. Mega Pixels: It's the lens, stupid! Increasing pixel resolution beyond what the lens can resolve just clogs your memory card. 5. Build quality: Yes, the Canon is lighter, but: No pentaprism, just mirrors for the viewfinder, tons of plastic, and the lenses are even worse... 6. LCD size: it's a battery drain. To really benefit from a larger screen, you would also want more pixels to keep resolution constant. Nikon and Canon both have 230k. Bottom line: The Nikon is a gorgeous camera engineered for photography! It gives me the image quality and creative freedom I want. After doing my homework, I figured it's not even worth waiting for it's successor D90, coming out between now and September. The D80 delivers solid performance w/o going over board with feature craze. It received a ton of accolades for image quality, so I don't have to repeat it here. Just a serious piece of equipment that now is available at a great price. I invested the savings into the new Nikkor 16-85 DX VR lens, making it the awesome combination that I was looking for.

Yes, 2012 is drawing to a close in a couple of months, and I just reverted back to a camera introduced in 2006 - the D80. Why on earth did I do that? The D50 I started with in 2005 was a fantastic camera. Well, I got caught up in the megapixel marketing hype AND digital video craze, and decided it was time to upgrade. So I sold my D50 and went for the D3100. The D3100 is a great camera on paper; the specs are excellent. But the feel is much more "Fisher Price" than "Nikon" in my opinion. The grip was tiny and the camera just didn't have the "feel" I was used to with the D50 (some people would consider the lighter weight an advantage, but I found that I missed my steady old camera). And when I took pictures the D3100 didn't seem to want to focus like the D50 did (which probably could have been remedied in some menu buried in the settings, but I couldn't quite get the D3100 to cooperate). I took plenty of A+ pictures with the D3100, but I felt almost like I was carrying around a point-and-shoot camera that is dumbed down for the masses. So I recently decided to take the crazy plunge of selling my D3100 and go backwards in time to the D80. My first instinct was just to pick up another D50, but the D80 had enough improvements (yet was still similar to the D50) that I went for the D80 (more megapixels, ability to accept SD cards > 2GB, and more bells and whistles). The price for a good used one at the time of this review is well under $300, and now that I have taken the plunge I cannot tell you how happy I am with the new camera. The D80 has made me really learn more about adjustments and how to take great pictures, and playing with the settings "on-the-fly" is 100 times easier with the D80 than it was the D3100. I love the fact that the D80 has the old-school readout on the top of the camera that tells you pertinent info at a glance (even has a backlight for that). Sure, the D3100 tells you all of that stuff on the main LCD panel on the back of the camera, but it is an extra step than gets old quickly. The D80 has a few additional buttons and a wheel on the front that really speeds up the process of changing settings, viewing photos, and changing things around in a snap. In a period of about 2 mintues I took 20 pictures of the moon, and tried a wide range of ISO settings and shutter speeds. I wound up taking some phenominal shots using ISO 100 and a shutter speed of 400 (no noise and very little hand shake blurring). But with the D3100 (or some of the other newer models), I would have had to jump through multiple menus to accomplish the same feat. I would simply not have gone through those steps and my moon picture would have turned out too bright and would have been blurry, and I would have shrugged my shoulders. But the D80 has renewed my photography interest, and amazes me how great pictures can be even from an "old" camera. In summary, if you are looking to get into a good DSLR, don't think that you HAVE to buy the newest thing; if you find an older camera at a good price, give it a shot. For the money (again, 6 years after it was released), the D80 is a fantastic camera!

I lent my Nikon D80 and when I got it back it was doa. That left me with a bag of useless accessories and manuals 🥲. Replacing the whole kit with the current 'pro consumer' model would be too expensive. But after thinking it over and doing price comparisons I chose to replace my camera with the same (yeah, I know, old) model. Given that a camera from 2006-8 or so has been bouncing around in suitcases, attics, hot cars, et al, quality was a concern. The solid Amazon return policy is a comfort when buying used/reconditioned items. The camera arrived safely packed and working perfectly, even had a battery and charger with it. 5X5. Will be saving up for the next great camera while feeling virtuous about not overspending the budget!

I am very pleased with the quality of this purchase. Also very pleased with all the communication from the seller to me. Highly recommend this seller and their products.

Delivered quickly from Japan and 100% as expected. No disappointment or complaints. Very pleased. I will not hesitate to order from Japan Photographic again.

The camera was defective and returned for full refund.

Arrived from Tokai Camera (Japan) to Canada in just over a week. Camera in very good condition. Battery in like new condition even after all these years. Must have kept it charged and never used more than 25%? All I had to do was change Menu language from Japanese to English and clean LCD protector with diluted alcohol. Comes with battery, battery charger and power cord but not SD card. Charger has North American plug and uses same voltage. Improvement of Nikon D80 over D70 or D70s worth the upgrade and of course all models can use the same lenses.

Very good back up camera body.