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87 out of 107 people found this review helpful
2.5 stars
"D80 is good but it stays on the shelf in favor of the D40....read on to find out why..."
Pros: Picture quality, lens options, less sensitive to light than D40
Cons: Over exposes, D40 is just as good and much less $$$$
Summary: I have been involved is DSLR photography for many years and shoot part time. Here is my take on why you shouldn't buy a D80:
I would assume that most people who are looking at the D80 are probably entry level shooters. I own a D80, but I recently used the bought the excellent D40 and would completely recommend the D40 over the D80.
Why would I recommend Nikons entry level DSLR over the D80?; a camera that would appear more advanced? Read on....
Firstly, the D40 uses exactly the same sensor as the D80. Same technology for almost half the price.
The D40 is much more sensitive to light because it defaults to ISO 200 unlike the D80 & D40x which default to ISO 100. This makes for sharper images. Even the overpriced D40x can't compete with the D40 because of it's sensitivity to light (the most important part of photography).
The D40 flash sync speed (ask any pro photographer how important this is) is 1/500 second whereas the D80 is 1/250 second (may not sound like much, but it makes huge difference when shooting with a flash)
Worried about 6 Megapixels versus higher? Don't be sold on the camera manufacturers claims that bigger is better when it comes to MP's. Large Megapixel sizes don't mean a thing. Megapixel size is targeted towards the average uninformed consumer and is a way for corporations to get people to upgrade to newer cameras. Unless you are shooting large poster size prints you don't need anything bigger than 6MP's. At 6 MP's you can makes great prints up to 12 x 18 inches. Personally I have never printed anything bigger than that.
The flash on the D40 is the same as the D80. If you want to create great indoor photo's, I recommend buying the SB400 speedlight for the bounce feature. Bounce flash is the holy grail of indoor flash photography because direct flash ruins photo's and washes out the colors.
The lens on the D40 (18 - 55mm) is a jewell of a lens. It is one of the best Nikon lenses I have used (I have some expensive lenses). It also weighs next to nothing so along with the camera, it makes for a very comfortable carrying experience. My D40 + lense weighs the same as my D80 body with no lens! Other DSLR's I have owned become tiresome because they are so big and heavy. The D40 is really a joy to use; hard to explain but one in your hands and you will understand. It just feels so comfortable in your hands!
The LCD on the D40 is so sharp and clear (same LCD as D80), only the D300 is better.
Some of the more technical aspects the D40 offers are full RGB histogram (through the well hidden Color Balance option), full auto ISO (it really works, you can even shoot at 3200!), 3 point Auto Focus (3 is enough, don't buy into the hype of needing more), battery life is excellent (I have gotten over 1,000 shots off one charge).
Most importantly, you can get fantastic colors using the saturation feature in the menu options. Colors are vibrant using this along with the Color III mode.
Bottom line, the D40 will take as good if not better quality photo's than the D80. I don't even use my D80 anymore since the D40 takes great photo's and is so light to carry around.
I would purchase a D40 vs a D80 (next step up is really the pro D300) any day of the week. The extra money you save can be spent on the excellent SB400 Speedlight flash and the excellent Nikor 18-200mm VR II zoom lens!
At the end of the day, remember having a more expensive camera will not make any better shots than a cheap camera (google photo's people have taken on camera phones if you don't believe it).
You can pick up the D40's now for about $479, lens included with shipping. Just make sure you visit www.resellerratings.com and research the company you are purchasing from. There are a lot of scam sites out there. I buy most of my camera equipment from buydig.com and beachcamera.com (no I don't work for them).
Hope that helps.
- 11 replies to this review
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Say whatever you want about D40 vs. D80. I have a D40x and am upgrading my body to the D80 for one simple reason. The D40/D40x/D60 does not have the AF motor on the body, so if you want to use AF, you have to have an AF-s mount lens, or equivalent. These lenses are more expensive and heavier. And harder to find, as well. Just a little something to consider as you read this travesty of a review.
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OK, this is not quite true...if all u ever want to do is take simple snapshots like u did on your compact camera (although be it, far better looking snapshots, because of dslr's sensor that is superior to compact's ), then you can get away with d40.
BUT, if you want to be a PHOTOGRAPHER, to compose your image, set depth of field, play with light, create HDR images, nikon d80 is far better solution...and it's a jewel in terms of build quality, u just can't compare it to those plastic toys from canon. -
You are a complete and utter idiot for copying and pasting Ken Rockwells review on this camera. That said, Ken rockwell is a total idiot in all aspects for saying that a d40 is better than a d80. He needs to get his head out of his ass.
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I upgraded to the D80 because it my D40 could not support nearly as many lenses due its cpu only function.
The D40 is a great choice when your on the go because of its size & weight.
But forget about control and the ability to power large lenses. -
Gee, that's funny. I own a D40, with the 18-200mm VR. Had it for over a year and a half. I bought the D80 yesterday, and put the 18-135mm kit lens on the D40 (talk about a lightweight sweetheart!). My reason for moving up to 10mp was for more flexibility in cropping to retain image quality.
I, too, have read Ken's take on both cameras (which is why I bought the D40 to begin with). You should have posted this "review" under D40. -
#1: It is not exactly the same sensor. 6MP versus 10MP. These are different sensors folks.
#2. Just because the D40 "defaults" to 200 ISO does not mean it is more sensitive to light. The 100 ISO setting on the D80 simply gives a person more latitude in making exposure decisions. Your make an unfounded claim here. It is completely out of context, and confusing to people who may not know what these things mean.
You might mean well, but please get your facts straight.
I am sure that for some, the D40 is quite the way to go. I hope they research a bit more and pass by your glowing but ill informed review. -
Very interesting and easy - understandable language. I'm on the threshhold to purchase (Tomorrow) one of these cameras. After a year of so reading and analyzing this segment of dslr, I thought my choices were between the Nikon D60 and D80... I'm a hobbiest at bestand been shooting SLR and compact Digitals photos for over 25 years. Don't want to spend $60 let alone $600 and not be satisfied that I got the best for activities... Thanks for the 411! Probably will get the D40 and pick up the extra lens... Do you prefer the "VR" lens?
Philly -
This review was good when I read it the first time on kenrockwell.com. This is almost word for word the same. Unless you are Ken, please dont copy and post with out siting your source: http://www.kenrockwell.com/nikon/d80.htm
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i was thinking of purchasing a D80 at first, however after reading your post.. you really talked me out of it and buying the d40 seemed more like the better option for an entry level person.
however after researching some recent cameras, i was thinking whether the D60 was a better way to go? if so, would you still recommend the sb400 and the VR11 zoom lens or any newer one?
hope you can help me thanks. -
I read this with interest, as I was on the verge of purchasing a "higher spec" camera, essentially meaning more megapixels. I am very much a beginner, but keen to put myself on a steep learning curve. Will hold off in view of this and give myself more time to squeeze as much as I can out of the D40! Cheers pal!
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When you combine the low (relatively) 6 Mpxls of the D40 and the generally less than mediocre quality of the Nikkor kit lens (18-55mm usually) that gets sold with it, how on the earth can you claim great quality photos?
I evaluated a D40 with standard kit lens for 2 weeks and maybe it is OK as a DSLR entry level, but great quality image ?? No way...
Where to buy
Nikon D80 (body only):
$718.95
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Amazon.com Marketplace
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$718.95 | Yes |
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