Nikon D80 (Body Only)

Pros: Simple enough for point and shoot. However, you can turn the dial and get 100% creative with no limits! The HDSD is NOT a Con...why? I've bent pins using CF cards, you won't with this.

Cons: I wish it was more weatherized for rain. Nikon software is poor. Nikon should give us the free remote that's $10 or so.

Summary: Well, 1st things 1st. How does she feel holding her. GREAT! The D80 has a real solid feel to her. It's not like the D200, which I think is heavy, so I prefer the lightness it offers. I hate boat anchors! The responsiveness is impressive from the second you turn it on and start playing. The camera is quick. Pictures? Great! They really look good, balanced and well saturated. Also, keep in mind that you can change these settings in the custom menu. The screen is a dream and the flash works well. I have an SB-800, and the camera can control it as a slave, no need to use an 800 as a master as the D80 does it! Ohh...flash sync. Well, if you use the right Nikon speedlight the camera/flash combo lets you sync at the full shutter range...so up to 1/4000th. Don't buy an aftermaket flash...the nikon works that much better. An SB600 is reasonable and a great flash unit. What else...I like the SD card slot. I had an issue where I bent the pins inside a camera with a CF card. No prob. here. Also, the SD slot supports the 'new' SDHD standard...basically, up to 32 gigs on a card. However, the largest I've seen is 8GB. I guess you can tell by now I really like the camera...I've used the Canon 10D and 20D. All great cameras, but I like this one more...it just moves. The camera can also edit pictures and remove 'red eye' and do other things automatically. Nice features.

What I don't like is the simple stuff...the Nikon software is poor and I have to spend $150 or so for 'better' software. I'm trying to shoot RAW but Nikon makes that difficult as the support is not yet avalable in Adobe or Bibble labs...however, that's soon to come. I wish the camera had some environmental seals...for rain. That's really it. It's a great camera that should last for years. It's a winner.