Nikon D80 Details now announced

[Andy Bright]

Nikon has now unveiled the new D80.
Basically a D50 with a 10.2mp sensor in it, bit heavier than the D50. From the specs, it doesn't look to be a speed machine, 2-3fps is a bit sluggish in this day and age.

Proof of the pudding will be noise levels above ISO400.

Prices that I saw someone mention looks to be towards £700... which sounds a bit pricey to me, considering how little a Canon 30D can cost and the fact that the D80 seems a budget body.

There's a good rundown on it here
http://www.letsgodigital.org/html/review/nikond80/

cheers,
Andy

[jourdaj]

Nikon has now unveiled the new D80.
Basically a D50 with a 10.2mp sensor in it, bit heavier than the D50. From the specs, it doesn't look to be a speed machine, 2-3fps is a bit sluggish in this day and age.

Proof of the pudding will be noise levels above ISO400.

Prices that I saw someone mention looks to be towards £700... which sounds a bit pricey to me, considering how little a Canon 30D can cost and the fact that the D80 seems a budget body.

There's a good rundown on it here
http://www.letsgodigital.org/html/review/nikond80/

cheers,
Andy

Thanks, Andy! There is also more information regarding the camera (along w/ their review/specifications) at:
http://www.dpreview.com/news/0608/06080903nikond80withpreview.asp
Stay tuned....

[Keith Reeder]

I am so glad that I didn't hold out for this as the alternative the D200s I had...

It actually seems more like a response to the Sony A100 to me (same chip, more or less) and the poor high ISO noise perormance of that camera is already well documented.

[greypoint]

I am so glad that I didn't hold out for this as the alternative the D200s I had...

It actually seems more like a response to the Sony A100 to me (same chip, more or less) and the poor high ISO noise perormance of that camera is already well documented.

Well, we must wait and see what it's like in the real world. As you know Keith, your experience with the D200 rather put me off saving my pennies for one. I too tend to go out in the murk of an English winter so good high ISO performance is important. The D50 seems top in that respect at the moment so i'm waiting to see some comparisons between the D80 and D50 at high ISO before deciding whether the D80 is the next camera for me. No doubt in the next 19 months or so they'll update the D50 to a D50s with 10mp as that will be the standard.

[Keith Reeder]

Very true, GP - others seem to love the D200, and more power to their elbow - but as I say, it seems reasonable to at least surmise that the D80 and Sony's offering will share some image quality characteristics.

That said... it does seem from early examples of D80 images on a Japanese site, that higher ISOs display less visible noise than the A100 - but as I've always said it's not visible noise per se that put me off the D200, it was loss of detail.

It remains to be seen whether on the D80, lower noise is at the expense of detail, but based on the high ISO D80 images I've seen (which are of buildings and the like - not "high detail" subjects to start with) while the D80 images look "smoother" for want of a better word, they don't really any more detailed than the A100's high ISO comparision shots - and the A100 shots are badly underexposed.

[rezMole]

The D80 seems to be a step up from the D70/D70s. I wouldn't call it a "cheap" D200. Although i suspect the camera will be good value for money, it doesn't offer much over my D70, so i won't be getting one!

I'd be interested to see how the high ISO noise reduction system works and whether it does improve noise without too many side-effects. Having said this - i rarely have a problem with noise on my D70 - until i hit ISO 800, and even then, most is easily removed with NeatImage or PictureCooler.

I would like more pixels - but to me, it's not important enough to make me spend yet more money. Seems that a new camera every two years or so is the norm nowadays - well, they'll not get me falling into that trap! I had my previous camera to the D70, the Canon A1, for over 20 years - and i've still got it!

[Keith Reeder]

Most of the chat on DPReview seems to have the D80 pegged as the successor to the D50 - mainly because the D80 uses SD cards like the D50, not CF cards like the D70/s, and because the body is more trimmed-down and "D50-like".

I agree with you entirely about D70 noise, Rez - it has never been overly intrusive to me (I've got ISO 1600 shots which were entirely usable - plenty of feather detail left in), which is why I'd have preferred the latest crop of Nikons to have continued with the 6.1 mp chip (with maybe the in-camera processing of the D50).

[greypoint]

I have a feeling we won't have a choice much longer - at least as far as Nikon is concerned. I believe the D70s is being discontinued and as I said, it's odds on the next entry level model will be 10mp - bearing in mind it's possible the D50 will be around for a while and when it's time for a replacement 6mp just won't seem enough. 6 to 10mp is a bit of a jump - 8 to 10mp not quite as worthwhile. I wonder if Canon will stick with 8mp until they can blow everyone away with a super low noise 12mp to up the ante!? Does there come a point of diminishing returns when we have to wait for a breakthrough in technology instead of cramming even more onto existing sensors?

[rezMole]

My problem would be having to upgrade my PC jsut to be able to work with anything bigger than i get from the D70!

[Keith Reeder]

Pretty detailed (p)review here:
http://www.hardwarezone.com/articles/view.php?id=2016&cid=15&pg=1 including high ISO shots.

[Vectis Birder]

I have a feeling we won't have a choice much longer - at least as far as Nikon is concerned. I believe the D70s is being discontinued and as I said, it's odds on the next entry level model will be 10mp - bearing in mind it's possible the D50 will be around for a while and when it's time for a replacement 6mp just won't seem enough. 6 to 10mp is a bit of a jump - 8 to 10mp not quite as worthwhile. I wonder if Canon will stick with 8mp until they can blow everyone away with a super low noise 12mp to up the ante!? Does there come a point of diminishing returns when we have to wait for a breakthrough in technology instead of cramming even more onto existing sensors?

Canon have just released the 400D which is also 10MP. I am looking at getting a Nikon D80 (I already have a D70) but am a little annoyed that the D80 takes SD cards and not CF cards - I have lots of CF cards and no SD...