Nikon D80 Body Only Digital Camera

Despite some reservations, this is a classic camera and one of the best in Nikon's lineup. It handles well, performs extremely well, and sensibly uses SD cards (which are cheaper and more reliable than other media, notably CF cards).

If I have any reservations, these derive not from bad design, but from its position as a top of the range amateur camera. It has many of the features found on pro and semi-pro cameras (such as the D200), and in some respects out-performs its senior cousins. But by looking to please its target audience, it rather falls between two worlds. For example, its default colour modes produce less accurate colours than some of the other Nikons (notably the wonderful D100). It is also too contrasty, so I set the tone to a lower setting. As a result of the boosted colour and tone, it tends to produce turquoise skies (a fault it shares with its predecessor, the D70s. I also do not like the controls as much as those on the D200. The fussy pre-set menus are of no interest to me, and it is not as easy to change the most vital settings as it is on the D100 and D200, for example.

Its matrix metering system is hard to use successfully, as instead of metering to avoid burnt-out highlights, it meters to reveal shadow detail. In my experience, it gives inconsistent results, and tends to overexpose. For this reason, I have abandoned matrix metering and use spot metering or sometimes centre weighted metering instead. The SD door opens too easily, and the top window is a little too small for my liking.

Setting aside these gripes, the D80 is capable of producing superb photos. It suffers less from noise than does the D200, and it offers genuine 10mpix resolution - noticably more than its 6 mpix predecessors. It also offers a wider dynamic range than its predecessors, especially when the tone is set to a below-Normal setting. Its light, fast, and responsive, and is an ideal candidate for taking on holiday.