Nikon D80

[Drekce]

I can get a used D80 with the 18-55 lens and some other cheap accessories for $420. I wanted the D40, but this seems like a killer deal. Anyone with experience with the two cameras have any input?

 

[tdawg]

Originally posted by: Drekce
I can get a used D80 with the 18-55 lens and some other cheap accessories for $420. I wanted the D40, but this seems like a killer deal. Anyone with experience with the two cameras have any input?

I'd say this is a great deal. While the D40 is a fun camera to use, the D80 has many more features, including the AF system of the D200 (faster AF with 11 AF points vs 3 AF points), 10mp vs 6mp (though it's not really that big of a deal), front and rear dials, and an in-body AF motor, for all those nice Nikon lenses that aren't AF-S. No going wrong here buying the D80.

 

[soydios]

the D80 is a significantly more capable camera than the D40 in all respects.

 

[twistedlogic]

Yeah that's a great deal. Might want to test it b4 you buy just to make sure and check the shutter actuations.

As for the D40 vs D80, what tdawg said, the D80 has more features. I've seen that a lot of the heavy users have two bodies, one for heavy duty "pro" use and a D40 for lightweight "fun" use. So the D40 does serve its purpose.

 

[Drekce]

I just went to CC to test them out. My biggest complaint with the D80 is its size/weight. The 40 is much more portable, though I don't think I am going to let that alter my decision too much.

 

[Drekce]

Originally posted by: twistedlogic
Yeah that's a great deal. Might want to test it b4 you buy just to make sure and check the shutter actuations.

As for the D40 vs D80, what tdawg said, the D80 has more features. I've seen that a lot of the heavy users have two bodies, one for heavy duty "pro" use and a D40 for lightweight "fun" use. So the D40 does serve its purpose.

What do I need to look for? I am a newb to SLRs.

 

[tdawg]

Originally posted by: Drekce

Originally posted by: twistedlogic
Yeah that's a great deal. Might want to test it b4 you buy just to make sure and check the shutter actuations.

As for the D40 vs D80, what tdawg said, the D80 has more features. I've seen that a lot of the heavy users have two bodies, one for heavy duty "pro" use and a D40 for lightweight "fun" use. So the D40 does serve its purpose.

What do I need to look for? I am a newb to SLRs.

The D40 and D80 are both going to be able to produce nice images. The difference is the versatility and usability of the two. The D80 has a faster, better, autofocus engine and has more focus points, allowing more flexibility in where the camera focuses in the frame. It may not make much sense now, but you'll notice the usability difference between 3 and 11 AF points.

The front and rear dials on the D80 is the standard configuration on all Nikon bodies beyond the D40, D40x, D50, D60 and allows you to more quickly and easily adjust shutter speed and aperture. As someone that's grown accustomed to having both dials, having only a rear dial on the D40 takes a little bit to figure out what can and can't be changed on the fly (though the D40 is definitely a fun little camera!).

Also, having a body with an internal focus motor, like the D80, means you can use all the Nikon autofocus lenses that don't have their own autofocus motor (AF-S lenses, or SWM--Silent Wave Motor). This opens up a lot of options for you on the used and new lens market as you don't have to worry if your camera body will autofocus with a particular lens.

Another point is the megapixel difference. While I'm not one to worry about only having 4mp in my camera body, and never wanted for anything with the 5mp in the D1X or 6mp in the D100, some people do care and make use of more pixels. In this case, the D40 has a 6mp sensor, while the D80 has a 10mp sensor, the same sensor used in the Nikon D200. If you ever only display images on the web or print 4x6 prints, you probably won't notice any difference between 6 and 10 megapixels. In fact, you'd have to print images pretty large to start seeing a difference. Where pixel count can come into play is your flexibility in cropping images, where having more pixels can be advantageous.

I believe, but am not 100% positive, that the built-in flash of the D80 can act as a commander for the SB-600, SB-800 and SB-900, so you can grow into Nikon's creative lighting system (arguably the best flash system on the market) in the future as your photography grows. The D40 cannot do this, if I remember correctly--someone correct me on this if I'm wrong. Something to think about.

In the end, you'll learn a lot, have fun, and produce quality images with either camera, but the D80 will probably grow with you longer (you might hit a ceiling with the D40 earlier than with the D80).

 

[996GT2]

Originally posted by: Drekce
I just went to CC to test them out. My biggest complaint with the D80 is its size/weight. The 40 is much more portable, though I don't think I am going to let that alter my decision too much.

Lol I think the D80 is quite portable compared to my EOS 40D

Unfortunately, as DSLRs move up in performance and features, they also tend to grow in size.

 

[ElFenix]

Originally posted by: 996GT2

Unfortunately, as DSLRs move up in performance and features, they also tend to grow in size.

and other than the viewfinder getting larger there isn't much of a reason for them to do so (and though my 40D dwarfs my OM-1, the OM has a finder about 2x larger than the 40D). it's not like canon needs a larger body to accommodate a better focusing motor. or a faster motor drive.

 

[Krioni]

The short answer:

Get the D80
Get the D80
Get the D80

 

[dnuggett]

I'd go with the D80 assuming it checks out ok. Don't worry about hitting a ceiling with the D40 though, as was earlier suggested. There is no reason to think you will be better at being a photographer then the D40 is at being a camera.