Nikon - D80 Digital Camera Review

 The Nikon D80 is a great SLR digital camera, that beginners or experienced photographers would find user friendly. A benefit to this camera is the manual focus feature. For the experienced photographers it gives them the option to use manual focus while it is still possible to use automatic focus. There are many settings on the camera that the experienced user and non experienced will find useful. On one side of the camera there is room for holding the camera without your hands getting in the way of your viewfinder. The viewfinder is also a great assest. Most if not all point and shoots do not use a viewfinder. A viewfinder is something that many photographers prefer novice and experienced alike. Also the LCD screen is a decent size. While not overpowering the back of the camera it takes up enough room so as to have a nice review of your image. Also after you take your photo the image shows up immediately on the screen. This is also something that can be adjusted and changed so that it doesnt show up, however I find it helpful for the image to appear immediately after taking the image. If you change your settings so that the image does not show up immediately, it does help to improve the life of your battery but not drastically. The battery is a "dedicated " battery unique to this camera. As the life of the battery gets used the camera displays how much battery life remains. The camera also comes with a recharger.   

 I have used this camera for over a year. I have had very few problems with it and if I need someone to take a photo for me it is user friendly enough that I can trust that they will get a good image while taking a photograph. It is also a well built sturdy camera. It is a little pricey but affordable at the same time. For an slr camera the price is a reasonable one. It has 10.2 megapixels which is very good. If someone wants to do cropping of their photograph they can do it fairly small and get a good photograph at the same time. The majority of the time there will be little pixelating and a nice photograph.  

  This camera has lenses that have manual or auto focus on them as well. This is also a very nice feature as I stated earlier. When making a decision on purchasing a camera one of the first things you have to decide is if you want a point and shoot or an slr. Point and shoot cameras are normally smaller and in fact can almost always be put in a pocket or purse. The slr camera is a larger camera and would not be able to do that. However, the slr camera has many more functions and capabilities than the point and shoot models contain. Normally the point and shoot cameras have more zoom ability. If you want to zoom as much you would have to use a stronger lens on your slr camera. This is something you would have to decide if this is a deciding factor in your purchase. The professional photographers always use slr cameras for their fine images and if you want to get the best images than an slr would probably be your avenue. Many professional photographers also keep a point and shoot handy however for their "serious" photo taking they utilize an slr camera.

  Another feature that is a plus for slr users is the ability it has to  utilize filters on the camera lenses. There are a variety of filters that can be used on your D80 camera. Some of them are not necessary such as the red , yellow , or orange filters. These are filters that are normally utilized by film cameras. The adjustments that these filters give can be done in photoshop or when you edit your images for printing. However a UV filter is a must for the slr camera. This is basically a piece of glass and does not do alot of adjusting to your image. However it does protect your camera lens which is important. The lenses are expensive and the filter will help to protect your lens from scratches and possible breakage. There are also circular polarizers which are a nice feature. They are a little more costly because they contain two pieces of glass , however they diminish glare and give a nice balance to sky photographs. There are also other filters such as a cross filter which will give a starry effect to your photograph wherever light appears. Normally this is most prevalent with nighttime photographs.

  I have had a few people ask to use my camera and they have responded that they never want to go back to a point and shoot again. The results from using this camera are impressive and very rewarding. One of my most recent times using the camera was while visiting Yosemite National Park and all my friends were in agreement that my photographs were very impressive and rewarding. While they were taking many of the same images they were impressed with my cameras results the most. Another feature that the user will definately find rewarding is the abiltiy the camera has to take multiple photos at one time. The user can set the camera to take multiple shots so as to have a better chance of attaining the image that he desires.

  Definately a good investment!