Nikon - D80 Digital Camera with 18-135mm Lens Review

The Nikon D80 is the first DSLR camera we have owned after years of struggling with poor quality photos from standard point and click digitals.  The Nikon D80 is so easy to use and navigate that it made that transition much less intimidating.

A few of the features that attracted me to the camera were:

• 10.2 Megapixels, which yields very high resolution images. Great for this price range.
• 2.5 inch LCD monitor. This allows for quick assessment of picture quality. The zoom features allow you to evaluate the photos in even greater detail on the fly. Additionally, the menu options on the screen are simple and easy to navigate.
• High-speed continuous shooting at 3 frames a second allow for great spontaneous shots.
• High range of shutter speed options

As I said, I'm very much an amateur.  The Nikon D80 is great for budding photographers because the auto settings produce consistently high results.  The manual settings (which I am still exploring) allow for even greater flexibility.  I have had the camera for nearly a year and still learn new things every time I use it.  There will be some trial and error involved for people not used to SLR cameras or the plethora of options available.  But you can pretty much start taking quality photos as soon as you take it out of the box.

A couple other quick points about using the camera.  1) The speed at which the camera starts up and the quick shutter release time is pretty amazing, especially for someone like me that was used to lower market cameras.  You will not miss your shot, even if you need to turn the camera on.  2) Ergonomically speaking, it is a very comfortable camera.  It fits well in my hands, and is not too bulky compared to other high-end cameras.

This camera is just about perfect for someone that wants to learn more about photography and take quality photos while learning.  Compared to other DSLRs in this price range, the Nikon D80 is head and shoulders above the competition.  Before buying our camera, we asked probably five other people who had experience with cameras in this quality/price range and they all recommended the Nikon D80.  I recommend it highly too.