Poll - Who's buying D80s

[Antsl]

Hi All,

I am testing the D80 for a magazine at the moment and I am keen to know if people are content to stay with their D50/D70/D70s/D100 cameras or are you looking to get a D80 soon. As another consideration... would you rather buy the D200!

I would also like to hear if people are content to get rid of their CF cards to move onto SD cards when changing cameras

Looking forward to hearing your thoughts!

Cheers, Ants

[gstark]

Ants,

A couple of points for your consideration.

I personally don't see the CF vs SD cards issue as a problem. I believe that at some point in the future we'll see the less professionally oriented cameras head down the SD card route, as evidenced by the D50/D80. The high end Canons accept both types, of course.

Those who move from a PHD to a DSLR will probably welcome the fact that can reuse their SD cards, and for many D80 buyers, I suspect this to be the case.

Feature wise, and on paper, I don't see the D80 as an upgrade path from the D70. It provides a few benefits, but none that would cause me to ditch the D70.

Then again, I said that about the D200.

Until I had a play with one.

And I don't like the smaller size of the body. The D70/D200 form factor is the right one for me.

[Yi-P]

Continuing from what Gary said, the D80 is very small and light to use with the heavy calibre lenses. The balance of such setup is not really a nice feel for it, specially when you have a relatively big hand and lenses.

For first-timer, then it is obvious which you can start up with a D80 without hesitation on what to decide on. It is simply a very good starting point camera for the DSLR experience.

I have the D70 for quite a while now, I find its size is still being okay, but rather bit tight/small after having used the D2x and D200. I will strongly consider the D80 if they based it on a D70 body and CF cards (since I have a few of them now), but now that it is a D50 body under a stripped down D200, I will just consider on upgrading to a D200 sometimes when prices go down another step or two...

Right now, I still find the D70 can do 99% of what I expect to do. Until I go 'pro' and earn money through taking pictures that can afford me the D200, I'm sticking to the D70...

[Ivanerrol]

I have gone from D70s to D80
I will be upgrading to the D200 shortly.

[Oz_Beachside]

I would have gone form D70s to D80 if it was same size body as D70, and had avertical grip of similar size.

D80 is too small in my hands, so I will continue with D70s, with a view to move to the D200 with MB-D200 grip.

Also, the D80 is nice with a 18-200, or 85/1.4 weight lens, but it is too small for me to comfortably hold with a heavier lens, such as a 80-200, or 28-70.

Features, yes, would have bought it for the screen and MP, but have chosen not to due to the physical grip size.

[sheepie]

I did upgrade from the D70 to the D200 rather than the D80.

Reasons:
- The D80 body is too small for me. The D200 body is just right, and just feels stronger and better
- Features of D200 and point (1) above were sufficient to warrant the extra $
- Got a really good deal on the D200
- A small issue, but still an issue - the SD cards are a pain in the arse, just too small to handle when trying to change quickly. The durability of the CF card on the otherhand, has been well proven

The vertical grip isn't an issue for me, as I haven't got one - not sure if I ever will.

[MHD]

I will be getting the d200 as soon as I can afford it...
Sooner the better!

I will be keeping my D70... I have done plenty of jobs (as well as shooting for fun) where I would have loved to have one cam with a zoom lens and the other with a nice prime...

The d70 Still works great for me... but it is getting old now and the main reason for the upgrade is that it may not have long left (17K actuations, 2.3YO)

[Killakoala]

Hmm, there was no option for my 4.1 Megapixel DSLR

I have considered the D80 and the D200 as i want a camera that i can use for landscapes. I'm still debating.

1. The D200 would be nice as it uses CF cards and has a vertical grip option, which i would probably buy, but my D2H has a vertical grip too and is still a good camera. I wasn't looking to replace the D2H yet.

2. The D80 is nice and compact and useful for trekking with, (to get those out of reach landscapes) but i will need to buy SD cards for it so increasing the price by about $250 or more.

Tough decisions. I'd really like the new generation CCDs...

Maybe wait for the D3H......

[petermmc]

I suspect the D80 is of similar weight to the D70. I was adament that the D70 would do me for a few yrs to come and told many people the same. A friend bought me a D200 as a thank you for getting him a job and I must say I find it hard to go back to the D70. Everything about the D200 apart from the slower flash speed is good for me. I like the shape better and the extra weight and the fact that it feels like a real camera. In comparison it makes my D70 look and feel like a plastic toy...more feel than look. This is only a personal opinion. The fact that it is right is only a small point.

I did find that the D70 with the 70-200VR was a bit unbalanced and now I do not have that problem with my new paperweight D200.

[shutterbug]

I picked up one many weeks ago..so far it was been great.

Memory cards are soo cheap now...so I do not think SD/CD should be a deciding factor.

Cheers
Vince

[DStrom]

I'm looking at moving to a d80 and keeping the d70 ... so that I can spend what I save on some new glass

[Antsl]

Hi Everyone,

Thanks for you comments on this... it has been a useful insight into what people are thinking about this camera. I for one might have bought the D80 as a back up camera were it not for the hassle of SD cards...

Any other comments are appreciated.

Cheers for now,
Ants

[Antsl]

A friend bought me a D200 as a thank you for getting him a job

That must be either some friend or some job!!! Can you tell us anymore details!!!

[radar]

Just got a D200. I would have kept my D70s for a while still but it didn't like the rocks it fell on.

Reason I went to D200:

-camera size, like the feel of the D200 better
-extra features of D200 like mirror lockup
-more rugged body
-don't have to invest in more memory cards
-got a good deal to upgrade from my insurance
-more fps for some sport that I do

Cheers,

André