I am sure no one is really interested in a proper review of this camera as it is really something that one would need to consider purchasing under excruciating circumstances today in 2011. However, I am one such person. With my D300 headed south with Greg and this Antarctic adventures, and the unfortunate 'swim' that my D60 took whilst I was away I found myself pushing to obtain a camera to ensure that I would not be caught short for a wedding that I am to shoot in the near future, and to be converted to IR in the long term. Being a poor slave to the retail machine I could not afford, nor justify purchasing a D7000, or even a D90 but there has been an ongoing search for a D200 suitable for conversion. Luckily I came across a the D80 (which I used heavily for a few weeks in the past) available as a factory refurb. It's familiarity coupled with good reports of its IR prowess and the stunning photos constantly provided by Gerry on this forum made it an ideal choice for purchase.
After refreshing my experiences with the old warrior I have a few gripes as well as a few pleasant surprises compared to the other cameras in my kit (D300, D60, S5 Pro.
PROS
Ergonomics - the grip is nicely shaped, unlike that of the D7000, and for my moderate sized hands everything is in easy reach without being cramped like on the D40x/D60 that I have spend a lot of time with, although the D300 and S5 Pro are more comfortable
Size and weight - its is comfortable, not too heavy or too light, balancing nicely with most of the lenses I would normally use with this camera. Its smaller size makes it less obtrusive than my D300.
AF motor - my biggest complaint about the baby bodies, now my collection of AF-D lenses will AF!!
100 ISO - lets face it, it is nice to have, and sadly absent in the D300
grid lines - my D60 didnt have it, and in the D300 they arnt that good
EN-EL3e - I have a few of these already, shame the S5 and the D60 dont take them
CONS
Viewfinder - in short is sucks compared to the bigger bodies, even the D60 does not lose much to it
Viewfinder displays - where is the ISO??? it only displays this on the top screen, even my D60 displays it in the viewfinder when I change ISO. What happened to rangefinder mode??? I have been spoilt by this feature on the D60 and miss it greatly on the D80 and on the D300. Compared to the D300...well lets not go there
AF - yes it is better than in the D60, but the D300 and the S5 cover more area and have better options
shutter button - yes Gerry, this is a dig at you, I like my D300 shutter button, this is clunky like in the D60
ISO performance - I struggle to like 800, prefer 800 out of the D60, and am quite comfortable with 1600 from my D300 and S5
However, having made the purchase of this camera (unfortunately as a kit with the 18-135...anyone interested in one?) and having it arrive to me with a mere 628 shutter actuations, fresh from a Nikon Australia service and certification, I am certain that I have myself a camera that will serve me for many years to come as a dedicated IR camera.
