quigley13's Full Review: Nikon N80 QD Body Only 35mm Film Camera
Let me start by saying that I have owned an N70 used a N90s extensively and am familiar with the F100. I would call the N80 a “baby” F100 due to its features and use for reasons that I will explain in this review. The N80 looks so good on the spec sheet that I had to be one of the first people to buy one. I picked mine up in May, have shot many rolls through it, and now feel comfortable writing about the camera.
Look/feel-
The camera has the great rubberized feel of the f100. Sort of a bumpy tough feeling finish that is much more tactile then both the N70 and N90s. It is unlike the F100 in that it is much lighter, smaller, and not nearly as solid. The F100 could be used as a hammer in a pinch, the N80 is definitely consumer grade although it feels more solid than the N70. I have a Nikon 80-200 2.8 (around 3 lbs.!) and it ALWAYS felt shaky on the N70, not so with the N80 because it just feels stronger. The N80 is also not as modern looking as the other cameras in the Nikon line. The camera has an old school manual camera look to it. Whether this is a good or a bad thing is for you to decide.
Operation-
The basic operation is so far improved over the N70 that it is ridiculous. There are many lovers and haters of the N70’s interface so let me say this. The user interface of the N70 is very straightforward to those who take the five minutes to learn it. ALL options present themselves in an easy to understand and navigate format on the LCD screen. One of the huge problems that I have with the N70 is it’s the inability to change a single function with one hand. When you have a big lens on the camera, its weight is such that you can not hold the camera by the body. The lens must support the weight of the camera or you could damage the body/mount. The only way to change anything is to have both your left and right hand hitting buttons on the camera at the same time. This forces me to put the camera in my lap or otherwise support the lens weight just to change something as trivial as metering modes! When you combine that with not being able to change a function on the camera when your eye is in the viewfinder (with any lens on the camera) leaves the N70 with some major flaws.
The N80 is a complete re-think and redesign from the N70. Almost everything on this camera is accessible with the touch of a button. Learn where the buttons are and you are set. Change metering modes, focus modes, aperture priority to manual, etc. with a single hand when your eye is looking through the viewfinder. Everything is obvious, well marked, and simple to operate with the exception of the diopter. The diopter is so small that it requires miniature fingers to operate and its placement is such that the possibility of poking your eye out is an actual threat and not just something that your mother always warned you about. The aperture and shutter speed are controlled by two dials. One is where your index/middle finger falls on the front of the camera and the other is where your thumb falls on the back. This allows one-handed operation of shutter speed and aperture… extremely handy especially to those who use manual focus.
The matrix metering (Now 10-segment) is supposed to be improved but through my limited use thus far, I have seen no difference between the N80 and N70 in these regards. The auto focus speed has been improved on the N80 although it is not a night and day difference from the previous model. The N70 is superior to the N80 in a few ways, most have to do with film handling and compatibility. It is immediately evident that the N70 is quieter than the N80 when the shutter release button is pressed. The N70 also has a faster frames per second rate than the N80 for those that use that function. Both of these functions are minimal to me. The biggest concern for me was the compatibility for the N80 to use older Nikon lenses (The Nikon used market is great for lenses). I had heard many conflicting views on just what the N80 could meter through. It is fairly complicated so I won’t get way into this. The N80 is compatible with all “D” lenses (With a very few exceptions) and most auto-focus “non-D” lenses (With exceptions). Where the N70 shines is in its ability to use almost all Nikon lenses available, manual lenses included (With exceptions of coarse). There are other minor differences as well. The N70 flash is a bit more powerful but the N80’s flash is higher (Great for bigger lenses). I only use the on camera flash for fill flash in overhead light situations. The N70, N90s, F100 have smaller increment bracketing. The N80 is ½ stop the N70 is 1/3 stop.
The screen is almost identical to the one in the F100. You can change the focus area to one of five points for off center composition just like the F100. The area you select is black under normal use and luminescent red when in low light situations. Another very useful feature that is new is the on demand grid lines. Grid lines can be added or taken out of the viewfinder by changing a custom function on the camera. These lines are great for helping with general composition and for leveling your picture for architecture or landscape photos. My biggest complaint with the N80 is the viewfinder… I want a high eyepoint like the N90s and up. I guess I should buy a F100 if I want all of the features in the F100. The N80 is a great value, it obviously does not have everything but I think Nikon found a winning combination with this SLR.
Little Perks-
The N80 has a vast list of things to customize and options that you can tweak if you like. I will not get into them all but I will touch on some. The N80 gives you the ability to move the auto-focus off the shutter release button. This is great for those of us that get frustrated with auto-focus in certain situations i.e. when focusing through glass or off center compositions. It allows release of the shutter without an auto-focus lock each time. You can do the same with the exposure lock to the same button. You can set it up so one touch of the exposure lock keeps it locked instead of keeping the exposure lock button pressed the entire time while recomposing. If this seems confusing, it is, and I have trouble explaining it clearly in less than a few paragraphs. Just realize that there are a plethora of functions to customize and tailor to your general shooting style.
The N80 has a MANUAL cable release!!! Now you can pick up an inexpensive cable release rather than handing over 70 bucks to Nikon for an electronic one. Every photographer should have a cable release (As well as a good tripod) and this feature makes it more affordable.
The depth of field preview was a feature that kept the N70 out of the hands of many would be buyers. The N80 has an electronic depth of field preview button and I do not know how I got along without it. For those who do not know, the depth of field button allows you to check the focus of things in your picture with the aperture stopped down. For info on general terms in photography (and much more), I would recommend the use of the wonderful websight at www.photo.net
There will be a version of this camera that imprints exposure info between frames on the negative (Not the normal QD [quartz date] one by the way). This will be a valuable learning tool to those of us who are trying to improve our photographic skills. I am hoping that this will be available as a data back so I can add it to my standard N80.
The N80 has a new feature that I consider to be a drawback. The camera has an actual light that replaces the usual infrared auto focus assist light. The light is BRIGHT, I’m talking high beam bright. Squint because some idiot has a flashlight mounted on his camera bright. It can get annoying during use with low light situations, or even not so low light situations with a "consumer zoom" (A zoom that does not have a very wide aperture like a F3.5 to F5.6 zoomed to 5.6). The light actually works very well in helping the auto focus work. It is, however, intrusive and annoying because the light is so bright. Nikon had the foresight to allow us to turn the light off using one of the wonderful custom functions. I also wonder how long this bright little light will last and how I would go about replacing it. This light also has to affect battery life but I have not gone through a set yet... so time will tell. This bright little light does have somewhat of an upside because it works very well as the cameras red eye reduction light (Unfortunately, a useless feature to me).
Handling of this camera is superb. The camera is so ergonomic and well marked that you could never pick up the manual and be just fine. The N80 has so much going for it, considering its price point you can't ask for a whole lot more from a camera.
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