Nikon D80

Reviewed October 2006

Characteristics

The Nikon D80 is equipped with a 23.6 x 15.8 mm DX format CCD composed of 10.75 million pixels of which 10.2 million are effective to capture images. Three images sizes are available:

• (L) 3872 x 2592 pixels
• (M) 2896 x 1944 pixels
• (S) 1936 x 1296 pixels

CCD sensitivity begins at 100 ISO, but can be pushed to 125, 160, 200, 250, 320, 400, 500, 640, 800, 1000, 1250, 1600, 2000 (HI 0.3), 2500 (HI 0.7) and 3200 ISO (HI 1.0). It is also possible to allow the camera to increase sensitivity automatically according to ambient lighting conditions by selecting Auto ISO. Moreover, when the camera is used in P, S, A, or M modes, it is possible to set an upper sensitivity limit for the Auto ISO mode of 200, 400, 800 or 1600 ISO. While with P and A modes, sensitivity will only be adjusted if an underexposure would result at a pre-selected shutter speed threshold (between 1 and 1/125 second) (see further below).

With its Nikon F lens mount, the D80 is compatible with a large number of autofocus Nikkor lenses — with the exception of those designed for the F3 AF IX Nikkor lenses — but to achieve the greatest level of compatibility between body and lens, DX, G and D series lenses should be used.

As the area of the DX CCD is smaller than a 35 mm film frame — the basis used for 35 mm lenses — the indicated focal length of 35 mm is increased by 1.5X.

The D80 has a shutter speed range that covers from 1/4000 second to 30 seconds, with the additional option of a B (Bulb) mode when the camera is set to the Manual mode.

The three image sizes of the D80 can be saved in JPEG format at any one of three compression levels (Fine, Normal or Basic), or using Nikon's proprietary RAW format (NEF) but only at the highest resolution. In addition, RAW + a JPEG copy, using any of the three compression levels, can be saved.

Images captured using the RAW format have to be "developed" using the software supplied with the D80, PictureProject, or with Nikon Capture NX (a 30-day Trial version of this optional software is included with the camera), more advanced software dedicated to RAW processing (see the Interface and Software section of the review for more information).

The menu system of the D80 is fairly typical of Nikon digital SLR cameras. Composed of five menu sections, each identified by a tab on the left side of the screen, the complete menu system consists of: Playback menu, Shooting menu, Custom Settings, Setup menu and the Retouch menu. Navigating to the end of any one section loops back to its beginning, and the OK button is used to confirm a selection; while when the menu is called up the next time it returns to the last used option.

With the Auto Shooting mode, the most automatic mode of the D80, the menu is limited to the Playback section. In all other modes, however, all sections and options are shown.

The Shooting menu contains the following options:

• Optimize Image controls the in-camera image processing:
  • Normal: default setting.
  • Softer: softens outlines.
  • Vivid: enhances saturation, contrast and sharpness.
  • More Vivid: maximizes saturation, contrast, and sharpness.
  • Portrait: lowers contrast while softening sharpness.
  • Custom: makes it possible to adjust sharpness, colour tone, colour mode (sRGB, Adobe RGB, Extended sRGB), saturation and hue.
  • Back and White: provides control over sharpness, tone compensation and allows the use of filters (yellow, orange, red or green).

• Image Quality: serves to select the image quality (RAW, JPEG Fine, JPEG Normal, JPEG Basic or RAW + JPEG at any of the three compression levels).
• Image Size: serves to select the image size (see above).
• White Balance: when the camera is set to P, S, A or M, 9 white balance settings available (Auto, Incandescent, Fluorescent, Direct Sunlight, Flash, Cloudy, Shade, and White Balance Preset). Using white balance Preset, the white balance can be set based on an already captured image, or set under ambient light conditions using a white surface.

• ISO Sensitivity: serves to set the CCD sensitivity (see above).

• Long Exposure Noise Reduction: On or Off. Decides whether long exposures are processed to reduce noise of not.
• High ISO Noise Reduction: controls the noise reduction applied to high ISO images:
  • Normal: takes effect at sensitivities of 400 ISO and up.
  • Low: lessens the amount of processing.
  • High: increases the amount of processing.
  • Off: turns off noise reduction processing unless the image is captured at 800 ISO or above.

• Multiple Exposure: makes it possible to capture two or three photographs in a single exposure and, if desired, have the camera automatically compensate each exposure according to the number of exposures that will be captured.

The next section is called Custom Settings, and it contains options that provide control over the way the camera functions, or the way some buttons operate. Two views of this menu are available, a Simple view that only shows the first 10 options, and a Full view that shows all 32 options:

The remaining options are only shown when the CSM/Setup Menu option is set to Full in the Setup menu (the Setup menu options are covered in the Interface and Software section of the review):

16	FUNC. Button serves to attribute another function to the FUNC. button, which is on the front of the camera, near the top of the grip: Displays ISO setting in the viewfinder. Displays the grid in the viewfinder. Selects the AF point. Selects Normal Zone or Wide Zone Centre AF. Flash Value Lock. Flash Off (turns on or off the built-in flash). Matrix Metering is activated when the button is pressed. Centre-Weighted metering is activated when the button is pressed. Spot metering is activated when the button is pressed.
17	Illumination: Off (default) the Control Panel is lit when the power switch is pulled to the position; On, the backlight of the Control Panel is On while the exposure is metered.
18	AE-L/AF-L controls the behaviour of the button: AF Lock/AE Lock: locks both focus and exposure when pressed and held. AE Lock Only: locks exposure only when pressed. AF Lock: locks focus only when pressed. AE Lock Hold: locks exposure when pressed, and unlocks it when pressed again. AF-On: Initiates the autofocus. The shutter release cannot be used to focus. FV Lock: If the built-in flash, or an optional flash (SB800, SB-600, SB-R200) is used, the flash value can be locked. Focus Area Selection: allows pressing the button and rotating the Sub-Command Dial to select the focus area. AE-L/AF-L/AF-Area: allows locking the exposure and focus, and selecting the focus area while rotating the Sub-Command Dial. AE L/AF Area: locks the exposure while rotating the Sub-Command Dial, allows selecting the AF area. AF-L/AF Area: lock the focus while rotating the Sub-Command Dial, allows selecting the AF area. AF-On/AF Area: initiates the autofocus while rotating the Sub-Command Dial, allows selecting the AF area.
19	AE Lock: if Off, the default, pressing the shutter button halfway does not lock exposure. If On, exposure will lock.
20	Focus Area: decides whether or not, when selecting a focus point, the selector will wrap around back to the other side, or stop when the last focus point in any given direction is reached.
21	AF Area Illumination: decides whether the AF point lights up red or not.
22	Built-in Flash controls, when the camera is set to P, S, A or M modes only, the way the built-in flash operates: TTL: the power of the flash is adjusted according to the subject and lighting conditions. Manual: allows setting the flash output to 1/2, 1/4, 1/8, 1/16 or 1/32. Repeating Flash: allows the flash to fire repeatedly while the shutter is open, producing a strobe-light effect. The strength of the output, the number of times the flash fires, and and the number of flashes per second can be set. Commander Mode: allows using the built-in flash as a master flash controlling one or more slave flash units (SB-800, SB-600 or SB-R200).
23	Flash Warning: to choose if, when the camera is set to P, S, A or M, the flash indicator will flash in the viewfinder when its use is necessary.
24	Flash Shutter Speed: allows setting the slowest synchronization speed for the flash when the camera is used in P, S, A or M (1/30, 1/30, 1/15, 1/8, 1/4, 1/2 or 1 second).
25	Auto FP: only when using P, S, A or M, this option, when On, activates High-speed synch when using optional flash units SB-800, SB-600 or SB-R200).
26	Modelling Flash: only when using P, S, A or M. When set to On, this option allows the use of the built-in flash as a modelling flash, revealing where the shadows will appear, when the Depth of Field Preview button is pressed.
27	Monitor-Off: to set the delay after which the monitor will turn off when the camera is inactive (5, 10, 20 seconds or 1, 5 or 10 minutes).
28	Auto Meter-Off: decides the length of time during which the metering remains active (4, 8, 16, 30 seconds or 30 minutes). If the camera is powered by household current through an adapter, the delay is set to 10 minutes.
29	Self-Timer: sets the self-timer delay (2, 5, 10 or 20 seconds).
30	Remote On Duration: sets the time delay until the IR receiver shuts off (1, 5, 10 or 15 minutes).
31	Exposure Delay Mode: On or Off. When set to On, the shutter release is delayed by about 0.4 second, reducing any camera shake induced by the mirror, which could result in a blurred image at low shutter speeds.
32	MB-D80 Batteries tells the camera the type of battery in use in the optional MB-D80 battery pack: LR6 (alkaline), HR6 (Ni-MH), FR6 (Lithium) or ZR6 (Ni-Mn).

Positioned first in the left side tabs of the menu, the Playback menu offers options for viewing and printing images:

• Delete: serves to delete selected or all images.
• Playback Folder: serves to choose the folder from which images will be played back; or all images on the memory card.
• Rotate Tall: to decide if images captured in portrait orientation (vertically) will be rotated the right way up on playback.

• Slide Show serves to see captured images as a slide show with background music. All images can be played back, or only those selected. The on-screen time for images can be selected (2, 3, 5 or 10 seconds) and the background music can be selected from (Pachelbel's Canon, Scarborough Fair, Elgar's Pomp & Circumstance March, Mozart's Turkish March, or Henry Clay Work's Grandfather's Clock).

• Hide Image: allows marking images so they cannot be seen in playback.
• Print Set: serves to select images that will be printed using DPOF (the number of prints to make of each image, the printing paper size, whether or not to have borders, and the printing of capture parameters or of the date and time at which the photo was captured).

The next section of the menu is entitled Retouch, and contains options to edit already captured images:

• D-lighting*: serves to brighten dark areas in an image without impacting the highlights.
• Red-Eye Correction*: allows removing the red-eye effect caused by flash light.
• Trim: allows saving a part of an image magnified on screen as a new image. The camera records the trimmed image at the image size closest to the size of the trimmed image.
• Monochrome*: serves to create a copy of an image as black and white, or sepia, or cyanotype (blue monochrome).

• Filter Effect* serves to apply one of three effects to an image and save it as a new image:
  • Skylight: creates the effect of a Sky filter, making the picture less blue.
  • Warm Filter: creates a copy with warm tone filter effect, giving the copy a warm red cast.
  • Colour Balance: allows modifying the colour tone of the image by moving a cursor within a chart of primary colours. Histograms for red, green and blue show the impact of the changes.
• Small Picture: serves to make a small size copy of the image under review (640 x 480, 320 x 240 or 160 x 120 pixels).
• Image Overlay: this option allows combining two images captured in RAW format into one, which is then saved separately from the originals. The function allows increasing or decreasing the dominance of one image over the other by altering the exposure from 0.1 to 2 EV in increments of 0.1 EV. The resulting image is saved at the size and quality level selected when the image was created.

  * These options are not available when photos have been captured as Black and White.

The D80 is compatible with SD (Secure Digital) memory cards. The card slot is located on the right side of the camera, and covered by a solid plastic door. And, as is usually the case with digital SLR cameras, in North America the D80 is sold without a memory card.

The chart below provides an idea of image capacities using an optional 1 GB SD memory card:

Four separate connections are located on the left side of the D80, hidden behind a couple of soft rubber covers. The upper connection is the USB port (2.0 Hi-Speed) and its communication protocol can be set to either PTP or Mass Storage. Next is the jack for the optional AC adapter (EH-5), which makes it possible to power the D80 from household current. This is followed by the Audio/Video Out jack, which can be configured for either NTSC or PAL in the Setup menu. (See the Interface and Software section of the review for more information about the contents of the Setup menu.)

Next to the AC Adapter jack is the Main Reset button for the camera, which returns all user-modifiable settings of the D80 to their factory defaults.

The last connection is for the optional wired Remote Control unit (MC-DC1).

The D80 is powered by a Lithium-ion rechargeable battery (EN-EL3e) which is housed in the camera's grip, behind a locking door situated underneath the camera.

A rapid charger is supplied with the camera (MH-18a) requiring approximately 135 minutes to recharge a fully depleted battery.

In addition, a battery grip can be purchased as an option (MB-D80), installed under the camera by removing the cover door of the battery compartment. The grip is able to take up to 2 EN-EL3e batteries or 6 alkaline batteries (LR6), or 6 Ni-MH (HR6) batteries, Lithium (FR6) or Ni-Mn (ZR6).

In addition, the battery grip provides an additional vertical shutter release, intended for when the camera is used in portrait mode.