A D200 in a D50 body - all for under a grand!

Introduction and background
I consider myself an avid photographer. My main interest in photography are people, landscapes, and travel. I was into film SLRs but I gravitated towards the more sophisticated point and shoot cameras for the convenience. I finally came back to a digital SLR with the D50 and now have recently upgraded to the D80.

Out of the box:
The D80 body kit comes with everything you would need to start shooting except for the lens and SD card. Here's what you get:
- Nikon D80 digital SLR camera body
- EN-EL3e Rechargeable Li-ion Battery
- MH-18a Quick Charger
- EG-D2Audio Video Cable
- UC-E4 USB Cable
- Nikon strap, body cap, accessory shoe cover
- DK-5 Eyepiece Cap and DK-21 Rubber Eyecup
- BM-7 LCD monitor cover
- PictureProject CD-ROM

Technical Specifications:
Here are the key specifications for the D80:
- Effective Pixels: 10.2 MP
- Image Size (pixels): 3,872 x 2,592 [L], 2,896 x 1,944 [M], 1,936 x 1,296 [S]
- ISO Sensitivity: 100 to 1600 (ISO equivalent) in steps of 1/3 EV, plus HI-0.3, HI-0.7 and HI-1 (equivalent to ISO 3200)
- Storage Media: SD memory card
- File types: Compressed NEF (RAW) 12-bit compression, JPEG
- LCD Monitor: 2.5-in., 230,000 pixels with 170-degree viewing angle
- Interface: USB 2.0 (Hi-speed) (mini-B connector)
- SD card slot supports firmware updates
- Compatible Lenses: Nikon F mount (with AF coupling and AF contacts)
- Picture Angle: Equivalent in 35mm format is about 1.5 times lens focal length
- Viewfinder Frame Coverage: Approx. 95% (vertical and horizontal)
- Viewfinder Magnification: Approx. 0.94x with 50mm lens at infinity
- Video Output: supports both NTSC and PAL
- Viewfinder Information: Focus indications, Metering system, AE/FV lock indicator, Flash sync indicator, Shutter speed, Aperture value, Exposure/Exposure compensation indicator, ISO sensitivity, Exposure mode, Flash output level compensation, Exposure compensation, Number of remaining exposures
- Focus Areas: 11 areas; any single area can be selected; center focus area can be switched from normal to wide-frame
- AF Area Modes: 1) Single Area AF: Focuses only on subjects in the selected area. Selection can be made from any one of the eleven AF spot sensors. 2) Dynamic Area AF: Focuses on subject in the selected area, but follows the subject if it moves from its original position, shifting instantly and automatically to the focus area into which the subject has moved. 3) Auto-area AF: measures all 11 focus areas, automatically determines which of them are on the primary subject, and activates only those areas.
- Focus Lock: Focus can be locked by pressing shutter-release button halfway (single-servo AF) or by pressing AE-L/AF-L button
- Exposure Metering System: Three-mode through-the-lens (TTL) exposure metering; 1) 3D Color Matrix Metering II (type G and D lenses); color matrix metering II (other CPU lenses); metering performed by 420-segment RGB sensor; 2) Center-weighted: Weight of 75% given to 6, 8, or 10mm diameter circle in center of frame; 3) Spot: Meters 3.5mm diameter circle (about 2.5% of frame) centered on active focus area (on center focus area when non-CPU lens is used, or if Auto-area AF is selected)
- Exposure Modes: Digital Vari-Program (Auto, Portrait, Landscape, Macro Close up, Sports, Night Landscape, Night Portrait); Programmed Auto [P] with flexible program; Shutter-Priority Auto [S]; Aperture Priority Auto [A]; Manual [M]
- Shutter: 30 to 1/4000 sec., bulb
- Flash synchronization at up to 1/200 sec.
- Flash Sync Mode: 1) Auto; 2) Fill-in flash; 3) Red-eye Reduction; 4) Red-eye Reduction with Slow Sync; 5) SlowSync; 6) Rear-curtain Sync; 7) Off
- Depth of Field Preview: When CPU lens is attached, lens aperture can be stopped down to value selected by user (A and M modes) or value selected by camera (P and S modes)
- Remote Control: Via MC-DC1 Remote Cord (optional) or ML-L3 Wireless Remote Control (optional)
- Dimensions (W x H x D): Approx. 5.2 x 4.1 x 3.0 in. (132 x 103 x 77mm)
- Weight: 1 lb. 5 oz. (585g) without battery, memory card, body cap, or monitor cover

What I liked: Performance
The D80 has lots going for it. The 10.2MP resolution the D80 is a significant jump from the 6.1MP resolution that the D50/D70/D70s have. This allows for closer cropping without much loss in detail.

The viewfinder is one of many parts that the D80 shares with the D200 and has 0.94x magnification. This makes for bright, big image to help you get that perfect composition. What you see through the viewfinder is another D200 import - a fast 11-point AF system and on-demand grid lines to help line up those shots. The AF system has a dynamic AF function that helps make tracking active, fast-moving subjects easier to track and capture in sharp focus.

The D80 supports shooting at 3 fps which is slightly faster than the D50 (2.5fps) and slower than the D200 which can shoot at a blazing fast 5fps. The D80 can also be used to control wireless capable speedlights while still being to use its own built-in flash. This is one better than the D70/D70s since you couldn't use the built-in flash on that camera when you used the camera as the wireless flash commander. The D50 did not have this capability at all.

The D80 has several playback options: two pages of camera setting info for the shot, highlights, and a very useful RGB histogram. A definite step-up from the D50/D70/D70s which did not have an RGB histogram. The D80 also has an image overlay feature similar to the D200 but I've not played around with this yet.

What I liked: Ergonomics and Handling
I like that the D80 has dedicated buttons for many of the most commonly used functions. If a function is buried in a menu, it's just too cumbersome to access when you're busy trying to get a shot. The D80 has buttons scattered throughout the body that allow direct access to white balance, ISO, and image size and quality settings, AF-mode, drive mode (including remote control), metering mode, and exposure compensation. There is a AE-L/AF-L button that allows focus and/or exposure lock and a switch that locks the focus selector. This last switch is useful so the focus area isn't changed by mistake when the multi-selector is touched. There is also a depth of field preview button which stops down the lens so that you have a preview of what is in focus and what is not. Finally, there is a FUNC button in the front of the camera that can be programmed to perform one function the user chooses. Out of the box, pressing the FUNC button displays the current ISO setting.

There is a scene selector dial where the user can choose from PASM (programmed auto, aperture priority, shutter priority, and full manual) and full Auto, Portrait, Landscape, Macro Close up, Sports, Night Landscape, Night Portrait. There are also two command dials that allows the user to change aperture (front dial) and shutter speed (rear dial). The front dial was lacking in the D50 and I'm glad it's on the D80.

The top LCD has all the information you need and has a backlight. This may seem trivial to some but the D50 lacked this and I actually had to bring a penlight when I shot at night with my D50 to see the information displayed in the top LCD. Let's just say I'm happy not to have to bring my penlight anymore. The D80 shares the same 2.5" 230k LCD screen with the D200. This is a very nice screen - easily readable and allows detailed views of your photos. The D80 comes with an LCD cover which is also another welcome addition from the D50.

The D80 has an optional vertical grip which will hold up to one or two EN-EL3e rechargeable lithium-ion batteries and can also run on AA batteries. This is a welcome change since Nikon did not offer this option on the D50/D70/D70s and owners had to buy third-party grip if they wanted extra juice. And speaking of juice, Nikon claims the D80 will go up to 2,700 shots on a single charge but I'd say 500+ is a more realistic number. That's still very good battery performance. The D80 also has a menu page that reports all sorts of battery usage/charge info - much more info that I'll ever need but it's nice that it's there.

Overall, the D80 build quality, while not up to the pro-level ruggedness of the D200, is what you would expect from Nikon. The body is tight and feels solid and substantial in the hand - no squeaking anywhere. This compares favorably to the build of most of the D80's competitors.

What I liked: Menu system
Maybe because I'm coming from a D50 but I found the D80's menu system fairly intuitive although I still had to look up some items in the manual or use the on-board help information. The D80 allows you to choose how the menu looks - Full (shows all choices), Simple (you only see the most commonly changed settings), and Custom (you choose what you see). New for the D80 is the retouch menu which as the name implies, gives you in-camera tools to touch up your photos. It's not Photoshop but it's a quick and dirty way of tweaking your photos.

What I liked: Miscellaneous
One other thing I really like about the D80 (also on the D50 and I believe the D70/D70s) is the inexpensive wireless remote ML-L3. This allows the user to trigger the shutter remotely and is great for group photos or when you don't want to touch the camera to minimize camera shake. At $20, the ML-L3 is one of the best bargains going in Nikon-land.

Things that could be improved upon:
As with all digital SLR cameras, becoming adept with the D80 involves a learning curve. If you're coming from a strict P&S camera, then that learning curve will involve learning exposure basics that your P&S used to do for you. You can start off with the Auto or P setting of the D80 and work your way from there. Someone coming from a more sophisticated P&S who used their camera's manual controls or someone coming from another manufacturer's camera/lens system will only need to learn the camera's layout and they should be on their way fairly quickly as the D80 has plenty of buttons so that the key controls are not buried in menus. Someone coming from a D50/D70/D70s will be up and running as the layout of the D80 is very similar to the D50/D70/D70s cameras.

The size of the D80 suits me just fine (I'm 5'10" and about 170 lbs and use a M/L golf glove!) but some users with bigger hands may find the body and grip too small. However, the cameras that the D80 is competing against are smaller still so it's hard to fault the D80 too much.

As mentioned above, the D80 uses only SD instead of CF. For some, this is a deal-breaker but since I came from a D50, this was not an issue for me. Using SD makes a lot of sense as this format is more robust, cheaper, and smaller but I completely understand how this change would put off users who are heavily invested in CF cards.

Also mentioned above is the fact that the D80 is limited to 1/4000 sec shutter speed and it's flash sync maxes out at 1/200 second. I won't miss the 1/8000 sec shutter speed capability but the 1/500 flash sync was very nice in the D50 and I wish the D80 had it too.

Unlike the D200, the D80 cannot use non-CPU manual lenses so that limits your lens selection somewhat. I should also mention here that the D50/D70/D70s did not have this capability either.

A pet peeve of mine is the fact that the EN-EL3e is so hard to find. If you've used Nikon for a while, then you'll be familiar with their ability to supply their products. It's just frustrating that even batteries are sometimes in short supply.

Finally, Nikon continues to go it alone with charging extra for their full RAW editor (Capture NX). Granted the Capture NX software is more robust than the software packaged with most of the D80's competitors, it rubs me the wrong way that after shelling out a grand for a camera, I have to spend extra for software that allows me to take full advantage of the camera. Oh well...

Compared to the D50 and D200
The D80 is about $400 more than the D50 and $700 less than the D200. For the $400 premium over the D50, you get 10.2MB vs 6.1MP, an 11 area AF system vs 5 for the D50, several buttons on the body so functions are not buried in the menus, and a depth of field preview button. You also get a large, bright 0.94x viewfinder vs 0.75x in the D50, on-demand grid lines which are helpful to align your shots, and a gorgeous 2.5" 230k pixel LCD screen vs a 2.0" for the D50. It may seem trivial but these bugged me on the D50 - you also get a top LCD light (I still can't believe Nikon omitted that in the D50) and an LCD cover.

As the title indicates, there's a lot of D200 in the D80. What the D80 does not have is the D200's rugged magnesium body and weather sealing. If you're a pro who faces hostile environments, the D200 is calling. The D80 also tops out at 1/4000 shutter speed vs 1/8000 for the D200, flash sync of 1/200 vs 1/500, and 3fps vs 5fps. One other difference that could be a deal breaker is the D80 uses SD while the D200 uses CF cards. If you're invested in CF cards, going for the D80 means that you'll have to set aside money for purchasing SD cards.

Conclusion
To close, the D80 is a very capable camera. It can go from a super P&S camera for photographers just testing out the SLR world all the way to some pro use. I would imagine D50 (and maybe some D70/D70s) owners would be tempted to upgrade. I can also see folks who were thinking of getting a D200 would instead buy a D80 and I wouldn't blame them. I was thinking of going from a D50 to a D200 but landed on a D80 instead, and quite happy with the decision. All in all, a very nice effort by Nikon.