Nikon D80 Digital SLR Camera (18-135mm Lens Kit)

Nikon D80 Digital SLR Camera (18-135mm Lens Kit)
Nikon proudly presents the long-awaited successor to the D70: the D80! The D80 has a new 10.2-megapixel CCD image sensor and an improved response time of just 18 ms instead of 20 ms, and uses image processing technology that operates at 12 bits per channel instead of 8. It?s compatible with SD cards instead of CompactFlash and has a 10.2-megapixel image sensor, as well as a new image processor for capturing even the tiniest details. It accelerates performances on all levels, ensuring low energy consumption so you can take more photos on a fully charged battery, and comes with a 2.5? LCD screen and 0.94x zoom so you can focus easily. The D80 includes a host of advanced features such as the built-in flash control mode, the image touch-up menu and slideshow creation programmes with different music transition and fader effects (Pictmotion), so you can make your creations your very own. In short, the Nikon D80 has been specially designed for photo fans, traditional SLR camera owners or anyone looking to start out in the world of compact or bridge digital photography.The D80 kit (with 18-135 mm lens) includes an AF-S DX 18-135 mm f/3.5-5.6G IF-ED lens, with a digital-specific optical formula (DX). Focus range is equivalent to 27-202.5mm in 24×36 format.

Customer Review: Nikon D80 - wow
Solid, well designed and high quality build. A good range of lenses and accessories and spectacularly good picture quality. If you have some knowledge of SLR cameras you can pick this camera up and, from the outset, take very good photographs. Learning how to use some of the facilities takes a while of course but this camera is so good you will surprise yourself at the quality of some of your shots. I agonised over which make and model to go for before buying this one. I have no regrets whatsoever and can recommend it completely. A very, very good piece of kit.

Customer Review: Great Camera but think before you buy
I’m fairly new to Photography but have recently upgraded from a Canon S3 IS to the Nikon D80 and am I glad I did so? You bet. The D80 can produce very high quality images, it’s sturdy and well built and the controls are very sensibly placed. The rear LCD is of very good quality and a good size and the menu system is easy to use and offers a huge number of options to enable you to set the camera up just how you like it. So if you are an enthusiast then this camera should be on you short list but if you just want to take good pictures without becoming too serious then look at the D40 or D40+.

Hindsight is a great thing and there are a couple of points that I would have taken into account had I known better.

My limited experience of Canon cameras indicates that their images are generally sharper straight out of a camera than that of the D80. Also the saturation of colours straight out of a Canon is more intense than out of the D80. So if in general you want to lessen the editing burden so that you can bang out some great snaps then a Canon may make more sense.

One of the D80s advantages is its low noise levels at high sensitivities so if you are going to take a lot of photos in low light conditions or use the lower price and hence slow telephoto lenses than it may have the edge over competitors.

Any vibration reduction resides within the Nikon lenses and not within the D80 body, whereas for Canon cameras it sits within the camera body. This means that if you intend to buy third party lenses (I have a Sigma 50 -500) then you may get some vibration reduction for free from a Canon but not from a Nikon but please check this before you buy. This smacks of Nikon locking people into buying their lenses.

I am becoming aware that post processing is a great leveller when it comes to quality of images, especially if you shoot in RAW format. Therefore I would now tend to concentrate more on purchase cost, usability, reliability and cost of accessories than ‘out of the camera’ image quality as I don’t think there is much in it. So before you buy the camera body look at the price of the accessories and lenses that you will buy with it, and in the future. Also try to handle the cameras on your short list to see which “feels” right for you.

Finally if you are still unsure if a full Digital SLR is for you then in my opinion my Canon S3 IS digital camera takes as good, if not better Jpeg images straight from the camera (even after playing with the D80’s jpeg image quality) and its a third of the price of a standard D80 set up!. Therefore if you’re not going to devote a lot of time to editing your images it may be worth considering a super zoom or digital prosumer model. And don’t forget you can spend the money you have saved to purchase lens converters to give you more telephoto, macro and wide angle capabilities and all for less than the price of a basic D80 lens and camera bundle.

So in conclusion the D80 is a great camera, however if you require a range of lenses such as wide angle, macro and especially telephoto and you haven’t robbed a bank recently then you will probably be looking at third party lenses and it may be that a Canon camera makes more sense. If you already have Nikon lenses then stick with a D80. Otherwise if you think that you may upgrade from the D80 level to a semi pro camera then it is likely that you may want to have the flexibility to choose from a range of manufacturers lenses and hence it could mean again that a Canon with its on board vibration reduction makes sense.

Whatever choice you make if you end up with the D80 you won’t be disappointed.

One last piece of advice, some of the online companies are importing kit that does not have a manufacturer’s warranty so make sure that if this is the case that you get a warranty from the supplier. Happy snapping.

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Nikon MH-62 Battery Charger for Coolpix P1, P2, S1 & S3 Digital Camera
Always make sure you’ve got a charged battery for your Nikon Coolpix S1 digital camera with the Nikon MH-62 Battery Charger. It’s great for charging extra batteries or taking along on trips. It accepts the rechargeable Lithium-ion EN-EL8 battery only.
List Price: $32.26
Amazon Price: $21.40
Customer Review: works like it should
Simple. The product charges my camera’s battery. A must have if you’re into that kinda thing.
Customer Review: Great Product
My old charger was iffy as to the contacts connecting so i replaced it with this charger and it works beautifully and it charges real fast.

Kodak EasyShare P720 7-Inch Digital Frame
Bringing your favorite pictures to life has never been easier. Just insert a memory card or USB flash drive into the Kodak EasyShare P720 Digital Picture Frame and enjoy viewing your pictures right away. Your frame comes with decorative mattes that allow you to personalize the look of the frame, and complement your home decor. Kodak EasyShare Software makes it easy to load pictures straight from your home computer. Kodak’s Quick Touch Border keeps fingerprints off of your viewing screen so your images stay beautiful. The convenient drag-and-drop feature is perfect for transferring pictures for slideshows. View your pictures on the 7″ (17.8 cm) high-resolution viewing screen, featuring Kodak Color Science for vibrant color and crisp detail. Selectable viewing hours featuring automatic on/off settings Easily browse and edit your albums Display your frame on a tabletop or on a wall, vertically or horizontally Discreet cord design is barely visible
List Price: $119.95
Amazon Price: $88.98

Just posted! Sigma DP1 review
Just posted! Our in-depth review of the Sigma DP1. It’s been a long wait indeed. Sigma displayed a first concept prototype of the DP1 at Photokina 2006 but it took until March of this year for the first production models to hit the shelves. The DP1 sports the rather unusual Foveon X3 sensor (just like the Sigma SD14 DSLR) and comes with a 28mm F4.0 prime lens - quite an exotic combination in today’s world of superzooms and smile modes. Sigma claims the new model has the soul of a DSLR in a compact body. Is it right in saying so? Find out after the link…