Nikon D80 10.2MP Digital SLR Camera Kit with 18-55mm ED AF-S DX Zoom-Nikkor Lens

So I purchased this camera used, in "good" condition. So, although it seems like that could have been upped to a "like New" condition, I will not let that phase the review. For starters, What I like about the Camera This D-SLR fits very comfortably in the hand. The grip is well molded to fit my average sized hand and makes it very easy to use it for prolonged amounts of time. The buttons are very well placed on the camera, I am able to reach almost all of the ones on the right side with my right hand. This, again, makes it very easy to use for prolonged amounts of time since I do not have to outreach my fingers. Another feature I like about the camera is the interface. The menus are easy to navigate and for anyone who is a novice, there is a setting in the menu that makes it more simplified for you. Scrolling through photos taken is a breeze, I can quickly swap between multiple photos with the wheel, or thumb pad. The camera also has a feature where when viewing photos, by turning the front wheel, it will show you the different Hue densities, Image file info, Highlighted areas, and tools for making small in camera edits such as brightness and contrast. The Lens that came with mine is the 18-135mm lens, so the following information is based upon that. The included lens has an auto focus that VERY quickly snaps to make a very clear image quickly. The auto focus most of the time will focus better than manual. Next, Specific features about the camera The camera can be set to a very wide range of shutter speeds, 30 seconds to 1/4000 of a second to be exact. Inside the menu, you can select a feature that will you to take a double exposure photo, This is not very clearly mentioned, and is definitely a big plus. The camera can be set to take very low resolution images in JPEG format, and also very high res RAW files. a very nice counterpart of this is it will allow you to store a photo as two types as once, for example: the same photo in both RAW and JPEG As stated in the above paragraph, the camera has some simple editing software inside, allowing for simple contrast and brightness adjustments. Next, things I don't like about the camera There aren't many things to not like, If I had to dislike anything it would be the include lens. The lens is HIGHLY sensitive to dust collection. I notice that an extreme amount of dust has collected on the internal lens. (I know the difference between little dust and a lot of dust) The dust is not my fault either, the camera is stored inside a case and the only time it could collect dust is during use. Otherwise, the camera is great!

My wife and I owned a Nikon N70 35mm film camera prior to purchasing the D80 and we have been very impressed so far with the D80. We've taken about 400 pictures so far. When you're not buying film you tend to get carried away! The 18-135mm lens that comes with the Nikon equates to about the 28-200mm lens that we had with with our 35mm format camera because of the digital format conversion. This lens is versatile enough that you probably will not need to buy a second zoom lens. Most of the other digital SLR camera kits only come with an 18-55mm lens and in my opinion you would need to either purchase a more versatile lens or purchase a second zoom lens (55mm and up). I also like the feel of the Nikon SLR's. They are heavier than other SLR's but they feel solidly built. We are using a 2GB SD card with the camera and it will hold about 400+ pictures on the high quality setting which is what we have it set on most of the time. My wife scrapbooks and loves the ability to shoot pictures and then printout the ones she wants to keep for scrapbooking. I only made two additional purchases in addition to the kit. The SD card (a 2GB Sandisk Extreme III which is one of the recommended cards for this camera)and an SB-800 flash. The flash was somewhat expensive at about $300 but it does a good job and came with a diffusor in addition to some other accessories. The flash also has a wireless capability that can be used with the D80. The built-in flash on the camera is very capable as well.

Having worked my way through an entry level digital camera and a pretty good ZLR, I was ready for more megapixels, more features and more lenses. After much research, I bought the Nikon D80 with the 18 t0 135mm zoom Nikkor lens, in part because I have had Nikons before and had older, manual focus lenses that I could use. It does take wonderful pictures, and the features are amazing, giving you great control with some study and experimentation. But as for the lens that it came with it, big trouble. I bought the camera in August, and it's first break down was in November (yes, first). Nikon repaired it under warranty, but they do not pay the inbound postage, which given age of this lens, only a couple of months old, I felt they should have. Got it back, and I was happy enough, until 200 or 300 photos later, in early February, the lens broke again, same problem. This time Nikon sent me a prepaid mailer, and they have now had my lens in the shop for several weeks. So in the 5 month life of this lens, it has been back at Nikon for repairs for 5 weeks! And they refuse to just give me a new lens, it is so obviously a lemon, so now I basically have a factory reconditioned lens that I paid full price for! I bought this as a starter lens, but I didn't expect it to actually NOT WORK!!! I am so ready to buy other lenses for this camera, but can't quite bring myself to pay for another Nikon. A photographer friend of mine who works for a local paper said, in looking at the lens, that they make cheap versions and slap the Nikon name on them, to offer attractive pricing on their pacakged sets. Well, this certainly isn't the quality I expect from Nikon, nor the treatment after the purchase ... overall, the experience has been a very disappointing one, and i am back to shooting with my ZLR. Hope you have better luck if you decide to take the plunge with this one...