Nikon D80 debut
Yes, it is 1st September today, the day the Nikon D80 hits the shelves! So, did I go to see it? Well, the pic here says it all…
I visited a few dealers today and every dealer had geeks of all ages lining up to get their hands on this thing! And of course, I had to touch it too therefore I joined the geeks and became one myself. All I can say about the D80 is, it’s one sexy piece of gear! The size is as small as a D-SLR should go. I’m all for making D-SLRs lighter but not smaller. To be honest, I think some guys with larger hands may feel a bit uncomfortable with the D80. The handgrip is actually a little shorter than the D50’s but what makes the D50 acceptable is the fact that it does not have the front dial. The D80 has a front dial therefore when you need to use it, you have to move your last 3 fingers down a little. My little finger was actually half hanging off from the bottom of the handgrip because of this. But this isn’t too bad for me as my hands are average sized. I suggest guys with big hands go to see the D80 for yourselves first before ordering one off the internet.
Out of all the Nikon D-SLRs available right now, I personally think the D80’s design is the most proportional. All lines and curves seem perfect - it’s beautiful. But the real killer for me is the viewfinder (yeah, for the first time it isn’t the looks). The viewfinder is just so… big! Totally pees all over the D70/50’s from a great height…
As regular readers are well aware, I’ve been raving over this camera since the first day the online teaser hit the web. At that point, I was so sure that I would buy the camera as soon as it came out. Later on, after much debate, I managed to convince myself that I didn’t need a new camera and I felt happy with this decision. Well folks, happiness doesn’t usually last, does it? Especially if you knew Roy. In short, after a brief exchange of emails with Roy today, I ended up bankrupting myself for a… taaa daaa… brand-spanking new D80 
.
Damn, I think I will need to sell off some stuff which I don’t need anymore. I’ll need all the cash I can get to cover as much of this D80 purchase as possible…
Find 4 friends getting married and charge them 25,000 yen each to take photos at their weddings. The camera will have paid for itself.
OR
Set up a small studio in your home, put an add in the classified saying you want to practice taking photos of girls and charge them 10,000 yen each. Burn all their photos onto a nice DVD-R. After 10 girls the camera will have paid for itself and you would have met 10 girls and gotten better as a photographer and have a portfolio.
OR
Put an ad out on your blog saying you will take a photo(s) of anything in Japan (within reason) and send the high-res files to whoever (copyright free) for 5,000-10,000yen depending on the subject. I have been asked to do this on a number of occasions but just didn’t have the time.
Am I full or ideas or what?
Hahahahahahahah! I love the second idea! Let’s do it. That way, you can pay off your “image stabilised” lens
Ended up on your site while browsing the D80 user’s group on Flickr. New owners are getting their cameras in the US as I type this, and their initial impressions echo what you’ve written. I want to buy the D80 myself, my Mar 2004 D70 is getting a little long in the tooth; and the my wife goes … what do you need a new camera for? … end of story
I find your comment about the D80’s shorter handgrip vs the D50’s quite interesting - thanks for sharing that.