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Picking up where the D70 and D70s left off, Nikon today introduced the much anticipated D80 DSLR -- an full- featured, high performance camera that incorporates Nikon's latest digital and photographic technologies, and offers advanced features as well as automated operation said to satisfy any photographer with the passion to create beautiful photographs and preserve special moments.
Offering a new 10.2 effective megapixel DX Format CCD image sensor and an exclusive high-resolution color processing engine inherited from Nikon's latest professional digital SLR cameras, the D80 can render images with incredible resolution, sharp detail and vibrant color that is unmatched in this class of cameras. And it can shoot these images fast - at speeds of up to 3 frames per second, for up to 100 consecutive shots (in JPEG Normal mode), ensuring that the camera's always ready for the next fleeting moment.
ISO sensitivity on the new D80 ranges from 100 to 1600, with the ability to push to 3200, and there's also both an ISO auto mode, and three steps of noise reduction at high ISO settings. Shutter speeds are from 30 - 1/4000 second plus bulb. Nikon's 3D Color Matrix Metering II adds algorithms to recognize and deal with large contiguous areas of highlight or shadow in images, and both center-weighted and spot metering are also available.
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The Nikon D80 offers 11-area AF system that includes the ability to switch the center sensor to wide-frame mode for broad coverage. In addition, a new Auto-area AF mode automatically determines which focus areas are on the primary subject, then activates only those areas. The D80 is said to be very responsive: 0.18 seconds to start up, 80-millisecond shutter lag, and three frames per second shooting. The D80s newly redesigned body is slimmer than its predecessors, and it offers a larger 2.5-inch LCD display with a much higher resolution at 230,000 pixels. There's even a pentaprism viewfinder with 0.94x magnification.
Another new option that D80 also offers is an in-camera retouching menu, featuring Nikon's famed D-Lighting and red-eye correction functions, plus image cropping and overlay, monochrome modes, and filters. Images are shot with on SD cards, and the D80 also offers the support option for the new SDHC standard. The new DSLR is powered by a EN-EL3e Lithium Ion battery, or the optional MB-D80 battery pack, which accommodates either two EN-EL3e batteries, or six regular AA batteries. The Nikon D80 will ship in September 2006, with pricing set at $999.95 body only, or $1299.95 with a newly announced 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6GAF-S IF-ED DX Nikkor Lens.
For a hands on look, check out Dan Richards take on the Nikon D80.
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