arun_seetharam Posted October 14, 2008 Share Posted October 14, 2008 I was thinking of getting a spare body, something light and easy with nice performance. I happened to see a few D90 pictures and dpreview data and samples seem to be slightly discouraging. The high contrast pictures seem to still overexpose on D90 and the pictures from D80 seem sharper and more saturated that D90. I dont think I'd be shooting any ISO greater than 800. I have better equipment to shoot movies. Considering all this and price of D80 $400 cheaper. May be I should just get a D80, haan. What do you think? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elliot1 Posted October 14, 2008 Share Posted October 14, 2008 I would suggest you try the D90 out for yourself to see if you like it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arun_seetharam Posted October 14, 2008 Author Share Posted October 14, 2008 You think D90 could prove otherwise, Elliot? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShunCheung Posted October 14, 2008 Share Posted October 14, 2008 Any Nikon DSLR (or perhaps for that matter any DSLR) is going to have some problem with high-contrast images. No camera can figure out the exact effect you want. I routinely override the meter on the D2X, D300, D3 and D7000, especially when I shoot landscape and have plenty of time to check things out. As Thom Hogan points out recently, DPReview tends to test cameras with their defult settings. If you are a serious photographer, you should override those settings pretty much all the time. Think carefully whether you really need ISO 800 or higher. As recently as a few years ago, I almost never shot faster than ISO 400 film because for anything higher, the quality sucks big time. Today, the high ISO capability from the D3 and D700 completely changes the way I shoot indoors and at night. While it lasts, a new D80 at $600 or so is a major bargain, but if you can afford it, the additional capabilities (e.g. live view, video mode) and newer technology may be a better buy for you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sanford Posted October 14, 2008 Share Posted October 14, 2008 I just played around with a D90 at Best Buy. It felt like my D80 on speed - everything faster. I especially liked how fast you can move around the expanded photo with the cursor in the review mode. It also has the updated menus of the D300 with "Picture Control" which I like. In all areas it seems like a better camera but the D80 takes great photos so, as much as I'd like to, no upgrade for me at this time. (no disposable cash either!) It was set at ISO 2500 in the store the photos looked very clean. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
photo5 Posted October 14, 2008 Share Posted October 14, 2008 I would stick with the D80. If you want to upgrade, get the D300. Going from a D80 to a D90 is not really an upgrade. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nolan_ross Posted October 14, 2008 Share Posted October 14, 2008 I would get the D80. They are a bargain these days. The best time to buy a DSLR is when it's been replaced. The price drops and makes it a good value. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bill_keane2 Posted October 15, 2008 Share Posted October 15, 2008 Why do you need a spare body? Is it truly going to be a spare? Then the D80 you already are familiar with could be the way to go. On the other hand, one reason we sometimes don't think we better technology is because we haven't used it yet. I would assume the D90's focus speed, LCD, resolution, and ISO capability would be markedly superior to the D80's. But maybe with what you really want to shoot, this won't matter... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShunCheung Posted October 15, 2008 Share Posted October 15, 2008 The D200, D80, and D90 (plus the Fuji S5 which is based on the D200 body) share the same AF module, namely the Multi-CAM 1000 which has 11 AF points and only 1 cross type out of the 11. The D200 does provide more AF setting options, but otherwise I would expect the AF performance on those cameras fairly similar. The D80 and D90 share essentially the same body while the D90 has additional connections such as the GPS jack. They even use the same MB-D80 grip/battery pack. Expact a lot of similarities there. With the D90 you get new features such as a newer sensor (12MP), 4.5 frames/sec vs 3 on the D80, new electronics, live view, Active D Lighting, auto sensor cleaning, video mode, etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arun_seetharam Posted October 15, 2008 Author Share Posted October 15, 2008 Thanks everybody!! Some great ideas indeed!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mattarlet Posted October 17, 2008 Share Posted October 17, 2008 All the reports I've read say the exact opposite. The D80 constantly overexposes photos, where as I hear that problem has been corrected in the 90. Also the iso performance even at 800 is much better than the D80. I won't even get into the LCD. :) I'm going to hold onto my D80 for now as a backup, but I'm upgrading to the D90 when the body alone is readily available. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now