Nikon N80, N90, FM2n, or FM3a?

[maia_daniels]

I posted this question in the camera equipment forum, and was advised

to ask here also. (I intended to post it in camera equipment > advice

for beginners....but forgot to select a category.) So here goes....

 

I'm a student planning on getting a degree in photography. My first

class begins this summer, and I'll continue through another four

before I transfer out to a college that offers more. (These are all

college courses). I'm trying to decide between buying a Nikon N80,

N90, FM3a, or FM2n. I will have around $500 dollars to spend, and

want a camera that will last, and hold up to the amount of film I'll

have pouring through it. I want to be able _play_ with it, to

experiment, and the control to create pictures that look the way I

want them to. I'm not quite sure what that is, as I have yet to learn

all the technical ins and outs I'll need to paint a better picture of

what I want. I spent $550 on a Minolta 300si and lens when I was much

younger, just to find out that the only manual control the camera

offered was focusing. Sophisticated point and shoot? Hmmm. I want a

camera that I can grow with, use for professionally as a main or

backup camera, and one I won't have to replace in a year or two

because I can't do much with it. So my question is, which camera

should I get? Also is it better to get an autofocus with a fully

manual option, or just go pure manual? Is the N80 better then the

N90? or vice versa? (there seems to be no majority vote). Is it

better to go for the Fm2n, or the Fm3a? What would you recommend?

another camera, or some contrast and comparison advice? Any

information would be wonderful. Thanks! Maia

[dmitriy_babichenko]

Over the years I've used N90, N80 and recently I played with a friend's FM3A. Of all cameras that I've ever owned, N90 was by far one of the best. I traveled with it all over the world - it has never failed me. It has been dropped, lugged in a backpack, basically dragged through camera hell. The only Nikon camera that I liked better than N90 is the F3. If you truly want to learn photography, get the F3. That camera is build like a tank. To give you an example, I was hiking in the Blue Ridge mountains, and when I got back to my car, I realized that I locked my keys in it. I used the motor drive from my F3 to break the window - not even a scratch on the camera. F3's are weatherproof - you can shoot in pouring rain without any damage to the camera. Plus, you can get a waist-level viewfinder for it which is a must for street photography. You can find a used F3 with an MD-4 motordrive for about $400.00.

Stay away from the N80 - even though it's a pretty nice camera and produces great pictures, it's not durable at all - mine failed on me in Greece last year.

Sorry for ranting for that long - get either N90 or F3.

Good luck.

[jim_gifford]

Maia, some thoughts that may help you decide among the four excellent cameras you propose.

 

The FM2N is all manual, all the time, so with lots of use it will give you a wonderful appreciation of aperture, shutter and focus control. If you use flash, you'll use fully manual flash control, or on-the-flash Auto mode. If the battery dies and you don't have a spare handy, all you lose is the exposure meter. You can use Nikon's AI, AIs, AI-P, AF, AF-D, AF-S lenses but of course you'll have to focus the various AF lenses by hand. The newest series of autofocus lenses -- the AF-G series -- won't work because there's no ring on the lens with which to set the aperture. Metering is center-weighted, indicated by LEDs in the viewfinder.

 

The FM3A adds the abillity to select aperture priority exposure contrtol, which can help you get shots in rapidly changing lighting conditions. It also offers TTL flash control, in my opinion a tremendous asset. If the battery dies and you don't have a spare handy, you lose the exposure meter and aperture priority mode, but the camera still offers the full range of shutter speeds. You can use Nikon's AI, AIs, AI-P, AF, AF-D, AF-S lenses but of course you'll have to focus the various AF lenses by hand. The newest series of autofocus lenses -- the AF-G series -- won't work because there's no ring on the lens with which to set the aperture. Metering is center-weighted, indicated by a match-the-needles display in the viewfinder.

 

The N80 is a wonderful camera, a terrific value, and will prove hard to resist. You get various metering options (matrix, spot, center-weighted) and autofocus and a built-in film winder and fancy flash options. It's the only camera body in your list that has a built-in speedlight; the others all require accessory flash units. You can use all the currently available autofocus Nikkors and the few manual-focus Nikkors that include a CPU (these are known as AI-P lenses). Older Nikkors (AI, AI-S) will fit the N80 but when you mount them, the N80's meter will shut down so you're on your own for exposure selection. That's a crying shame.

 

The N90s is a lovely camera -- I own one -- but I'm not sure I'd recommend it to you over the N80. Its main advantage is that you can at least limp along with almost any Nikkor lens. You can use its many metering and exposure modes with any AI-P, AF, AF-D or AF-S Nikkor. The lovely AF-S lenses won't autofocus on this body, so they become hyperexpensive manual focus lenses. You can use the newest G-series lenses in shutter priority and program mode (but not in aperture priority or manual because there's no aperture ring to set aperture on these lenses). Conversely, you can use the manual-focus AI and AIs lenses with center-weighted metering in manual or aperture priority. The flash options are quite nice. It's a sturdy, trusty body that has been used by lots of pro and amateur photographers for years. It doesn't really have any warts at all, nothing waiting to bite you. It works as advertised.

 

My votes: Since you don't already have lots of old Nikkor lenses to worry about compatibility issues, you'll find the N80 to be the most versatile camera among your four choices, and it's also the least expensive of the three you can buy new. The FM3A would be my second choice for you, as a camera that really feels good to use in manual mode. It'd be a great backup body for you as the years pile on.

 

Have fun,

[david_kelly1]

If you wear glasses,get the N90s, plenty of nice used ones within your budget, a better feature set and viewfinder

display than a motorized F3 at much less weight. If you don't wear glasses, get an FM3A, grey market ones within your

budget fromB&H, a better feature set and better viewfinder display than a non-motorized F3 at less weight, and a great

inconspicuous street camera. Finally, it's the received wisdom on this forum that the F3 was a bomb-proof camera; but

on the metropolitan daily and later the magazine that employed me as an editor it was considered much less reliable than

either theF2 that went before it or the F4 that followed it..........

[dougs]

brand new, i think you can still get a rebate. use it in full manual or full auto, it has sophisticated electronics and sensors simalar if not idendicle the F100, then others mentioned. sure it doesn't have the pro level build, but thats why its such a great deal, all the workings of the pro camera without the cost, there are plenty of non-nikon built lenses and the camera is still being produced today. in time you will probably go for a better build, but if you learning, you'll treat the camera like a baby. to the pros a camera is a tool,(how much abuse can it take, dropping it, or raining on it) when your learning, you'll treat a camera much better then the pros. go for N80..

[david_kelly1]

Forgot to add: According to the Nikon USA tech rep I just spoke to, Jim Gifford is mistaken: AF-S lenses do indeed

autofocus on the N90s body.................

[mark_korabo]

In response to Jim Gifford, my AFS lenses work great on my F90 X body the international equivelant to the N90 S

[craig_bridge]

If you want an AF body from the list you gave, forget the N80 and go with the N90 if you are considering using older Nikkor lenses; however, if you are interested in the VR lenses, you want the N80. The F100 that I use combines most of the best of both of these with a better AF system but is out of your price range. If you end up doing sports, you are likely to outgrow the AF speed of the N80 and N90.

 

If you want a MF body, either the FM3a (supports TTL flash) or the FM2n are good choices. As long as you don't want an AF body, you are not likely to outgrow either of these. I'm still using a 1978 FE and would replace it with an FM3a if it broke.

 

Cameras are tools. Of the bodies you listed, each one is better at somethings than all the others. Without knowing what kinds of photography you are interested in (or will become interested in), it is tough picking the best tool to fit your style.

[jim_gifford]

Hmmm, okay, evidently I am absolutely wrong about AF-S lenses on N90s bodies. Sorry for misguiding you!

 

I do actually have and use an N90s, but obviously enough I haven't any AF-S lenses. Not sure how I became so misinformed, but I'm glad others have set the record straight.

 

Have fun,

[scott_warn]

Ok, you are on a budget and just starting out. This means that you will be buying lenses on the cheap on eek-bay, a great source for inexpensive glass. This also means that the cheap lenses will be OLDER lenses.

 

Becuase of this I recomend that you avoid the N80 like the plague. It will not except older manual focus Nikkors, has a dim porroprism to keep weight and cost down, does not work very conveniently in manual exposure mode, and the build quality is CHEAP.

 

Go for the FM3a, FM2a, FA, F3, F2, or Nikkormat series cameras. The most durable of these cameras is the F2, it is an all manual tank. The Nikkormats are also tanks but may have problems with the built in meter. The Nikkormat Ftn and earlier used a banned mercury battery and all can suffer from ring resistor problems. Getting a 75.00 Nikkormat and a 50.00 Gossen hand held meter can really stretch your budget. The FM series cameras are all excellent but I do see more parts FM's than parts Nikkormats, maybe because Nikon made more FM's. The F3 and FA are great cameras but they are a bit prone to electronic failures, as is the Nikkormat EL.

 

If you want an AF camera then I would recomend the N90s, it will except any AI specification Nikkor as well as the newer AF and AFS lenses (it will even except the dreaded, junk, G series lenses). AF lenses will cost more than the older manual focus versions and this will cut into your budget. One problem to be aware with all AF cameras is that they are intended to be used as AF cameras. The focusing screens used are of a finer texture than what would be chosen for a manual focus camera. This make the screen brighter, it also makes the screen more difficult to use for focusing manually.

 

Your classes will initially stress the use of any camera you choose in full manual mode. You will also be shooting in B&W and developing your own film. You can decide whether to buy an expensive camera that will impress your classmates with its bells and whistles and be limited to only 1 lens. Or, you can decide to pick an older full manual/manual camera cheaply, and spend the balance of your funds on lenses. That will allow you to impress your classmates with your pictures.

 

30 years ago when I started out in college I had a very cheap kit. It was a beat up, ex press corps, 25.00 Nikkormat FS (the version with no built in meter), a 15.00 used light meter, a 25.00 used 100mm f2.8 Vivitar, a 35.00 used 28mm f2.8 Lentar, and a 75.00 used 50mm f1.4 Nikkor. Grand total for this kit was 175.00 and I got many great pictures with it. The 100mm Vivitar was a real bargain, my professor could not believe how sharp it was and when we compared it to his 105mm f2.8 Nikkor, the Vivitar was sharper!! The other plus is that 30 years later I still have most of this kit and the shutter on the Nikkormat is still fairly accurate (1/1000 is actually more like 1/700).

 

You can probably come close to duplicating this kit by carefully shopping on eek-bay. I recently picked up another Nikkormat FS in much much prettier condition with a 50mm f1.4 Nikkor for 75.00. I would recomend that if you have not shopped there before, have an experienced friend give you guidance on checking feedback and don't be tempted by an outrageous deal, if it sounds too good to be true it probably is. Look for sellers with a past history of selling camera gear, if all they ever sold is golf balls watch out, it may be a hijacked identity. Shop carefully and your 500.00 can probably get you a body and lenses from 28mm to 200mm, they may not be pretty but the photos don't care. Avoid zooms, they are more expensive and only the very expensive zooms enlarge well. Cheap (under 75.00) and very useful Nikkors are the 28mm f3.5 and f2.8, 35mm f2.8, 50mm f2, 135mm f3.5 and the 200mm f4. The 105mm f2.8 Nikkor is pricey, if you really want a 100mm look for an older Vivitar (pre AI - have it converted if you need AI), they were quite good. Also a bit pricey are the 85mm Nikkors, you will have to shop very carefully to find a bargain 85.

 

 

 

 

 

[david_kelly1]

Unlike Scott I've found little difference in the used prices of equivalent condition AF and AI or AIS MF lenses from

reputable dealers like KEH.com. And I think it's a very bad ideato go out and buy a whole suite of lenses right off the

bat. Much better to shoot with just a 50 for several months, until you'e learned it thoroughly, then add others lenses one

at a time, slowly: maybe a 24, then an 85or 105 and so forth, taking plenty of time to learn what each can do before you

add the next. The extreme focal lengths cost the most and get the least use, but are easily rented, a big advatage of going

with Nikon......

[dan_andrews]

Maia--

 

I've used all the cameras here except the FM3A, and I think the photographers above have just about covered all the advantages to each body, but I thought I might add a few thoughts.

 

First, the FM2n is easily dismissed because the FM3a has repalced it in Nikon's lineup, and the FM3a has a few added features which any photographer would use. That said, there is one reason you MIGHT want to get one--price. You can find a like-new FM2n on the used market for a lot less than the FM3a. If possible, try to play with both of them a bit and see which one you like.

 

Second, if you consider the N80 and N90, also try to factor in the cost of a battery grip. I find that both bodies are more enjoyable with the battery grip attached. For the N80, the grip adds no functionality except the use of AA batetries (the body alone takes CR123A cells which are hard to find sometimes, and pricey). For the N90 and N90s, the battery grip also adds a vertical shutter-release button, which makes composing vertical shots much easier.

 

If you go with the N80 or N90, get a grip (ha!) because, IMHO, it will pay off down the road.

[constance_cook]

On the N90, the vertical shutter release is not functional. I agree, though about getting the base for anything you decide to buy.

 

I had an N90 for 6 years and was never really happy with it. The N90s was much better and it got rid of the annoying "beep". Yes, I know it could be turned off but it took extra time to slide the button just far enough and not too far. I sold it to a friend and she thinks the "beep" is a terrific reminder.

 

The N/F80 is really much better with a grip. I think it makes more difference on this camera than on the N90.

 

Conni

 

Conni

[scott_warn]

David - you should really look into the auctions on eek-bay. Manual focus lenses sell for far less that the AF versions and if you can live with a non-AI lens they are really cheap, I have seen a 200mm f4 Nikkor sell for under 50.00. I grant that, with a reputable dealer such as KEH or B&H you do get a warranty, you also have to pay for the carrying costs of the lens and the inspection and warranty. Prices obtained on eek-bay are set by market demand and the market for manual focus lenses is slow, that is why they sell so cheap. In addition the 28, 35, 50, 135, and 200mm Nikkors were produced in very large volumes and this has further reduced the prices on these lenses. By careful shopping, a good working example in any of these lengths can be obtained for under 50.00. I do not believe you can say the same for an AF lens equivalent. I have also found that most sellers are very honest people and have learned to sort out the suspicious ones. I have purchased over 50 items there and only have had one disappointment, I bid on a BIN item that was way too cheap and learned my lesson.

 

Some of the bargains that I have got were exceptional, that Nikkormat FS, that I paid 75.00 for, came with a 50mm f1.4 that had an official AI conversion. This camera would be rated as EX to EX+ by KEH and functions perfectly. The lens shows some wear but the glass is perfect. Add a used Gossen light meter and for about 130.00 you have a complete kit for a student.

 

My point is that for a student every dime counts. Buying the latest and greatest F80 will max out the budget, probably come with a junk zoom lens, and probably be in the trash bin in 10 years. Maia should shop to get the most effective kit for learning photography, this means manual. Because the largest demand is for AF auto everything this means that buying an older manual camera can be a really inexpensive path. The other plus is that the old Nikkormats and cameras of this vintage were built like tanks and may last forever, I fully expect that in 30 years the Nikkormats will still function, I do not expect the same for todays cameras.

[ShunCheung]

When I bought my first SLR to learn photography some 30 years ago, it was an all manual Minolta SRT-101. All manual was the only choice back then. Today in 2003, I would say a DSLR is a much better tool to learn photography. Digital gives you instant feedback so that you know what you are doing wrong immediately. Moreover, the time stamp, exposure record, lens used, ISO, etc. etc. are all automatically recorded electronically along with the image. Those are very useful information for a beginner. Just make sure you get a DSLR that lets you switch off auto-everything so that you can control things manually.

 

The main problem is that DSLRs are still way over the $500 budget. Maybe in a couple of years ....

[david_h._hartman]

Maia,

 

Just turn the order of your question around and the priorities lined up nicely. FM3a, FM2n or N90s and last and least the N80.

 

The FM3a is the best value. It will last the longest because parts and repair will be available longer. It provides all the essentials of the FM2n plus a match needle and flag meter system that is easier to use much of the time. It has TTL flash which allows you to keep your attention on the subject and selection of aperture without having to adjust your auto-flash to match the lens and it gives aperture preferred auto exposure which can be use or ignored as you please.

 

The FM2n is a great little camera but lacks TTL flash. I�m not bragging or complaining but when I was saving for my first SLR, a Nikkormat FTn, I wore cardboard in my worn out shoes for a few weeks. Trim the budget somewhere else if at all possible and get a better camera. I own FE2(s) from which the FM3a is a direct descendant and a couple of FM2n(s) for the shear joy of owning a camera that does not require a battery. You can have both in one camera.

 

The N90s is well regarded but parts will be a problem soon so it could be a shorter term investment depending on luck. Nikon unfortunately doesn�t care about customers or cameras for very many years after the original sale nor do most of the others.

 

The N80 is made of plastic. I know someone is going to protest that it�s made of fiber reinforced polycarbonate. Right, it�s made of plastic and that�s what the camera repair people I know call it although they often add a few expletives.

 

I�ve never had a Nikon camera scratch my film but I keep hearing complaints of N80(s) scratching film. Even if the cameras wasn�t too small for my hands and too light for my taste I wouldn�t buy the camera for this reason alone. I also would not buy an SLR that does not run on AA cells (or my thumb) so I�d have to add the MB-16 battery pack grip for another $70.00. By the end of the first year if you add the price of the MB-16 and batteries the N80 will cost more than the FM3a.

 

Well I�m opinionated and I ramble but I hope something here helps.

 

All the best,

[lukep]

Having never used f80 Ý cant really comment. Ý used FM2s for a long time and rate them extremely hýghly for quality and dependability. What they lack in sophistication has largely been made up for by the FM3A. However the FM3A does not seem to have the same build quality of the FM2. I recently bought an F90x (N90S) and although its a lovely camera to use I was dýsappointed to find you cant exploýt matrix meterýng, S or P modes with AÝ or AÝS lenses, something Ý didnt realse when Ý bought it. Ý also own an FA and this has the advantage of matrix metering with all lenses. Ýn your situation I would probably go for the FM3A. Im very tempted myself - who needs autofocus anyway?...

[lachaine]

If you plan on staying with it, at some point, you will most certainly find it useful to have a camera that has similar auto features as the top of the line pro bodies in terms of multiple autofocus modes, metering modes and a true spotmeter. These are far from idiot features, as you have to know how to use them. They sometimes allow you to take photos that would otherwise be almost impossible to accomplish on a manual camera. Working pros use F5's and F100's for good reason, not just for the metal body. The only camera on your list that will give you that, plus full-featured manual controls is the F80. If it interests you, try it for yourself before listening to plastic haters who have never tried one (it's the basis for Nikon's D100 digital body too, so it can't be that flimsy). It's quite solid, not compared to the F5, F100 and older cameras, but, trust me, much more solidly built than most cameras with a plastic body. The FM3a is nice, but obviously, only as a manual focus camera. Also, the viewfinder leaves a little to be desired for such a pricey camera - small, low eyepoint. As for the F90, well, the F80 pretty much makes the F90 obsolete.

[chuck_greene]

Maia,

 

If you get a reliable autofocus auto-exposure camera with manual overide you can always turn the bells and whistles off and manually focus and manually set the exposure. And autofocus and auto-exposure can be life savers when you are shooting action or the light is changing too rapidly for you to fiddle around taking meter readings. Keep your options open.

 

Out of the cameras on your list IMO an N90s (not an N90) is the best choice for your needs-photo school. You want something very durable and reliable that you can use to shoot professionally with after you graduate. If you just wanted a camera to learn on and weren't going to use it day in and day out I'd probably say get an N80.

 

The N90s will function perfectly with both autofocus and manual lenses. There are a lot of great manual focus Nikkor lenses out there and many are relatively cheap, something to think about on a student budget. The N80 doesn't meter with MF lenses and the flash sync speed is only 1/125. The FM2n/FM3A can't autofocus or do auto exposure. For ruggedness the N90s and FM2n/FM3A beat the N80.

 

I own an N90s, FM2n, N65 (wife's), and have used F5s and a D1 quite a bit, and the F100 a little. I have not used the N80 although I am thinking about one for a lightweight AF backup camera. If you wear glasses I would avoid the FM2n as a primary camera.

[pete_su]

My only beef with the N80 is the viewfinder. It's sort of cramped and small. Still, it's usable.

 

But, compared to the FM3a or F100, it's distinctly not as nice to use.

 

For school, the N90s or FM3a might have the advantage that you can buy super cheap manual focus lenses used.

[eva_harun]

Hi Maia,

From your posting it is clear to me that you may want to experiment with photography. I would think that you will have more flexibility with the N80. I have an FM2n. The FM2n is very fun to use. It's a pretty 'dumb' camera that makes me think everytime before I press the button. You can do much with it. However it misses some feature that I want to have. The N80 offers a lot on features that FM2n and FM3a do not. Namely : 1) Spot metering 2) Rear Sync. Those are the main reason that I eventually bought the F80. Plus of course some other bunch of automatic this and that, that I 'sometimes' may want to use when lazy : point and shoot mode (when I set myself to be an idiot), built in flash (useful for fill), autofocus (useful when my left hand is holding an ice cream cone and at the same time my other hand has the urge to shoot my daughter... ). The good thing is: I can set this N80 to total manual. Manual everything; manual exposure, manual focus, including manual setting film rating. Some other says that F80 is not built as professional body. But I guess if I handle it with care, I will keep this unprofesionnal body works at least for 5 to 10 years to come. You can't go wrong with a N80 and 50mm f1.8D. Hope it helps.

[david_h._hartman]

<em>"plastic haters who have never tried one"<br>

</em><br>

First I have tired them and dont like them and second I dont hate plastic. I buy lots of things in plastic like milk, soda, juice, everything is packaged in plastic; even my Elph Jr. is plastic.<br>

<br>

One of my best friends who has been repairing cameras for about 20 years calls them "N-Crap," the whole line of plastic Nikons. Thats his name not mine. Perhaps he is a little more prejudiced than I because plastic cameras have cut into his livelihood. People tend to throw away plastic cameras rather than have them repaired.<br>

<br>

The worst feature on the N80 is one of the most important, its viewfinder. The N80 has a mirror prism not an optical glass prism. "When you have the viewing screen out you can stick a Q-Tip right up inside there." All the members of the FM/FE family have optical glass prisms.<br>

<br>

"One industry insider let it slip to me that most camera purchasers aren't aware that their cheap SLRs have poor viewfinders simply because most camera purchasers have never seen a good one! Yeow." -- Mike Johnston<br>

<br>

<a href="http://www.photo.net/mjohnston/column6/" target="_new"><u>SLRs

Part Two: Finding the View</u></a><br>

<br>

<em>"It's quite solid"<br>

</em><br>

Oh Please! A plastic camera with a plastic latch on its plastic back. Just like the N65, the latches on the N80(s) break and "they are always on back order." "The N65 backs were out of stock for 2 months." If you repaired cameras and a customer called you for the fifth time, wouldnt you just love saying, "Im sorry the backs are still on back order?"<br>

<br>

There is only one reason to build a camera with a plastic mirror box, they are cheap and easy to build. The profit margin is good and they are easier to sell and in greater quantity than more expensive quality products. The N80 is a cash cow. Its a consumer camera meant for a short life of light use. The design indicates purpose, read the product not the adverting.

[lukep]

OMG, you have opened such a can of worms!

I want to clarify some errors people have said:-

The F90X does not work fully wýth manual lenses. You will lose matrix metering and P and A modes. Ýf that doesnt bother you fine.

As you know the FM3A DOES offer you auto exposure.

[eva_harun]

Some people really need robust camera like F4 and F5 and F6. Some other people don't. Each type are made to serve different expectation. I thank God N80, N65, Elan II, Rebel Ti, etc are in the market. It is good that Nikon and Canon build them so that we are not forced to buy 1v, 3, F5, F100 and the like.

<br><br>

BTW Maia, have you decided on what you are going to buy ?

<br><br>

Cheers

[roto]

I know I'm a bit late, but I would anyway like to provide my humble input. I must say in advance that I have an F80 (N80 in the States), I used to have an F801s, and had several chances to use both the F100 and the F90 (both belongs to friends). Unfortunately, I do not have any experience with the FM3a.

 

<P>IMHO, you could be quite happy with an F80. The only limitation I see (but more about it below) is that it can't meter with manual lenses, but I find it a minor problem, unless you already own several manual Nikkors, which I assume you don't. On the other hand, you have a modern camera which can make use of all the latest features of Nikkor lenses, and provides more functionality that the others you mentioned in your post (and therefore more room for experimentation). The FM3a, for example, misses spot metering, which I find extremely useful in landscape and macro photography.

 

<P>Last but not least, if I'm not wrong, the F80 is the least expensive camera in your list. That is usually important for a student.

 

<P>I would also suggest that you take a look here:

 

<P><a href="http://www.photo.net/nikon/n80">http://www.photo.net/nikon/n80</a>

<BR><a href="http://www.bythom.com/n80.htm">http://www.bythom.com/n80.htm</a>

<BR><a href="http://www.kenrockwell.com/nikon/n80.htm">http://www.kenrockwell.com/nikon/n80.htm</a>

 

<P>Now, let me dispute a few of the points made against this camera:

 

<P><i>It's a plastic camera, therefore it's crap.</i>

 

<P>Let's put it this way: take a F5, an F80 and an FM3a, drop them from 5 feet. Are they F5 and FM3a going to survive the drop because they are built out of metal? I don't think so.

 

<P>Usually people tend to take reasonable care of their cameras, and the F80 is perfectly able to withstand some beating when it happens. I took pictures with my F80 in the rainforest, during a safari in Kenia, in the rain, on the beach (lots of spray), in the Swiss mountains (well below zero) and never had a single problem. Sure, it is not as rugged and weather resistant as an F5, but I honestly doubt that the FM3a is much more weather proof than the F80 just because it weighs more.

 

<P>In one and a half year I shot several thousand frames without a single glitch with the F80.

 

<P>Finally, let's not forget that other, more blazoned cameras (i.e. Nikon D100, Kodak DCS 14n and Fuji S2 PRO) are based on the F80. It can't be that bad, can it?

 

<P><i> It doesn't run on AA batteries. </i>

 

<P>So what? If you are planning on travelling somewhere where you think you might not find CR123A batteries, you can always bring a few with you: they are small. I always have spare batteries in my backpack. Not a big deal.

 

<P><i> It doesn't meter with manual lenses. </i>

 

<P>While I find a shame that Nikon decided to implement such a limitation in the F80, I would like to remind our fellow photographers that handheld light meters are quite small and inexpensive.

 

<P>More seriously, unless you already own manual lenses, this is a moot point. In the shops I always see many second hand Nikon AF lenses at very affordable prices, sure more expensive as manual lenses, but not terribly so.

 

<P>Then (and for this I'm going to burn in hell, I know) there are other manufacturers that make fine lenses with Nikon mounts. Modern Sigma lenses tend to be quite good, for example, and they often cost less than an equivalent second hand Nikkor.