Nikon D80 or New D3100

sherbs79

sherbs79

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Hi Guys

My friend and I are looking to get serious on the photography side of things and sign up for a course in Glasgow (any suggestions welcome). I bought a second hand D80 a while back and have been adding some kit when I can afford it (tripod,lens,bags etc etc). My friend is now looking to do the same but has been to the local Jessop's store where he has seen a D3100 and is thinking of buying it! We originally thought that if we both got a second hand D80 then we could use each others lenses and equipment if needed and then once we got to a certain level maybe splash out on a new model. Is the D3100 a decent enough beginners unit and would it work with my D80 lenses?, I've told him he would be better of buying second hand until he knows exactly what he wants and what he wants to shoot

Thanks in advance for your help

Sherbs
 
Hi
Not all lens auto focus with the d3100. I would say look for a used d90.

I had a D80 and upgraded to a D90 due to noise in lowlight.
 
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D90 every time. My D80 over-exposed for a pastime and nearly put me off digital photography. The D3100 is a good camera but the viewfinder isn't as good as the D80/90, it lacks some manual controls and, as Kev says, it doesn't have the on-board focussing motor so won't focus with AF-D lenses.

If you have access to the sales section there are usually a couple of used D90s on offer at good prices.
 
i was looking at a D80 a few years ago & was turned away by all the concerns over its metering, i went for a D200 which seemed to meter very consistantly :)
the Mrs went for a D90 which was actually a brilliant camera which is excellent value at used prices nowadays ;)
 
Well, I bought a really nice D80 and 18-55 lens off here for around £120 last year for my daughter , feels better to me than my wife's D3200. And of course you can use d lenes. A 50mm f1.4d recently sold on here for £120??
So my vote for a beginner goes to the d80
 
I'd go for the D3100 every time of those two now. The d80 is great but the d3100 beats it now in terms of noise, focus and AWB. I know 'D' lens have been mentioned, and you do lose AF. But if you must use one you can still manually focus and it'll AF with every Nikon lens released since 1995. Just about all of the AF-D lenses have now been superseded anyway. Those that haven't are fairly specialist and I'd bet my mortgage you wouldn't be asking this question if you were thinking that way
 
Thegreatroberto said:
Well, I bought a really nice D80 and 18-55 lens off here for around £120 last year for my daughter , feels better to me than my wife's D3200. So my vote for a beginner goes to the d80
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You need to expand on what "feels better" to the OP - it's quite a subjective statement. Controls? Viewfinder? The grip rubber? Certainly one's shoulder will "feel better" after carrying the D3xxx cameras for a whole day rather than the D80. Another area where the D3100/D3200 will "feel better" is when looking at the files. They're a couple of generations newer and have higher performance in every measurable way.

Thegreatroberto said:
And of course you can use d lenes. A 50mm f1.4d recently sold on here for £120??
Click to expand...

As I never tire of saying, the legacy 50mms are normal lenses for film cameras. The normal lens for APS-C cameras is the 35mm f/1.8, which sells used for £100. And will of course autofocus on the D3xxx and D5xxx cameras. Indeed the holy trinity of lenses - the set required for pretty much any shooting, let's say Sigma 10-20mm, Nikon 35mm f/1.8, Nikon 55-200mm, are all AF-S. Not sure where a legacy 75mm equivalent fits in.

To the OP - if your friend can stretch to the D3200 he'll be set, I don't think he'll ever need better image quality. Having said that, unless he's got the processing firepower to deal with those massive 24MP raws, maybe the D3100 is the better choice after all, and a bargain at £230 for the body.
 
If you go for the D80 just dial in exposure compensation of about -2/3 of a stop in the menu and forget about it :)
It's a great camera.
 
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kendo1 said:
If you go for the D80 just dial in exposure compensation of about -2/3 of a stop in the menu and forget about it :)
It's a great camera.
Click to expand...

Its what I did with mine, dynamic range wasn't a strong point, the D90 moves this on, but it sat so much better in the hand than a D0000 series camera and had controls for aperature/shutter on same different wheels, so it was used more than my D90 sensored D5000.

OT I've upgraded to a D610 and D800 so am going to be parting with both. OP, PM me if you are interested in either. I am Glasgow based and cannae hack having to post stuff, let me know if interested. I have a Sigma 10-20 needing sold too
 
Thanks Guys for all the info, really appreciate it!

Steve - I will keep that in mind although Ive just sank over £1400 for a nice shiny new iMac to hopefully keep the interest in photography going so funds are a little on the low side!! I know how you feel about the old postage saga, let me know before you sell anything anyway, Im in the market for a good landscapes lens but was looking at the Tokina!

Sherbs
 
I was actually looking at software the other day, would you say Aperature is better that Photoshop,Elements etc??
 
ST4 said:
Sink a further £60 to get Aperature 3 ;)
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Don't do that, get Lightroom instead, much more useful.

As for the original question, I would go for the 3100, or a D90 if you can stretch.k The D80 really is rather old...
 
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