I love it - the Nikon N80

Moose22 · Jan 27, 2023

Huss said:
This has worked really well for me:

11 oz. QD Electronic Cleaner

www.homedepot.com

re,that flaky meter switch, it could also be due to wear n tear. I’ve had similar behaviour in my F100 that I used to have. It took a bit of fiddling for the meter pattern to match the switch position.

My f100 is fiddly like that, too. No replacement switch, so you can't repair it. Another known problem with F100s from what I read when I got mine.

I have CRC here, maybe I'll give it a go on the F100!

Huss · Jan 27, 2023

Moose22 said:
My f100 is fiddly like that, too. No replacement switch, so you can't repair it. Another known problem with F100s from what I read when I got mine.

I have CRC here, maybe I'll give it a go on the F100!

Yeah it got to the point where I’d just leave it in center weight metering pattern and not touch it. It’s the same thing with the focus selector pad on the back. I’ve seen them broken on F100, F80 etc so I just leave it on the center patch, and lock the selector switch.

The exposure pattern switch on the F6 feels way more precise and solid, which is to be expected given the price point.

Moose22 · Jan 27, 2023

I got one. I whined about the sticky and the switch and he seemed willing to give it away. We made a trade for some useless crap I had laying around that might be worth $30 on ebay. Maybe.

He threw in a really darned nice canvas and suede strap he had no use for, which probably cost $40 at retail. Weird world when the strap is more expensive than the camera. And I got the fancy QD model!

Just put batteries in and it works. I cycled the switch about 10 times and now the matrix metering comes on just fine. Sticky took about 15 minutes to not be sticky, and the super dim viewfinder was actually nice and bright after cleaning the mirror.

AF seemed slow until I realized I've been using the F4, which spins that AF screw so fast I expect the camera to twist in my hand like revving a V8 in a 60s muscle car. It's perfectly serviceable and seems nice and accurate.

Size is comparable to my Zs, which are way smaller than F4 or F100, but not too small. Honestly, it handles like my D70 (which is a good thing, I carried that D70 everywhere for 7 years). And it has a built in flash! So no hauling a flash gun for fill lights.

I looked for it on a lark, just to join in with this thread's silliness, but it sure does have the right feature set. Almost all the things I use, very few things I don't, so there's no clutter on the dials. It's one main benefit over the wonderful bargain of the N75 is the manual ISO so I can use any can for my bulk loaded film.

Huss · Jan 27, 2023

Moose22 said:
..

I looked for it on a lark, just to join in with this thread's silliness, but it sure does have the right feature set. Almost all the things I use, very few things I don't, so there's no clutter on the dials. It's one main benefit over the wonderful bargain of the N75 is the manual ISO so I can use any can for my bulk loaded film.

It does have exactly the right feature set. When I use it, not for one moment do I think 'if only it had..'

Huss · Jan 28, 2023

My $19.80 N80 showed up today. This was the stickiest body I’ve seen! Fluff, junk, debris, drift wood, flotsam AND jetsam was stuck to it. Gross! 20 mins w paper towels and isopropyl alcohol and it was transformed!
And of course, being a Nikon, it works perfectly.

Here’s my pro tip/hot take. If you are looking to get one on ebay, look for the cheapest ones there are that DO NOT HAVE BROKEN DOORS! What they will have, because they are the cheapest ones, is a disgusting sticky finish. But that is perfect! As no-one else will touch it, the seller won’t even bother checking to see if it works, and you will get a steal! 15 - 20 minutes w the alcohol and some rags, and you are set.

Huss · Jan 28, 2023

Moose22 said:
Just put batteries in and it works. I cycled the switch about 10 times and now the matrix metering comes on just fine. Sticky took about 15 minutes to not be sticky, and the super dim viewfinder was actually nice and bright after cleaning the mirror.

The vf is super dim until you put batteries in it. It is because there is an LCD membrane on the screen.

Moose22 · Jan 28, 2023

nah, man, not that. It was dimmer than expected AFTER the batteries were in. There had been no lens on and I think it sat for years. The first swab was kind of gross. Not hard to get clean, but it had that thin sheen of whatever it is that things get when they sit on a shelf untouched forever.

Huss · Jan 28, 2023

Moose22 said:
nah, man, not that. It was dimmer than expected AFTER the batteries were in. There had been no lens on and I think it sat for years. The first swab was kind of gross. Not hard to get clean, but it had that thin sheen of whatever it is that things get when they sit on a shelf untouched forever.

How did u clean it?

Patrick Robert James · Jan 28, 2023

I'd say the only thing negative off the top of my head is the focusing speed, but I am used to Canon. The N80 has just about anything you could use in a camera. I even like the way multiple exposures are handled. The sticky was a pain to get off, but it came off no real problem. My camera looks pretty much brand new inside. I'd think that most of them look this way since they probably didn't get much use at all with digital taking over. For people just getting into film photography it is a no brainer. Pretty much all the last gen film cameras are a no brainer though. I imagine the competitor to the N80, the Canon Elan 7n, would be the same, although those are much more expensive I think.

Huss · Jan 28, 2023

Patrick Robert James said:
I'd say the only thing negative off the top of my head is the focusing speed, but I am used to Canon. The N80 has just about anything you could use in a camera. I even like the way multiple exposures are handled. The sticky was a pain to get off, but it came off no real problem. My camera looks pretty much brand new inside. I'd think that most of them look this way since they probably didn't get much use at all with digital taking over. For people just getting into film photography it is a no brainer. Pretty much all the last gen film cameras are a no brainer though. I imagine the competitor to the N80, the Canon Elan 7n, would be the same, although those are much more expensive I think.

Which lenses are you using? I don’t have issues w AF speed w my primes. I think the G lenses focus a wee bit quicker, but honestly all my primes nail focus in an instant. One thing that is noticeable is the Sigma Art lenses. Those behemoths hit focus as quick as anything I’ve seen! But the size is goofy so I save those for the F6.

As I mentioned, buyers should use the sticky to their advantage and not tell the seller how easy it is to fix!

Huss · Jan 28, 2023

One of these cameras cost $50. The other two cost $40 total (lens not included)

Moose22 · Jan 28, 2023

Huss said:
How did u clean it?

Sensor swab and a couple of drops of cleaning fluid. I had a kit from way back when for the DX cameras I don't have anymore, I use different swabs on the Zs, so I often cannibalize the old swabs as they're excellent tiny dust-free cloths. Perfect for gently cleaning a mirror.

Then I used some isopropyl on the plastic bits around the outside in there and a pec pad to finish it up. 5 minute job. It was mostly dust, but a touch oily is all. Nothing fungussy or bad. The guts in the film transport look brand new. I'm guessing the camera ran a few rolls of film then sat on a shelf.

@Patrick Robert James you're comparing apples to fords. I'm using AF-D lenses and G lenses. The Gs have internal motors and are likely as close to the equal comparison to Canon's lenses as you'll get, and they might be a touch slower than a canon. But it feels more equivalent because it's internally driven and quieter.

I shot a roll last night, some with a 28mm G lens, and the N80 isn't the fastest focusing camera, but it's not slow. The rest was with an 85 af-D and I tested the camera with a 35mm af-d. They are definitely slower than when used the last camera I had out, an F4. But not enough that it mattered for street photography.

These Ds use a screw and are driven by a motor in the camera body, totally unlike Canon's lenses. That's why they're so small and light and inexpensive, but also why they move about and clunk into place. That motor IS slower than professional cameras on the N80. But pro cameras also use a lot more battery to be able to drive the screw so darned fast and this is just two CR123s and a light weight camera. And the comparison from a D lens to an internal motor Canon isn't apt.

Anyway, the only Canon camera I've used recently was a Rebel G that I cleaned up for a friend. It's roughly the equivalent -- simple feature set, comparable to an N75, even came with a 35-80 zoom lens -- and it wasn't faster enough to notice.

Also, if you're thinking of the pro-sumer and professional Canons, those things were LIGHTNING fast focusers at the end of the film era. Like sports photography oriented fast even in the mid level. Really good software and interesting feature sets, too. I'm betting that Rebel G would have felt slow to you compared to them.

ic-racer · Jan 28, 2023

Even twelve years ago the N80 was identified on the internet as a great camera at a bargain price. And prices kept coming down.

The User’s Review: Nikon N80 (N80 QD, F80, F80D and F80S) released in 2000

You might read other reviews on this camera somewhere because it's one of the best film slr cameras. For beginners of film shooting, you sho...

mailch.blogspot.com

ic-racer · Jan 28, 2023

Huss said:
That nicely dampened shutter/mirror action is really noticeable as a step up from the N75.

Original price $180 (N75) vs $340 (N80). Yes, nearly double the price, I suspect the innards are made better (but I have not opened mine up to see). But in N75 favor, it's two extra years of development made the consumer camera a contender with the lowest price pro camera (N80).

Huss · Jan 28, 2023

ic-racer said:
Original price $180 (N75) vs $340 (N80). Yes, nearly double the price, I suspect the innards are made better (but I have not opened mine up to see). But in N75 favor, it's two extra years of development made the consumer camera a contender with the lowest price pro camera (N80).

One thing the N75 has going for it, is it is so small and lightweight. To me the N80 is the perfect size, and I think it is light until I pick up an N75! The advnatage both have over the pro and semi pro cams is the built in flash. It just comes in so handy on occasion. I actually forgot mine has it because I am not used to such conveniences!

ic-racer · Jan 28, 2023

The other day looking through my F100 my fingers were searching on the left of the prism, trying to pop up the flash....

Huss · Jan 28, 2023

I can't stop using this camera!

N80, 50 1.8G, C200

Huss · Jan 29, 2023

With the 18-35 G

Huss · Jan 30, 2023

More N80, 18-35G, C200 action

Huss · Jan 30, 2023

N80, 35 f2D and Kentmere 400
No crop, they were inches from my face trying to steal my nachos.

Huss · Jan 30, 2023

It got worse

Huss · Jan 30, 2023

When they were done with me, they went after their next victims

skylight1b · Jan 31, 2023

Today's Instagram post from Ilford features a photographer using an N80. The post is supposed to be more about community darkrooms, but I was excited to see the N80 come up in light of this thread.

Roger Thoms · Jan 31, 2023

Huss, nice seagull photos, sounds like you had fun.

Roger

Nitroplait · Jan 31, 2023

Huss said:
The vf is super dim until you put batteries in it. It is because there is an LCD membrane on the screen.

Happy to read this.
I was gifted an F80 yesterday, without battery, and was convinced something was broken. I could barely see anything through the finder.

I'll have to order some CR123As.

I normally support my local brick-and-mortar camera shop, but their battery prices are ridiculous. €12 for one CR123A (the camera takes two). I notice I can get 10 pcs for the same price off Amazon.de.

I love it - the Nikon N80

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