Nikon N80/F80 Experience?

[Cholentpot]

Like the metal door catch on the F90x. Always was conscious of the fragility of the catch on my old F100, same for F80 I suppose. Learnt about back button focus from Mr. Cholentpot, didn't know the F80 had this facility.

I know a full time wedding photog who had no clue about back button focus and refuses to try it. I guess it's hard learning new things if the old way never failed you. I just like having more control over the idiot part of the camera.

 

[George Mann]

With the n90 / f90 you can spot meter with manual lenses which i don't think you can with other "prosumer" nikons and build quality is top draw. Mine was $40.

Yes, but only the S/X versions offer spot metering.

 

[MarkVII88]

I cannot recommend the Nikon F80 enough. I think it is the absolute best bang for the buck Nikon 35mm AF SLR out there. For about 25-30% of the price of an F100, you get about 75-80% of the performance with the F80. It's definitely more plasticky than an F100, and it doesn't have the same level of weather sealing, but the F80 has lots of pro-spec features. I've shot sports, portraits, and some wedding shots with my F80 without issue. It's got front and rear command dials, fully customizable features menu, multiple focusing points, multiple metering modes, 1/4000 max shutter speed, 1/125 flash sync, and the ability to use back-button autofocus is a tremendous advantage too. Do not sleep on the F80!

 

[Sirius Glass]

I cannot recommend the Nikon F80 enough. I think it is the absolute best bang for the buck Nikon 35mm AF SLR out there. For about 25-30% of the price of an F100, you get about 75-80% of the performance with the F80. It's definitely more plasticky than an F100, and it doesn't have the same level of weather sealing, but the F80 has lots of pro-spec features. I've shot sports, portraits, and some wedding shots with my F80 without issue. It's got front and rear command dials, fully customizable features menu, multiple focusing points, multiple metering modes, 1/4000 max shutter speed, 1/125 flash sync, and the ability to use back-button autofocus is a tremendous advantage too. Do not sleep on the F80!

Welcome to APUG Photrio!!​

 

[Helge]

I cannot recommend the Nikon F80 enough. I think it is the absolute best bang for the buck Nikon 35mm AF SLR out there. For about 25-30% of the price of an F100, you get about 75-80% of the performance with the F80. It's definitely more plasticky than an F100, and it doesn't have the same level of weather sealing, but the F80 has lots of pro-spec features. I've shot sports, portraits, and some wedding shots with my F80 without issue. It's got front and rear command dials, fully customizable features menu, multiple focusing points, multiple metering modes, 1/4000 max shutter speed, 1/125 flash sync, and the ability to use back-button autofocus is a tremendous advantage too. Do not sleep on the F80!

It’s far better than that.
F100 regularly goes for $500 or more.
N/F80 can be had for 30 to $50 easily. If people are not giving them away.
And 75-80% of the performance? Maybe, but is it performance anyone, not professional is ever going to care about, at the cost of weight, noise, battery performance and cost?
There’s the overall slightly slower focus and frame rate. There is the little worse low light metering and the slightly less coverage of the finder.
Not something most people will care much about.
IMO you are far better off with a good manual focus Nikon (or any system really) and then the F80 for AF Nikon glass.

 

[ic-racer]

These are top of the pops. Excellent cameras, I use one and it's my favorite plastic autofocus Nikon. I don't have any pro autofocus Nikons. This one is the closest. It has back button focus which to me makes it a pro body. Auto focus cameras which I cannot separate the focus from shutter go into the consumer bin.

N80, Vison3 250D, AF 75-300 (auto focus is slow as can be, used manual focus).

Yes nice shot! For action: manual focus. I see the little lever on the front of the body like the other Nikons.

 

[Cholentpot]

Yes nice shot! For action: manual focus. I see the little lever on the front of the body like the other Nikons.

Gets the job done and it's a fun camera to use.

 

[RalphLambrecht]

Looking forward to some travel in the near future. Last big trip on which I embarked I bought a camera just for the trip. I got a $25 Nikon N75. This was over ten years ago. Now the camera works great still, and I have obtained 3 others too, but I'd like something more 'metal.'
So I was thinking of getting one or two N80/F80 cameras. They seem to be still priced less than $100 each.
I'm not too keen on bringing my F6 or F100 due to their scarcity and value. I need them for my 'non-vacation' work.

N80/F80 seems like a perfect camera between the plastic N75 and the robust F100.
I have plenty of the 'kit' 28-80 lenses and I anticipate I will be using one of those on the N80/F80 body.
This is a screen shot from a recent ebay listing. Most of them on ebay look pretty clean with little use. I don't mind if they are sticky.

View attachment 299870

mine is 25 years old and still going strong. It's ideal for my one-handed use; precise AF and exposure;film loadind and rewind is a breeze.

 

[ericB&W]

I've bought a second one after the first got broken, the mirror remained up after the
shoot and was needed another shoot to have it down .
It's a small great camera, has anything , spot , do.f. button , even the grid on the screen,
the shutter has no vibration, light and silent , the only great negative point is
that there is no metering with non autofocus lenses .
Reliability with time can be an issue but with the price of an F 100 one can buy 3 F 80.

 

[Huss]

F100 regularly goes for $500 or more..

That's a very expensive F100. Even my local Leica shop is selling a perfect F100 for 'only' $350.

 

[tom williams]

I've been thinking about buying an N80, and I see that they're rated for Nikon G lenses. Can anyone confirm that Nikon gelded lenses work well with the N80? I'm concerned mainly that my Nikkor 20mm f1.8G ED will be compatible.

 

[Huss]

I've been thinking about buying an N80, and I see that they're rated for Nikon G lenses. Can anyone confirm that Nikon gelded lenses work well with the N80? I'm concerned mainly that my Nikkor 20mm f1.8G ED will be compatible.

They work. Also with some of the Sigma Art lenses.
Does not work correctly with E-aperture lenses.

 

[Helge]

That's a very expensive F100. Even my local Leica shop is selling a perfect F100 for 'only' $350.

That’s still ten times more than you can routinely get an F80 for. You could get a couple of great AF lenses for that difference.
The F100 is without doubt the second best AF film camera Nikon made.
But it’s not a knockout, and it’s not without a few actual drawbacks.

It might be a US/EU thing. Or it might be something that varies over time and with season. I can see there is some pretty affordable F100 on eBay right now that looks in good nick. But still, about 10x the price of a lucky find F/N80.

Whether that is worth it is highly individual.
I’d be very weary of the line of thought that “F100 takes most Nikon glass and it’s probably all you’ll ever need”.
It’s not optimal for MF glass. Neither metering wise, finder wise or mount wise.

 

[Sirius Glass]

The F100 is without doubt the second best AF film camera Nikon made.

 

[Helge]

The F100 is without doubt the second best AF film camera Nikon made.

Taking the bait.
Explain please. Why is the F6 worse?

 

[Sirius Glass]

Taking the bait.
Explain please. Why is the F6 worse?

Too heavy. Given a choice I would use the F6 as a doorstop and carry the Hasselblad with a prism.

 

[tom williams]

They work. Also with some of the Sigma Art lenses.
Does not work correctly with E-aperture lenses.

Danke

 

[George Mann]

The F100 is without doubt the second best AF film camera Nikon made.

I prefer the superior built quality of my F90x.

 

[AZD]

I used one for a few years, my last film camera before going digital around 2008. Took it a lot of places locally, plus Yellowstone, England, France. It was great. Always got great exposures. Pretty quiet, too. Hard to go wrong for the price.

 

[Sirius Glass]

I prefer the superior built quality of my F90x.

So between my N80 and F100, that averages out to F90, right?

 

[Helge]

I prefer the superior built quality of my F90x.

F90x is not better build. It’s the same or F6 is slightly better.

F90x looks much better though. But that is “just” because it’s nearer an, in general intellectually and aesthetically superior, more intelligent age.
Giorgetto Giugiaros design language from the F4, was still actively invoked in the F90.

 

[Huss]

The F100 is without doubt the second best AF film camera Nikon made.

Tell that to all the broken F100s out there because Nikon made the door catch out of plastic. Or the broken meter and diopter switches. Because Nikon cheapened out on those parts.
Just do a search on ebay and see the dozens of broken F100s for sale. "Perfect condition, missing camera back..."

 

[Huss]

That’s still ten times more than you can routinely get an F80 for. You could get a couple of great AF lenses for that difference.
The F100 is without doubt the second best AF film camera Nikon made.
But it’s not a knockout, and it’s not without a few actual drawbacks.

It might be a US/EU thing. Or it might be something that varies over time and with season. I can see there is some pretty affordable F100 on eBay right now that looks in good nick. But still, about 10x the price of a lucky find F/N80.

Whether that is worth it is highly individual.
I’d be very weary of the line of thought that “F100 takes most Nikon glass and it’s probably all you’ll ever need”.
It’s not optimal for MF glass. Neither metering wise, finder wise or mount wise.

Hey I agree, I'd buy a $35 F80 any day over a $300 F100. They work the same, and both share a plastic back door latch that may now break anytime due to age and use. At least the F80 is a lot cheaper.

 

[Alan Edward Klein]

I've got a plastic N6006 Nikon. Looks great. Works great after thirty years. Just don't drop it if you get plastic. (PS I;d get the n8008 over the n6006 though-better selection of lenses.)
SAmples recently shot with the N6006 and zoom lens.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/alanklein2000/albums/72157716777378896

 

[petrk]

I have both F100 and F80. Some non-G lenses focuse slowely on F80 while they snap on F100. It's hard for me to decide which one to take out. If weight is the main criterion, it will win F75 with some G-zoom. when i need Tokina ATX 28-70 / 2.8 and Nikon 80-200 / 2.8, I take F100. That's why I look at the F80 as a better and bigger F75 than comparing it to the F100.