Nikon D80 or D300

tracybradbury

tracybradbury

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Hi, my old camera has been in an accident (my son, I will say no more, lol) :' (and im looking to get a new camera, having been into a local camera shop, I was impressed with the Nikon (my old camera is an Olympus) but wasnt that impressed with the Canon ( no offense meant, just preference)!

Im on a fairly limited bugdet and as I have no additional lenses from my old camera, have decided that I would like to buy a Nikon!

Im starting a course this October and am by no means an expert at all the technical aspects of taking photographs etc and am confused to whether I should buy the Nikon D80 or the D300, I know that the D300 is a far superior camera but am slightly worried that it might be above my capabilites at this present time :shrug:

For the long term , im hoping after my course that I could (fingers crossed) look at taking photographs to sell as a part time income.

Any comments or suggestions would be welcomed.

Many thanks Tracy :)
 
For me the main difference between the two is that the D300 takes great actions shots and can snap at fast shutter speeds thanks to high ISO performance, but then it's not as sharp on low ISO as the D80 so if you're taking portraits and the like then you can afford to save the cash.

It is riddled with features and gadgets and is a more comprehensive slr but then you can read reviews about that stuff. The D80 is a great camera and at around 300-350 for a second hand body in mint condition its a fair old saving you'd be making.

The D80 is easier to get your head around too I think with a better menu system. If it's to aid learning then the D80 is plenty imo. :)
 
i think if you can read and get a manual with the d300 it's easy enough to use, frankly i find the layout on my d300 makes more sense to me than the d70s and only had to consult the manual for a couple of things which made instant sense after finding out what they were.

if you've got the money i'd go for a d300 as it's a superb camera or maybe look at a d200 as they're at a reasonable price now 2nd hand if you don't mind not buying new?

if you're looking to sell then i think the d300 is going to give you more shooting options and serve you better in the long run as generally the dxxx series are built better than the dxx's

personally i'd go for a fuji s5 over a d80 but that's personal preference and they're at a good price of 450ish now
 
A D300 might be too much for you, considering it's price, and what with the D80 prices falling a fair bit now, you might be better off with a D80 until you learn a lot and can get a supposed D400 when the time is right!
 
bit harsh removing the sale post :/ dude was only trying to help out and he's got a fair amount of posts as it is

+2p
 
dotn forget the d90 is due out this month which should bridge the gap between a d80 and a d300 quite nicely (although you wont see any second hand for a while)
 
My advice (Opinions are like a certain part of your anatomy you sit on - everyone has one!!) is you go for the D80 to learn on. The D80 is a competent camera to learn on (I did D50 -> D80 -> D200 -> D300), just remember to use A,M,S & P - none of the scene modes!!!
 
Thank you so much for all the opinions and I have taken in all thats been said and am going to go for the D80, hopefully I will learn all that I can from this and in the meantime save up for the D300, for when I have more knowledge :D

Thanks again, this really is a brilliant forum :D
 
I did my 'apprenticeship' on the D80 then moved to the D300 recently. I agree with the poster that said he'd be lost if going straight to the 300. If is a far more complex camera to get your head around and I still have the odd issue.

If I were you, I'd look for a secondhand D80 with a lens or consider a new D90 when available.

Chris
 
Now for one more question :thinking:

Is is better to go for the 18-135mm lens (as in the D80 kit) I know that it has a plastic mount rather than the metal mount on the 18-70mm lens?

I thought it might be better to go for the 18-70mm and get a 70-300mm? but im not too sure :thinking:

Interested in what you all think?

Thanks again for all the help :)
 
dltracy said:
Now for one more question :thinking:

Is is better to go for the 18-135mm lens (as in the D80 kit) I know that it has a plastic mount rather than the metal mount on the 18-70mm lens?

I thought it might be better to go for the 18-70mm and get a 70-200mm? but im not too sure :thinking:

Interested in what you all think?

Thanks again for all the help :)
Click to expand...

Hi,

My advice (as I was advised when I got mine) was to get body only and then a 18-200. When you are learning and you're out and about, changing lenses can get a little tiresome, plus the IQ of the kit lenses vs the 18-200 is questionable I've heard. I personally went for the Nikkor VR version but I've heard that the Sigma equivalent is just as good.

Hope that helps.

P.S You've got a PM.
 
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