Yes or no? D80 question.

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Ian T

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Ok, I've been using a D50 for about 14 months now. I've taken more than 50,000 frames with it now and it's been an excellent piece of kit. It's getting a bit tatty now, but seems to work fine.

My problem is this. At some point I want to upgrade to a D80, but I don't want to wait until the D50 wears out. I'd like to keep it as a backup/second body, or for 'grubby' shoots where it might get a bit battered. Would now be a good time to upgrade, or does the D50 have lots of life left in it?

My reasons for wanting to upgrade are for better camera functions, hopefully better image quality and resolution, and because I can afford one right now, but might not be able to justify it at a later date.
 
yes , yes and yes :D

i did the same as you starting with a D50 then moved to a D 80, best thing i ever did, the difference in picture quality is amazing.

i dare say your D 50 has lots of life left in it but a new D 80 will have more.
 
I would say your D50 doesn't have much life left in it, i believe the shutter life is 50,000-75,000. And with the soon release of the D300, D200 prices should become lower. And by the sounds of your first post, you could do with the metal body, and the weather protection of the D200.
 
alexisonfire said:
I would say your D50 doesn't have much life left in it, i believe the shutter life is 50,000-75,000.
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I don't believe Nikon have released information on that. The D200 was tested to 100,000 but no specific information from Nikon exists
 
Ross said:
I don't believe Nikon have released information on that. The D200 was tested to 100,000 but no specific information from Nikon exists
Click to expand...

The nikon D50 has been out long enough for this to be tested by the public. And iirc the general consensus was 50k-75k.
 
Thanks for the comments. I should also mention that now and then the D50 shutter seems to jam shut, and the display flashes 'Err'. Pressing the shutter button again usually sorts it out.
 
My 10D failed after around 50,000. It was £200 to get a new shutter. My 30D failed under warrenty. It took 5 shots, error. Out came the batteries, 5 shots, error, etc. I'd say get the D80 before the D50 dies.
 
Depending on whether you need to have a camera available at a moments notice, you could always drive the D50 into the ground and wait for the D200 to come down in price once the D300 becomes more widely available.
 
Or you could buy the D80 and have your D50 converted to Infrared. That way you could have the best of two worlds.
 
I was in exactly the same position as you not so long ago.

The D80 is very much worth the extra ££s. As much as I loved my D50, it's a different world! OK, you could spend the extra money on lenses, but if the D50 isn't far from it's shelf life, as well; upgrade! :thumbs:
 
I've got all the lenses I need for now (10-20, 18-70, 70-300, 50).

I think I might have a play with one in Jessops and see if it convinces me!! Thanks again for all the comments/persuasion!!
 
I can only repeat what has been said, if you can afford and justify it now, do so, before the D50 gets even wearier. Also, having a back up/extra body can be very useful. I started with a D70s and then added a D200, but still use both, as it means much more infrequent lens changes, especially when out and about and more chance of having a camera with the right lens for the right shot when those opportune moments appear [and disappear while you are piddling changing the lens] ;)
 
Get the D80. It's a great camera. I had one until a few weeks back and loved it. Only bought my D200 cos I got a good deal on it...
 
id go d200 all day if.... you can afford it
the d50 to the d80 isnt a massive upgrade
 
I purchased a d80 about a year ago, mainly because I wanted 2 bodies to go with me on a safari trip to kenya, I used both my d70 and d80 and it was a worth wile purchase , I was able to run both bodies with lenses to cover most shots, If you can a second body is great as a backup.
My choice now funds permitting would be the d300 though and keep your d50 as backup.

Deano
 
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