View allAll Photos Tagged F80
Camera: Nikon F80
Lens: Sigma 24-105/4.0
Film: FujiColor 200
Filter: No
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Camera: Nikon F80
Lens : Nikkor 28-85 F3.5 -4.5
Film: Ilford HP5 + expired
Developer: Rodinal 1+75 30 min.
Negative scan
Nikon F80S
AI AF Zoom Nikkor 24-120mm F3.5-5.6D(IF)
Kodak Gold 200
Nikon D780
Nikon ES-2
Nikon AF-S Micro NIKKOR 60mm f/2.8G ED
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So this was the last mid-range 35mm film SLR aimed at the serious amateur produced by Nikon. It came out after the F100 and sits just below it in terms of specs and build quality. Back in 2002 when I got my first film SLR kit based around the F65, this was the camera I coveted but couldn't afford, so there remained some sort of an itch hidden in me, waiting for the right time to resurface. When I got the chance to pick up a 1.8/50 D lens for a really good price (in the sense that I would easily get my money back if I decided to sell it) I found myself browsing the net and the local classifieds looking for a Nikon SLR for the first time in years (my F65 was long gone, replaced by some silly digicam back in the day). Luckily, AF Nikons sell for very little money, as everyone seems to be crazy about the older, manual focus SLRs (perhaps rightly so). The F100 seemed like a bit of an overkill and a tad too expensive for someone with just one lens to play with and the F65 lacks a few functions that feel crucial now that I am less of a greenhorn, namely spot metering and user-selectable ASA setting to push / pull B&W film or use expired color negative film (which I do a lot). Restricted by a rather limited budget and after some brief research I shortlisted three cameras: The F801s, the F90x and the F80 (that old itch again). My initial choice was the F90x based on 4 factors: 1) It takes cheap AA batteries 2) You can use old manual Nikkors (of which I have none) and still get reliable CW metering, 3) It has a top speed of 1/8000s which is just great for shooting wide open under sunny conditions (summer is ahead of us) and 4) everyone on the net was raving about it. The same four factors apply for the F801s of course, but I opted for the F90x, it being a newer model.
As I waited for the F90x to arrive in the mail, the eBay app on my phone kept feeding me info on new listings based on my previous searches and when a black F80 with a buy-it-now price nearly 50% of what other F80s had sold for appeared, that old itch resurfaced in full force. The camera arrived a few days later with the all too common sticky coating problem which I got easily rid of with some skin antiseptic I found at my parents' house, a mix of isopropyl alcohol and ethyl alcohol, along the lines of what other people on the internet have been using. Other than that, the camera looks like it's never been used, a common finding with all those film cameras released just when digicams started to dominate the market, my own F65 kit was sold having shot less than 10 rolls of film.
As luck would have it, even though the F80 arrived after the F90x, I finished the roll I'd loaded in it first, so I can give a brief report on my initial impressions. The camera has two important limitations: First of all, it uses two expensive CR123 batteries, a couple of pairs will set you back almost as much as the camera itself. A second issue is that you don't get any metering with old Nikon manual lenses. The lenses mount and work, but you'll have to guess exposure or use an external meter. Getting past those two downsides and in direct comparison with the F90x, the F80 is smaller and lighter (I'm guessing at the expense of cheaper materials and miniaturized electronics), it has a much faster, more accurate, more reliable and quieter AF system (I only use the central sensor to focus just like the single-sensor AF system of the F90) the shutter and film advance are almost silent compared to the older camera and you get multiple exposure and exposure bracketing capabilities which the F90x lacked, unless you got the optional MF26 data back (which mine has). The F80 offers lots of customization (a total of at least a dozen parameters can be customized according to the user's preferences like AF assist lamp on/off, exposure and/or AF lock upon half-pressing the shutter button, slower -hence more silent- film rewind and the famous optional grid lines in the VF to aid with level compositions and architecture, but sadly not the option to keep the film leader out after rewind). The shutter speed is limited to a top 1/4000s, so a tad slower than the F90, the viewfinder is a bit smaller but still better than most modern DSLRs and the F90 is capable of a slightly faster burst rate, but that's irrelevant for my needs.
Comparing the two cameras is not fair, as they were probably built with different target groups in mind and a whole decade of technological advance standing between them plus the direct descendant of the F90 is the F100, but given the price similarity on the used market many people will probably oscillate between the two when looking for a well-spec'd AF Nikon film SLR. From a user standpoint, I find the F80 is more convenient due to the smaller size and weight plus its faster and more reliable AF, but the F90 feels more substantial and carries a "feel factor" that the newer camera doesn't, offering a rather unique mix of modern features that make a photographer's life easier, with a subtle air of vintage equipment as its design is almost 25 years old. I for my part, will definitely try to acquire a F801s soon to see if the smaller size and slimmer body over the F90 can make a difference.
Nikon F80 with either 18-35mm AFD, 24-85 mm AFS or 80-400mm AFD-VR lens (those are Nikon lenses I had at the time), Film is either Fuji Velvia 100 or Provia 100.
Some write up on Adam's Peak from Wiki.