Nikon F80

Forgive me, Nikon gods, for the cat hair which I only now see is on my camera...

Seriously though... there has been a serious lack of Nikon content on my blog. I don't really have a leaning either direction in the Canon/Nikon debate, since I use both pretty regularly. That being said, Nikon has done a lot to deserve the respect and fierce loyalty that its fans give it.

Take the F80, for example. Automatic film SLRs don't necessarily need a lot of bells and whistles. For some, all you really need is something that will be easy to use and have a good meter.

I am not a professional and was not using SLRs until the digital revolution, so I didn't follow the changes from model to model. However, I have used both manual and automatic SLRs, both heavy metal and lighter plastic camera bodies, and both Nikon and Canon SLRs of all kinds, for consumer/hobby-level photography.

The F80 compares to other cameras I've used as one of the most pleasant and easy SLRs to operate. I used it exclusively in AE/AF mode, using a Nikkor 28-80mm 1:3.3-5.6 zoom. The exposure and focus all turned out perfect every time, which of course you should expect but every camera is different. I really enjoyed taking it to Edmonton last summer because I could just hand it off to other people to take pictures and I wouldn't have to give them a 5-minute lecture on how to use it. It looks just like a DSLR and on fully auto it works like a point and shoot but one with a much better lens.

In short, for someone who wants a fairly good, but light and simple-to-use camera, the F80 is a solid choice. It would probably be disappointing for big-time pros, but for me it did what it needed to do, and  did it exceedingly well. The advantage of using an automatic SLR over a point and shoot is, of course, a wide array of beautiful Nikon glass to choose from, and you'll still have your other modes if you need more creative freedom.

Ken Rockwell reviewed the F80 (aka the N80) and has all the juice on it from when I was too young to appreciate the finer points of serious photography: please read the review here!

These were taken in Edmonton in the summer of 2012. I forget which film I used... but I will add it on here the next time I dig out the negatives.