Nikon D80, 10 mp, previewed:

Nikon AF-S DX 18-135mm lens

Nikon AF-S 70-300 mm VR lens (pictured).

OK, let's start with the camera. First thing that comes to mind is that my D70 is now 2 generations behind (with no upgrade visible in my financial future too). It's not so much that i want the jump from 6.1 to 10.2 megapixels (even my current images can be enlarged in print up to 10x15" with no visible lacks). It's more that I'm a geek at heart, and I covet new toys just for their new toy-ness.

*sigh*

DP review has better detail of what this camera offers than I can ever summarise here, but I can pick out the high-points quite nicely.

• 11 point TTL auto focus (compared to 5 point on the D70s)


• ISO down to 100 (200 lower limit on the D70s)


• 'only' 1/4000 max shutter speed (1/8000 on the D70s), possibly due to the new shutter mechanism (electric vs combined mechanical/electric)


• Can act as a commander for wireless flash work.


• Slightly better continuous shooting.


• Can take multiple exposures


• 2.5" LCD (2" on the D70s, even less than that on my D70)


• A non-third party battery/vertical grip option.


• In-camera retouching - useful for those times when you want to take a quick photo, and get it processed without heading somewhere for post-processing in between.

As Nikon tend to do when releasing a new camera, they've also come out with a couple of new lenses to go along with it - an 18-135 and a 70-300. The first doesn't tempt me - I have the stock 18-70 that came bundled with my D70, and I've since supplemented that with a Sigma 12-24. However I also have a 100-300 from tamron, which (let's be honest here) just isn't that great. Sure, it does the job, but it feels shoddy, has no auto-aperture functionality, reasonably shoddy optics, and, most importantly, no Vibration Reduction/Anti-shake functionality. Of course, genuine brand-name glass is never cheap, and Nikon glass is no exception. I haven't yet got any local pricing on these, but will be watching the market...