f80 or f801s ?

I think I am one of those new types of crab, everyone is going from 35mm SLR to Digital while I am going backwards, from Digital to 35mm SLR.

I currently have a Minolta Dimage 7 5mp camera, whilst I never shot with a 35mm SLR because I was scared of the things (still am) I think I am now more comfortable with the whole idea since I am now getting consistently good results with my digital camera, another reason is that I want to do some courses who mainly teach and highly recommend 35mm over digital, so I thought I'd try my hand at the 35mm world.

Additional reasons from my point of view are.
Choice of Lenses
Quicker focusing
Bigger dynamic range on 'film'
looking at doing some Pro work

I have been looking around and the camera that seems like it has a good set of features that closely resemble that of my digital camera is a Nikon f801n (n8008s) and the f80 (n80), I can get the f801s second hand for what seems like a reasonable price considering that the thing is built like a tank and has a few years under its belt. My hesitation is the f80 (n80) which seems quicker focusing, perhaps better metering and I am no expert but the build quality of the body is not as good. Otherwise the two cameras seem fairly identical to me.

For those of you who are familiar with these cameras, would you choose an f801s over an f80 from a camera functionality and quality point of view? Or in your opinion is the f80 worth the extra few hundred dollars for a newer camera that appears to have pretty much the same features without the rugged construction of the f801?

Your opinions will be much appreciated.

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Cheers
macue

macue said:

I think I am one of those new types of crab, everyone is going from
35mm SLR to Digital while I am going backwards, from Digital to
35mm SLR.

Click to expand...

You are not alone. At least, my major work is still on slides although I took snapshots (sort of been there type) with digicams.

mario cueva said:

I currently have a Minolta Dimage 7 5mp camera, whilst I never shot
with a 35mm SLR because I was scared of the things (still am) I
think I am now more comfortable with the whole idea since I am now
getting consistently good results with my digital camera, another
reason is that I want to do some courses who mainly teach and
highly recommend 35mm over digital, so I thought I'd try my hand at
the 35mm world.

Click to expand...

Don't worry. The use of a film camera, especially a good one, is as easy as or even easier than using a digicam camera.

mario cueva said:

For those of you who are familiar with these cameras, would you
choose an f801s over an f80 from a camera functionality and quality
point of view? Or in your opinion is the f80 worth the extra few
hundred dollars for a newer camera that appears to have pretty much
the same features without the rugged construction of the f801?

Click to expand...

I will definitely choose N80 (or F80 outside of the US). The 8008 is an old and out-dated baby, while the N80 is perhaps one of the best mid-level film cameras. In terms of construction, the N80 is "plastic-like" but sturdy enough to be abused to certain degree. Because it is not all-metal, it is light. Better yet, it has almost all features you can find on a F100 and F5. If you will get 8008, you may not be able to take advantage of the new lens and metering features. Of course, N80's AF is not as fast as the F5 and F100, but definitely faster than the 8008.

CK
http://www.cs.mtu.edu/~shene/DigiCam
950/990/995/2500/4500 user guide

Hi macue !

I am shooting a lot digital these days but still have my good old F90 (N90) for slide work.

The F90 I bought as a used model approximately 8 years ago and back then I had the same choice: Go for a new, more modern model or get a used rock-solid camera.

And in my case it was the rightdecision. I took this camera almost everywhere - even under water and it never failed while some of my buddies who owned brand new Models (F50 or F70 were new back then) complained about electronic problems under certain conditions.

A friend who is semi-professional underwater photographer is using the 801 and got himself a second body as a spare. No one would be able to tell the difference between the pictures taken with his 801 or with a F80 or F100.

So, if one would ask me today: I would decide the same way again and get me a camera which might be already a few years old but proofen in quality. And invest the saved money in some top quality add-ons like a flash or a fast lens.

Unless you need some of the new features in the new models like faster autofocus, higer shooting rates, etc. I would go for the 801. And as far as pictures are concerned: Finally it is the person behind the camera who makes the difference.

If you buy a used one spend the extra money and have Nikon service to check the camera. It is frustrating if metering or shutter speed is inaccurate.

Just my two cent...

--
Cheers
Reinhard

macue said:

I think I am one of those new types of crab, everyone is going from
35mm SLR to Digital while I am going backwards, from Digital to
35mm SLR.

Click to expand...

You're making a good decision !

I own a F80 right now, and I bought it to upgrade from a F801 !

Here is some of the major upgraded features on the F80 :

• on demand grid lines in the viewfinder (very cool feature)
• faster and more accurate autofocusing
• better flash metering
• better UI on the camera.
• less weight than the F801 - by about half. The camera is not flimsy in any way though, it's solid, espically with the mb-16 grip on.

downsides of the F80 vs F801 :

• no metering with manual focus lenses
• thats about it. this only applies if you have an investment in MF nikon gear already.

I really like my F80 compared to my older F801. The F801 is a solid camera, no question, but the F80 is also quite solid. I've shot hundreds of rolls in my F80, and I wouldn't go back to the F801 unless the F80 ceased to exist

Cheers.

Frank / http://www.abstrakt.org

macue said:

I think I am one of those new types of crab, everyone is going from
35mm SLR to Digital while I am going backwards, from Digital to
35mm SLR.

Click to expand...

I don't think there's too many people going from 35mm SLR to Digital, in most cases they are going to Digital SLR, which seems much more expensive than 35mm film SLR.

Compact digital cameras should only be considered an accessory in your camera bag, your mainly work should still based on SLR (IMHO)

Don't worry, F80 is considered to be very suitable for amateur photographers, though it lacks some 'professional' features it is generally enough for non-professional use. (Considering 'pro' Nikon cameras should be F2, F3, F4, F5 or similiar, or quasi-professional cameras like F100) F80 do have a perfect performance to price ratio, isn't it?

Thank-you for your comments, it's good to see that I am not alone and that I am heading in the right direction.

One of the most frustrating things I find about my digicam is the focusing, If I had a dollar for everytime I have missed a good shot due to slow focusing I could probably go out and buy another camera. No to mention the shots I don't even bother trying to take because I know I'll never get them in-focus.

Also taking into consideration some disadvantages on lenses, I guess the F80 is the one I should go for. The price difference in about $200-$300 aussie dollars, which is not a huge amount. Time to start saving my pennies then.

Thanks again.

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Cheers
macue