Could the Nikon D80 be the holy grail of the entry level digital SLR universe? What I mean by that, is the D80 a product that could finally bridge the gap from point and shoot cameras to the pro SLR level without breaking the bank, and needing a degree in rocket science to take great pictures. From my past experience, I’d have to say that’s not very likely.
Let’s take a look at auto focus first. Having 11 auto focus points is a good thing, but not necessarily perfect. While it’s true, that most camera auto focus schemes will fail under both low light conditions, and images with very little contrast, not all fail as badly. The Nikon D80 seems to struggle with it’s focusing approach more significantly than other cameras. If your a manual focuser by habit, then no big deal. Otherwise, one strike against the D80.
Suggesting that a $800 digital SLR camera produces soft images, is a somewhat relative statement, and should be taken in context. If your spending that kind of money on a digital camera, I would have fairly high expectations in terms of image quality. Sure, thanks to imaging software advances I can sharpen an image on my computer. But, not without introducing some distortion, and not to mention extra time effort on my part.
File this next nit pick under blatant cash grab. Nikon charges an additional $99 to buy the Capture NX software. A nice package to have, especially for fans of the wide angle lens. While there is other software out there that provides the same functionality, Nikon could have spoiled their new customers a little by bundling this one with the D80 SLR.
New Features Unique to the Nikon Coolpix S550
1. In smile mode a gauge is displayed that alerts you when your subject smiles. Great idea to allow you to capture the perfect image!
2. A blink warning detects when your subject has blinked and allows you to instantly repeat the shot.
Unique Nikon Image Innovations
1. Improved Face-priority AF
2. In-Camera Red-Eye Fix
3. D-Lighting. With the D-lighting function you can adjust the lighting for underexposure due to poor back lighting or correct the contrast for overexposure.
Other Features
Vibration reduction compensates for any shaking hands and is particularly useful under low lighting conditions. Nikon Coolpix S550 has a light sensitivity range of up to ISO 2000 so is ideal for use in dimmer light conditions or for shooting moving targets. There are both manual and automatic settings giving you full control. The monitor is a large 2.5-inch and the displays have been greatly improved with lots of feedback help and clearly identifiable icons. The camera comes in a range of colours -Silver, Black, Blue, or Purple. The battery life is adequate with around 200 shots.
* Smoother zooming for close-ups with the active zoom function
* Easy setting of multiple locations with the time zone function
* Time-lapse movie mode with sound
* SD memory card with 50 MB of memory
* SDHC card compatibility
* USB connectivity
* Macro shooting from 10 cm
* PictBridge support
