new p80 photos weekly roundup
The Nikon P80 can do some truly great things. Here’s a collection of recent shots made with the P80 that have been posted on other blogs :
Arturo Fukuda has just posted some beautiful photos of Ayacucho, Peru on his site at Foto Actualidad. There’s some accompanying text in Spanish which Google can translate into English here.
From Pakistan, Faisal Sheraz made these shots of Lahore Shahi Fort and Badshai Mosque…
And there are now two P80 users groups on Flickr… Alan from Honolulu started one to showcase P80 photos here, and another group showcases P80 photos here.
Got any p80 pix or links you’d like to share? Post a comment to tell us about ‘em.
nikon updates p80 firmware
[11 June 2008] — Nikon has just issued a firmware update for the Coolpix P80 that addresses several issues users have noticed.
1. When shooting with the “Vibration Reduction” item in the setup menu set to “On”, vibration reduction did not always function in some situations.
2. When shooting with the “Distortion Control” option set to on, excessive correction was sometimes applied.
The release updates your P80 to firmware version 1.1, it’s relatively easy to install, and you can download it from the Nikon Coolpix P80 firmware download pages. Installation instructions for each OS are included on the download pages.
US Nikon Coolpix P80 firmware update version 1.1 – Windows
Nikon USA Coolpix P80 firmware update version 1.1 – Macintosh
EU Nikon Coolpix P80 firmware update version 1.1 – Windows
EU Nikon Coolpix P80 firmware update version 1.1 – Macintosh
nikon p80 just out of the box
I’ve finally uploaded some p80 sample shots to the gallery. No processing on any of these (though some could use it). EXIF data is visible. Clicking the bottom center of any image will open a new window containing the full-size file for your examination. Watch out though, they’re huge.
Hoping to duplicate an ordinary buyer’s initial experience with the P80, I deliberately did not read the manual. And it shows. But even without a clue how to get the best from the camera, the p80 still does okay. More on that in another post.
The p80 does well in good light at low ISO settings. Not so well at higher ISOs. And there’s some fringing evident at extreme zoom in high contrast scenes. Both characteristics should be expected from any camera whether digital or film. They’re characteristics that can be overcome when you get to know the camera. But that’s not gonna happen unless you study the manual and experiment before expecting to make superb pictures.
The p80 is capable of much better pix than what you’ll see in my week-one gallery, as Marti’s shots here and here clearly demonstrate.
More about how your p80 can realize stunning pix like those in a few days… once I get some housekeeping for this site out of the way and have a chance to play around with the camera a bit more.
What would you like to see here? Post your questions and requests in the comments.
the nikon p80 is junk
The Nikon Coolpix P80 camera is junk. At least, judging from boatloads of comments they’re making online, that’s the conclusion many new users are reaching. But if — based on their words — you’re tempted to adopt that belief yourself, you’d be wrong. Here’s why…
Most of those comments come from users who bought the wrong camera. They thought the Nikon P80 is a glorified point-and-shoot with a humongous zoom lens thrown in. Something that’ll be nice for everyday shots, plus pix of those hard-to-see backyard hummingbirds and close-up action shots of Suzie’s soccer games, too.
Wrong.
The P80 is nothing like that. And even though it’s not a DSLR, there’s nothing “basic” about it.
The Nikon Coolpix P80 is not designed for casual shooters who only want to photograph the kids’ birthday parties and soccer games, family gatherings, the July 4th picnic, Thanksgiving dinner and all the pretty presents under the tree.
There’s nothing at all wrong with that. But if that describes you, buy something else. The Canon PowerShot S5 IS would be a good choice. It has almost everything the P80’s got and it’s a lot easier to use. Even has a 12x zoom lens with built-in image stabilization. And it’s cheaper than a Nikon P80, too.
So Who’ll Be Happy with the P80?
Impatient casual photographers will hate it. But if you’re serious about graduating from the point-and-shoot stage to something that’ll help you make truly stunning photos, the Nikon Coolpix P80 could be just what you want.
The P80 is a big step away from your point-and-shoot zoom camera. It’s much lighter and smaller than a DSLR and far less expensive. It doesn’t have all the features, bells and whistles you’ll find on most DSLRs. Yet it offers a much wider-range zoom than you’ll find available for any DSLR at any price.
The downside is: the P80 is not a DSLR. So don’t buy a P80 if you really crave a DSLR because you won’t be happy.
Instead, save your pennies another month or so, then invest in one of the more affordable entry-level DSLRs. You can get a pretty sweet deal on a Nikon D40 right now, priced only slightly higher than the Coolpix P80.
Nikon’s pushing their D60 and D80 DSLRs these days, so D40 prices are sinking. Even with “only” 6 megapixels, the D40 is still a terrific camera. And it accepts a huge range of the superb-quality lenses that helped make Nikon famous.
Is the Coolpix P80 for You?
Maybe. The point of this blog is to help you decide. And if you do go for the P80, I’ll show you how to get the most out of it.
As a point-and-shoot the Nikon Coolpix P80 does okay. It’s not perfect, but as point-and-shoots go, it’s among the top of the heap for quality photos. And in the right hands it excels. The P80 is really an advanced “bridge camera” that spans the gap between casual users and advancing amateurs in a very satisfying way.
With the little bit of camera knowledge almost anyone can gain in just a few hours of study and fooling around with it, the P80 can help you make truly stunning pictures. And if you own a P80, I’ll help you prove it.
That’s what this blog is all about, so set a bookmark and come back often. Or subscribe to the RSS feed and get word about each new post as soon as it’s published. In future posts I’ll chronicle my own experiences learning and using the P80. I hope you’ll find these articles helpful.
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