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| Nikon® N80 Review |
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| ©Darrell
Young |
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Click
any image to enlarge it |
Carry
it with you everywhere! That seems to be the philosophy behind the
Nikon® N80 camera. It is a well-made, small-bodied camera that
is light and strong enough to carry with you on a daily basis. Slide
it into your purse or briefcase, or do like I do, and carry a small
camera bag with a couple of lenses.
When you combine the N80 with Nikon's 2.5 inch long 28-80mm f3.5-5.6G
zoom lens, it is a very powerful and flexible camera system, but
is light in weight. |
Nikon
N80 and Nikkor 28-80 f 3.5-5.6G
|
Please
realize that the USA N80 and non-USA F80 are almost identical cameras.
In the USA, Nikon chose to segregate their "professional"
cameras such as the F2, F3, F4s, F5, and F100, from the "consumer"
cameras such as the N60, N65, N80, and N90. Around the rest of our
planet there is no special "consumer" rating, and virtually
all the Nikons have the "F" designation. As you read this
article remember that virtually all of this information applies
to both the N80 and F80. The only difference I can detect is that
the F80 has an extra Custom Setting. (# 19)
The N80/F80, is very similar in look and feel to the F100 and F5,
although it is considerably smaller in size. It now seems that Nikon
intends the camera controls to stay comfortable and familiar as
one moves up the Nikon line. Starting with the N80, you are using
a camera that has most of the same features and controls as the
top-of-the-line professional models. If you are an average camera
user, and have no professional photography intentions then the N80
is probably all the camera you will ever need. If you are a professional,
the N80 is an excellent back-up body for your F100 or F5, since
the control layout is very similar.
The N80 is by no means a cheaply made camera. If you pick up this
little camera, you will be surprised by its solid feel. It certainly
doesn't feel like the other brand's "plastic-fantastic"
cameras that cost about the same. When you hold this camera, you
realize that it is very substantial in build, and will take more
abuse than other cameras will. It isn't a tank like the Nikon F4
or F5, but it certainly can take being carried around everywhere,
and used frequently. Just think of the sunsets you've been missing
by not having your camera with you always. Your excuse is now gone!
For about $500.00 you can carry a fine automatic Nikon® multi-mode
camera and superb Nikkor® lens. |
| Camera Body |
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|
The
body of the N80 feels reassuringly robust. The top and bottom of
the camera are made are made of a hard substance, probably polycarbonate,
with a textured coating that makes it fairly difficult to scratch.
The front and back, or grip area, is covered with a thin textured
rubbery coating. The coating, grip on the front, and a thumb protrusion
on the back of the camera allows your right hand to comfortably
and securely hold the camera. Most users will hold the camera naturally
with their thumb on the back, trigger finger on the shutter release,
and the second and third fingers wrapped around the grip. The little
finger hangs below the camera body, except for people with small
hands. |
| Lenses |
|
You
have access to virtually all the fine auto-focus (AF) Nikkor®
lenses that Nikon® makes, plus a plethora of other AF lenses
made by Tamron®, Tokina®, Sigma®, and others.
The N80 will even use the Nikkor® AF-S (Silent Wave) and VR
(Vibration Reduced) professional lenses. It also supports the older
AF lenses made since the early-nineties.
The newer AF lenses have a "D" or "G" designation
at the end of their name. These lenses have the new Distance measuring
capability, and so will provide more accurate flash metering since
the camera can better determine how far away the subject of the
photo is. |
 Nikkor 28-80mm f3.5-5.6G Lens
|
The
N80 also supports the "G" series lenses made for the "consumer."
These lenses have no "aperture" ring, so all aperture
functions are controlled by the N80 automatically or by one of the
"command dial" controls. The G series lenses are also
D (distance measuring) lenses.
The N80 does not technically support the older manual-focus (MF)
Nikkor lenses. They will mount on the camera, and will work normally,
except that the N80's light metering system is turned off. You could
use the N80 with the older lenses if you use a hand-held light meter.
The AF lenses have a small computer brain (CPU) in them that helps
the camera know how and where to focus. Since the older MF lenses
do not have this CPU, they cannot communicate with the N80. Also,
it is preferable to use the newer "D" AF lenses, since
they provide more accurate flash metering with their built-in Distance
measuring capability.
Technically the N80 is designed to work with the following lense
styles: AF, AF-D, AF-G, and AI-P. |
| Built-in Flash |
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| 
|
One
of the cool things about this little camera is the built-in flash--called
a "Speedlight" by Nikon. Neither the Nikon F100 or F5
have the built-in Speedlight. This little flash unit is tucked into
the body until needed.
Simply push the little button on the side of the prism finder, and
the flash pops up, fully charged and ready to go. The flash has
a guide number of 39 with ISO 100 film, which means it will cover
your subjects well out to 10-12 feet or so. It is not as powerful
as an external flash unit, but it is always with the camera. You
can always pop it up for a snapshot or fill flash. |
There
is also a "hot-shoe" on top, so that you can use a more
powerful external flash unit for greater distances. The built-in
flash has a beam width that will cover the view of a 28mm wide-angle
lens, and any longer lens. A new technology that Nikon includes
in this camera is "3D Multi-sensor Balanced fill flash."
This is a technical name for a new technology that helps your flash
pictures come out very well, even in bad photography conditions.
As an example, you have probably seen flash pictures where the subject
is "burned-out" or faded due to too much light. This is
because the camera is trying to average out the flash coverage in
the picture. With most other cameras, if there is a dark background
then the subject will usually be burned out. The N80 will rarely
give you a picture with burned out subjects. What makes it different
is how it looks at the scene to be lit by the flash. When you press
the shutter release button a rapid series of events occur. First,
the mirror inside the camera moves up out of the way. Then the N80
fires five quick flashes (called monitor pre-flashes) that allow
the camera to examine the potential picture area. As each of the
pre-flashes occur the camera meter looks at a different section
of the scene. If one or more sections reflect almost no light, or
too much light, they are ignored. Then the shutter opens and the
main flash fires, fully exposing the scene, but balanced for the
subject. After that the mirror returns to its down position. It
is impossible for most people to see the five pre-flashes, since
all this is happening so quickly. To the user and subject it just
looks like a single burst of light from the flash.
If a "D" or "G" lens is used, this system is
even more accurate since it can more easily determine exactly where
the subject is in the photograph. Also, if a more powerful external
flash unit is used, such as the Nikon SB-50, and SB-28, the five
monitor pre-flashes are fired by the external unit, just like the
built-in flash unit.
The built-in flash unit uses this same technology to provide very
accurate "fill" flash. As an example, let's say that you
are taking a picture of some friends standing in directly overhead
sunlight. Their noses and chins will cast long weird looking shadows.
Or, if a hat is worn, the brim blocks the light so much that the
face can disappear. If you pop open your N80's little flash unit,
it will sense that there is a lot of available light, and will attempt
to let that light provide the main exposure. It will only provide
"fill" flash that tends to remove the weird shadows, and
provides "pop" to the image. It does this without making
the image appear unnatural or unbalanced. In most cases, an average
person will not be able to tell that fill flash was used. The photographs
just look really good, since there are no heavy shadows, or overexposure
of the subject. The light from the flash is "balanced"
with the light from the surroundings.
This new "3D Multi-sensor Balanced fill flash" with "5-segment
TTL flash sensors" is a very powerful technology, and gives
Nikon users a distinctly better flash system. It can provide Slow
Sync, Rear Sync, Red-Eye Reduction, and Flash Compensation from
+1 to 3 EV in ½ steps. |
| Auto Focus |
|
| It
used to be that you pointed your AF camera at the subject, lining
it up in the little frame lines in the viewfinder, waited for the
auto-focus to kick in and focus, then snapped the picture. On older
cameras this could take a while, and could become frustrating when
the subject was moving or in poor light. The older auto-focus systems
were prone to "searching," or racking the lens focus in-and-out.
With moving subjects it could be hard to keep focused.
With the N80, this is no longer much of a problem. The auto-focus
(AF) on the N80 is best described as snappy. Instead of the single
sensor as on most older AF cameras, the N80 has an array of five
sensors that cover left-right, top-bottom, and center.
You have multiple choices on how the AF system is used. If you are
shooting a still subject like a flower or landscape, then you most
likely will leave the AF system set to use just the center AF sensor.
Just like the older cameras, the N80 will then focus on what the
center sensor sees. But, let's say you are shooting a scene with
two of your friends standing a few feet apart. In this case, you
would normally have to point the center sensor at one of the people,
lock the focus, then swing the camera back to your original composure.
Otherwise, the center sensor would focus the camera on the background
behind the two people, and you would have a lousy unfocused picture
of your friends. |
The N80
allows you to simply change the sensor being used by pushing the
thumb rocker switch in the direction of the person you want to
focus on. The left or right sensor then provides focus instead,
and you don't have to move the camera. This works very well, and
is easy to use.
As you change focus sensors with the thumb rocker switch the sensor
receiving control briefly lights up in red, and then becomes a
much bolder black color. When you look at the viewfinder screen,
it is easy to see which of the five focus sensors have control.
You can select them at will, instead of swinging your camera around,
locking the focus, and recomposing to shoot.
|
Thumb Rocker Switch Thumb
Rocker Switch
|
An
alternate way of using the focus sensors is to simply set the camera
on "dynamic" focus. This mode uses all five sensors at once
in a wide array that allows the camera to notice the subject, and
switch to that sensor. The camera generally will choose the brightest
and closest object in the viewfinder in dynamic focus mode. That works
fine as long as this is the subject you are taking a picture of, which
is generally the case.
If you are shooting action, or a subject that is moving in any way,
you can use the dynamic focus to your advantage. The AF system will
lock-on to the subject as it moves across the viewfinder, and will
actually follow the subject as it crosses the various focus sensors,
keeping it in focus. This is very useful for sports, bird, and action
photographers. |
| Camera Modes |
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|
The
N80 is a multi-mode camera. In Program mode, it can be used as a
point-and-shoot camera for users with little experience. Or, it
can be used in Manual, Shutter Priority, or Aperture Priority modes.
(The Mode dial shows P, S, A, M, plus Custom and ISO).
This allows an experienced user to set the camera in any mode that
fits the current photo opportunity. If a person is comfortable with
full manual operation, the camera will allow it. If one would rather
let the camera control the technical details, while paying careful
attention to composition personally, the N80 is happy to oblige. |
In
"P" or Program mode,
the camera carefully selects the proper aperture and shutter speed,
while the AF system focuses. In effect, the N80 becomes a point-and-shoot
camera. You just pay attention to your subject, and the camera does
the rest. Excellent pictures will result in most all conditions.
If you want a little more control than Program mode offers, you
can simply adjust either the Shutter speed or Aperture while in
Program mode, and the camera will compensate to keep the exposure
accurate. This is called "Flexible Program" by Nikon.
It is like the best of both worlds combined. You normally use the
Program mode to set the camera up for you. But, if you want a little
more shutter speed to stop some action for one shot, you just turn
the shutter speed dial, automatically switching the camera to Flexible
Program mode, and the N80 will adjust the aperture accordingly to
keep the exposure in range. It works the same way for the aperture.
If you need a little more depth of field for one particular shot,
just turn the aperture wheel to your preferred aperture, and the
N80 compensates by changing the shutter speed. Once you have taken
the picture, the camera returns to normal Program mode. This may
sound complicated to beginners, but it is easy to use. It simply
allows you to override the Program mode for that one picture in
any way you would like, while it keeps you out of trouble by compensating
all the related camera settings. Pretty clever, eh?
In "M" or Manual mode, you take complete control
of the camera. You set the aperture, shutter speed, etc. This allows
you complete control of the subject matter and exposure. The camera
meter, of course, suggests a proper exposure. If you would like,
you can turn the auto-focus system off and focus manually too.
In "S" or Shutter Priority mode, you set the shutter
speed, and the camera adjusts the aperture opening for a correct
exposure. This is nice, if you need a high shutter speed in an action
shot. You can set the cameras shutter anywhere between 30 seconds
and 1/4000th of a second in ½ steps.
In "A" or Aperture Priority modes, you set the
aperture (lens opening), and the camera adjusts the shutter speed.
This is important if you want to control "depth-of-field"
while paying less attention to shutter speeds. This is the mode
that the majority of advanced photographers will use. It provides
some automation, while allowing the photographer to control the
very important "depth-of-field." |
| Metering Systems |
|
In
the old days, we were limited to an averaging meter that averaged
the exposure, and hopefully gave a nice average picture. Most photography
courses and books were designed around how to know when the camera's
metering system would provide an inaccurate exposure, and how to
compensate accordingly.
If we were shooting pictures in abnormal light conditions, such
as snow, or darkness, or backlighting, and if we didn't learn to
compensate, our cameras would happily under or overexpose our pictures. |
Three metering
modes with adjustment ring set to "Matrix"
|
How
many of us have an old shoebox with pictures that we couldn't bear
to throw away, but were exposed so badly that we were embarrassed
to show them to others? With the N80, those days are over. It is,
in fact, hard to make a bad exposure with this little jewel of a
camera. You can do it, but you have to work at it, not the other
way around. The N80 actually has three light metering systems built
into it. These are: a "3D Matrix" meter, an "Averaging
Center-weighted" meter, and a "spot" meter.
The "3D
Matrix" meter
mode in today's Nikon cameras is world renowned for its accuracy
and flexibility. In fact, Nikon worked with some of the world's
best photographers in designing the matrix metering system. In the
N80, through complex mathematical formulas, there are characteristics
for over 30,000 professional images stored in the camera. These
images are used, along with proprietary Nikon software and complex
evaluative computations, to analyze the image appearing in your
viewfinder. The meter is then set to provide very accurate exposure
for the greatest majority of your images. A simple example of this
might be a picture where the horizon runs through the middle of
the image. The sky above is bright, and the earth below is much
dimmer. By evaluating this image, and comparing it to hundreds of
like images in the camera's database, an accurate meter setting
is automatically input for you. It is incredibly accurate!
In extremely bright situations, such as sunlit snow, it may be necessary
to add a little bit of extra exposure time, since the meter does
not take into account the color of the snow, like the Nikon F5 does
with it's RGB meter. It will slightly underexpose extremely bright
scenes with a lot of white. In my experience, it is good to add
an additional 1/3 stop of exposure. In 98% of the images though,
it performs better than any other camera brand. Test your N80 well,
and learn where you need to help it a bit, and you'll have excellent
pictures virtually all the time!
The "Averaging Center-weighted" meter mode is there
for those who want to work with the older style of an averaging
meter. In this type of metering, the entire image area is measured.
75% of the sensitivity of the meter is concentrated inside the 12mm
circle in the middle of the focusing screen. The other 25% is layered
out toward the edges of the focusing screen. Since this is an averaging
meter setting, you must be aware of the consequences of paying no
attention to the subject's color and brightness level. In this mode
the meter will attempt to average all images to 18% gray. That means
that close-up whites will not be quite white, and blacks will not
be quite black.
It is not recommended that this mode be used by point and shooters,
since some human thought must be put into the brightness, contrast,
and color of the image. Many of us cut our teeth on this type of
metering system, so it is second nature. It will perform well with
average scenes such as a landscape or group picture of people. But,
when you start shooting snow scenes, if you don't add one or two
stops of extra exposure, you will have 18% gray snow. And, if you
are shooting that big black steam train up close, it will be a big
18% gray steam train instead. Don't be discouraged, though, about
this meter mode. The flexibility inherent in the N80 allows photographers
with different experience levels to use the camera effectively.
The "Spot" meter mode of the N80 is similar to
the Averaging Center-weighted mode. Instead of a 12mm circle providing
75% of the metering, a smaller 4mm area in the center of the focusing
screen provides 100% of the metering. This "1%" spot meter
allows the photographer to selectively meter very specific areas
of the subject, such as a particular face in the crowd, or a group
of trees in the forest. This metering mode is still an averaging
mode, so it requires thought as to the brightness, contrast and
color of the subject within the 4mm spot.
This mode is best left to experienced photographers that want to
manually meter areas of the scene, while figuring ranges of light
values and film capability. This is useful for the famous "Zone
System" created by world-renowned photographer Ansel Adams.
There is no actual 4mm circle on the N80's focusing screen. The
1% spot meter actaully reads its values fromt he same area as the
autofocus sensor in use. So, you can move the spot meter around
on the focus screen by using the thumb rocker switch to move between
autofocus sensors. In effect, you have five separate spot meters
available according to where your subject is in on the focusing
screen. Neat, huh? |
| Camera Controls |
|
Happy,
happy, joy, joy…the N80 has a DEPTH-OF-FIELD
preview button! In the last few years Nikon deliberately left this
very valuable feature off of its consumer cameras. I suppose they
did so to push the more advanced photographers into the professional
line of cameras. Depth of field is a very important consideration
in photography, since it allows you to control just what the range
of sharp focus is in your image.
Due to consumer demand, the depth-of-field button is back! Nikon
listened to the regular photographer for a change. |
Depth-of-Field
Preview Button
|
Maybe
they were losing too many buyers to the competition, who wisely
left a depth of field preview on even their basic cameras.
In any case, we now have a very powerful tool to view our focus
range. This is an electronic depth-of-field system. When you press
and hold the button it snaps the aperture ring closed to the current
aperture setting. (It "stops down") You can then view
the range of focus provided by that aperture setting.
One neat thing I use the depth-of-field button for, is to fool someone
into thinking I just took a picture of them. Invariably, when I
shoot a wedding a number of children will come up requesting that
I take a picture of them. If I do not want that particular picture,
I simply press and release the depth-of-field preview button. The
subject will see the aperture ring stop down, and will hear a satisfying
click that sounds amazingly like a normal picture being taken. Usually,
it placates the children for upwards of five minutes at a time,
allowing you to take the pictures you really want. (chuckle, chuckle). |
You
will use the two "Command
Dial" wheels
along with other buttons, to set many functions. These two wheels
are also used to adjust apertures & shutter speeds in when the
N80 is in manual exposure mode.
Note in the picture at left that there is a wheel on the front and
back of the camera. The front Command Dial is conveniently just
below the chrome Shutter Release button, while the rear Command
Dial is located right above where your thumb supports the camera
on the back. |
|
The
"Mode
Select Dial" knob has only
six settings, of which four are covered above.
The P is for Program Mode, S is for Shutter Priority,
A is for Aperture Priority, and M is for Manual Mode.
There is also the CSM or Custom Functions (see chart
below), and the ISO, which allows you to set the film speed
(ISO number) manually instead of using the default DX film setting.
Mode Select Dial in picture is set to P - Program Mode.
All of these are accessed with the Mode Select Dial knob as seen
in the picture at right. Notice just below the knob is a small thumb
operated ring, with a small release button. |
Mode
Dial set to "P" or Program |
By
holding down the small button to the front left of the mode select
dial, you can rotate the ring to select:
1.
Single-Frame film advance (current setting on picture at left),
2. Continuous film advance (2.5 frames per second), 3.
Self-timer (defaults to 10 seconds), and 4. Multiple Exposure
(which allows any number of shots on one frame of film.) |
The
"Auto-Exposure
Bracketing"
button as shown above the green dot in the picture to the right,
allows you to shoot your images at a selected over or under exposure
value (+/- EV).
To adjust, the BKT button is held in, and the command dials rotated
to turn bracketing on, set the bracketing value, and select the
number of frames to bracket, up to three. The changing values appear
in the external LCD panel.
If the film advance is set to Continuous, the N80 will only fire
the selected number of shots in rapid succession. Then the film
will stop advancing. |
|
Just
to the right of the Auto Exposure Bracketing button is the "Flash-Sync Mode"
button. (See picture above) This is used to set the way the built-in
flash synchronizes itself with the shutter. If the flash-sync mode
button is held down, and the rear command dial is rotated, the LCD
panel will show a series of flash sync modes in succession. These
are the available flash sync modes: Front-Curtain Sync, Slow Sync,
Rear-Curtain Sync, Red-Eye Reduction, Red-Eye Reduction with Slow
Sync. |
Normally
the N80 defaults to rewinding film at the end of the roll automatically,
unless, of course, custom
setting # 1 has been changed. But,
what if you need to rewind in the middle of a roll? Or, what if
custom setting # 1 has been set so that the camera does not automatically
rewind the film at the end, but waits on the photographer to start
a rewind? The N80 does not have the old style manual crank rewind
wheel, so it must be done with the built-in motor drive. To make
it a little harder to accidentally start a rewind at an inappropriate
moment, you are required to hold down two buttons for several seconds.
The buttons that are used to cause a rewind are shown in the two
pictures on the right. The Flash-Sync Mode button that we discussed
above has a red rewind symbol beneath it. Also, the LCD Backlight
button next to the external LCD has a rewind symbol above it. When
both of those buttons are held down for a few seconds, a rewind
starts.
If the LCD Illumination
button to the right of the LCD is pressed by itself, it turns on
the LCD backlight. This is handy at night or in a darker
area. |
|
| |
Between
the Off/On switch and the LCD you
will note two additional buttons. (See picture above) The button
just below the green dot is the "Exposure Compensation"
button, and the one to the right of it is the "Flash Exposure
Compensation" button.
The Exposure Compensation button is held in with your right index
finger, while your right thumb sets the compensation value by rotating
the rear Command Dial. You have +/- 3 EV of compensation in 1/2
step increments.
The Flash Exposure Compensation button works exactly the same way.
Index finger and thumb work together to set flash compensation in
1/2 steps for up to +/- 3 EV. |
Facing
the front of the camera, and looking to the lower right, the "Focus-Mode Selector"
switch is evident. This is used to select whether the camera stays
in Continuous or Single Servo Autofocus, or in manual focus. (See
picture at right)
"S" or Single Servo auto-focus mode lets you focus
only when you decide to, by pressing the shutter-release button
down partially. It will not refocus on another subject until you
release and repress the shutter-release button partially again. |
|
"C"
or Continuous
Servo auto-focus mode is made for subjects in motion. When you initiate
auto-focus by partially depressing the shutter-release, it latches
onto your subject and "follows" them with accurate, sharp
focus. If your subject is moving, then the complex computer inside
the N80 automatically compensates the focus as the subject moves,
amazingly staying right with them. This is a very powerful feature
for those shooting sports, action, or wildlife images.
To the left of the "S" there is an "M"
selection. Nikon colored this selection the same color as the camera
body. I'm not sure if they did this so that amatuers would not notice
it and accidentally set it there, or not, but setting the switch
to M allows you to manually focus your camera. This completely disengages
the focus motors in the camera body. In fact, and this is an important
point...DO NOT MANUALLY FOCUS any AF lens while it is in
"S" or "C" modes, since it is possible to
strip out the small lens to body gears that cause the lens elements
to move. If you do this, the lens or body can be damaged. Let me
repeat this! Only manually focus an AF lens AFTER the Focus-Mode
selector switch is set to "M" or Manual Mode. Don't ask
me why I am warning you about this. It is too painful to relate!
Some AF lenses have special provisions for manual focusing, even
while in "S" or "C" modes. They have a special
M/A switch on the lens itself that allows you to disengage the lens
gears from the body focus motors. Most true macro lenses, such as
the AF Micro Nikkor 60mm f2.8 lens has this feature. |
The
N80 also has the means to lock both the exposure and auto-focus,
so that you can meter, focus, and shoot without worrying about the
camera changing its settings. Notice in the piciture to the right
that there is a button in the middle of the Metering System Selector
(remember Matrix, Averaging, Spot). This button is labeled AE-L
and AF-L.
This is called the "Auto Exposure / Autofocus Lock"
button, and is used to lock both exposure and focus. |
|
Custom
Setting # 11 is
used to turn off the Auto-focus lock, so that only the exposure
is locked when you depress the button. (AE-Lock) This is the way
I use this feature, and many others do to. If you prefer to lock
both focus and exposure at the same time, that is fine, as long
as you have a subject that will not move. If that is not the case,
it is better to not lock the focus, since it can change quickly,
while exposure usually stays close to the same, even with some movement
of the subject. You will have to judge the way you want to use this
button. |
Also, notice in the picture above, that to the right of the eyepiece is a small knurled slider bar. This is a "Diopter Adjustment" for those who like to shoot without their glasses on. It allows you to adjust the view of the subject until it is sharp, even if you are not wearing glasses. This has nothing to do with the auto-focus system. It is merely there to make the viewscreen appear more or less sharp for those with eye difficulties.
IMHO, the Nikon N80 camera is an all-around winner. Few cameras on the market today have such a rich feature set, quality build, and reasonable price. As a primary or backup camera, the N80 has a distinct place.
It fills the need as an advanced amateur's primary camera, and the professional's primary or backup camera. Why not get an N80 for yourself, and start bringing in more spectacular shots. My "good shot" ratio improved dramatically when I started using my N80. Yours will too! Take it with you everywhere, and you'll see what I mean.
|
|
|
|
| CSM
- Custom Settings |
(18
Custom Settings Total with N80, 19 with F80S) |
To
set the custom settings on your N80, you must rotate the Mode Select
Dial to the CSM position. Then look at the LCD display on the top
right of the camera. The display will show two distinct numbers,
1.
the selected Custom Setting Number in
the top left. There will be a dash next to it, and then, 2.
the Custom Setting Value.
To change the Custom Setting Number, rotate the Command Dial
on the rear of the N80, just above your thumb position. To change
the Custom Setting Value, rotate the Command Dial on the
front of the camera just below the shutter release button.
Below is a list of the custom setting numbers and values. (**
= Factory Default) |
| |
|
Custom
Setting # 1
Film Rewind |
0:
Automatic film rewind at the end of the roll. **
1:
No auto film rewind. You must rewind the film using the two film
rewind buttons pressed at the same time. |
Custom
Setting # 2
DX Auto or ISO
Manual Film Speed |
0:
If a new roll of film is inserted with a different ISO number than
the previous roll, the camera reverts to DX mode and automatically
sets the film speed. **
1:
The film speed must be set manually by setting the Mode Select Dial
to ISO and selecting the proper ISO value. |
Custom
Setting # 3
Bracketing Exposure
Order |
0:
While bracketing, the first frame is exposed at the metered value,
the second is underexposed, the third is overexposed. (=, -, +)
**
1:
While bracketing, the first frame is underexposed, the second uses
the metered value, and the third is overexposed. (-, =, +) |
Custom
Setting # 4
Grid Lines in
Viewing Screen |
0:
Viewing screen grid lines disabled. **
1:
Viewing screen grid lines enabled |
Custom
Setting # 5
Focus Area Illumination |
0:
Focus area sensors briefly illuminated in red when shutter button
is partially depressed, in low-light conditions only. **
1:
Focus area sensors never illuminated.
2:
Focus area sensors briefly illuminated in red when shutter button
is partially depressed, in all light conditions. |
Custom
Setting # 6
Focus Area Selection |
0:
Focus area sensor is selected by moving the thumb rocker switch,
on the back of the N80, in the direction of the sensor you would
like to use. **
1:
Focus area sensor is selected by pressing and holding the thumb
rocker switch in any direction. The sensor selection will scroll
between the five sensors until the thumb rocker switch is released. |
Custom
Setting # 7
AE Lock Use from
shutter release button |
0:
AE Lock does not occur when the shutter release is partially depressed;
the AE-L/AF-L button is required for AE Lock. **
1: AE
Lock does occur as long as slight pressure is maintained on the
shutter release button. |
Custom
Setting # 8
Auto Film Loading |
0:
Auto film loading is enabled. When you insert the film and close
the back, the camera automatically advances the film to frame one.**
1:
Auto film loading
is disabled. The film does not advance to frame one until the shutter
release button is pressed. |
Custom
Setting # 9
Closest Subject
Priority in Dynamic/Single Servo Autofocus |
0:
The camera selects which AF Sensor (of the five) to use. It decides
based on the closest and brightest object it can sense in the viewfinder.
**
1: The
camera uses the last selected AF Sensor, according to the position
selected previously by the thumb rocker switch. The sensor in use
will be highlighted in darker black. |
Custom
Setting # 10
Closest Subject
Priority in Dynamic/Continuous Servo Autofocus |
0:
The camera uses the last selected AF Sensor, according to the position
selected previously by the thumb rocker switch. The sensor in use
will be highlighted in darker black. **
1:
The camera selects
which AF Sensor (of the five) to use. It decides based on the closest
and brightest object it can sense in the viewfinder. |
Custom
Setting # 11
AE-L / AF-L Button
Function
AE = Autoexposure
AF = Autofocus |
0:
Both AE and AF
are locked when AE-L/AF-L button is held down. (AE and AF Lock)
**
1:
AE Lock only when AE-L/AF-L button is held down. AF is not locked.
(AE Lock, no AF Lock)
2:
AF Lock only when AE-L/AF-L button is held down. AE is not locked.
(AF Lock, no AE Lock)
3:
AE-L/AF-L button toggels AE Lock. If the AE-L/AF-L button is pressed
once, the AE stays locked until it is pressed again. (Works like
a light switch, on/off)
4:
AF is only activated when the AE-L/AF-L button is held down. Partially
depressing the shutter release does not cause AF to activate when
this mode is selected. |
Custom
Setting # 12
Command Dial Functions |
0: Main-command
dial (rear) controls shutter speed. Sub-command dial (front) controls
aperture. **
1: Main-command
dial (rear) controls aperture speed. Sub-command dial (front) controls
shutter speed. |
Custom
Setting # 13
Film Rewind Speed |
0:
High-speed film rewind. (Takes about 15 seconds to rewind a 36 exposure
roll) **
1:
Quiet film rewind. (Takes about 23 seconds to rewind a 36 exposure
roll) |
Custom
Setting # 14
Multiple-Exposure
Film Advance Rate |
0:
Shutter is released once for each shutter-release button press.(Single
exposure) **
1:
Shutter is released
continuously until shutter-release button is released. (Multiple
exposure) |
Custom
Setting # 15
Auto-Meter Switchoff
Time Delay |
4:
Four-second time delay before meter shuts off.
6:
Six-second time delay before meter shuts off. **
8:
Eight-second time delay before meter shuts off.
16:
Sixteen-second time delay before meter shuts off. |
Custom
Setting # 16
Self-Timer Duration |
2:
Two-second delay before shutter fires.
5: Five-second delay before shutter fires.
10: Ten-second delay before shutter fires. **
20:
Twenty-second delay before shutter fires. |
Custom
Setting # 17
External LCD Panel
Illumination |
0:
Must use LCD
Illumination button
to light up the top LCD Panel.**
1: Pressing
any button lights up the top LCD Panel. |
Custom
Setting # 18
Auto-focus Assist
Illuminator Settings |
0:
AF Assist light comes on when it is too dark to autofocus efficiently.
This is the little light on the front of the N80. **
1:
AF Assist light does not come on in low-light conditions. |
Custom
Setting # 19 (Non-USA F80S ONLY)
Data Imprint ISO
Speed Brightness. (Data imprint between frames) |
0: Automatically
set based on the DX Code on film canister. **
1:
Can be manually set for film speeds under 25 ISO.
2:
Can be manually set for film speeds of 32-80 ISO.
3:
Can be manually set for film speeds of 100 ISO.
4:
Can be manually set for film speeds of 125-200 ISO.
5:
Can be manually set for film speeds over 200 ISO. |
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Detailed
Images of the N80
Click an image
to enlarge it
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additional information on the Nikon® N80 camera use the links
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