Upgrade from D80 to a D5600?

scottmandue

TPF Noob!
Joined
Apr 12, 2016
Messages
22
Reaction score
3
Location
San Pedro, CA.
Last year I begrudgingly gave up on all my film cameras and sold them off.
A friend recommended a D80 as a good starter digital camera so I found a used one and bought it.
It is a great camera and I am enjoying it, however I have come into a little money and thinking of upgrading.
Price range is below $500 (I'm okay with used).
Would want it to work with my DX auto focus lens that came with the D80.
Having studied the D80 I know there is a lot I don't know about digital cameras.
Any opinions on the D5600?
Thanks in advance.
Scott

Sorry, just found the search function and put in "D5600" and reading up on the posts.
 
Last edited:
The 5600 is good. But it has less external controls than the D80 and lacks an autofocus motor so it won’t work with older AF-D lenses.

For $500 you could probably get a used D7100 body that would be a better upgrade, imo.
 
As said above, depending on the lens you got with the d80 whether the lens works or not.

With a d5600 you get more resolution, better low light performance and a more customisable autofocus along with the tilt screen.

You lose a few external control and the ability to focus older non afs lenses.
 
As said above, depending on the lens you got with the d80 whether the lens works or not.

With a d5600 you get more resolution, better low light performance and a more customisable autofocus along with the tilt screen.

You lose a few external control and the ability to focus older non afs lenses.

The upgrade would be to a 7000 series camera. It is a downgrade to the 5000 series. The 5000 series may serve your needs but it may not provide full functionality with your D80 lenses. You need a 7000 series camera.
 
Nikon D7100 has a superior body and features over the D5600 so it might be a better buy.
D5600 and D5500 are almost identical so you might save money by getting the D5500, actually both these cameras are very close to the D5300 so you can consider it too and save even more money.
All these cameras have superb Sony sensor in them, main difference between the D5300 and other two is lack of touch screen.
 
The 5600 is good. But it has less external controls than the D80 and lacks an autofocus motor so it won’t work with older AF-D lenses.

For $500 you could probably get a used D7100 body that would be a better upgrade, imo.

Um, this is huge, when I bought the D80 I was told all Nikon lenses are interchangeable, I'm at work now and can't check my lenses. I'm not about to buy a new set of lenses!
 
The 5600 is good. But it has less external controls than the D80 and lacks an autofocus motor so it won’t work with older AF-D lenses.

For $500 you could probably get a used D7100 body that would be a better upgrade, imo.

Um, this is huge, when I bought the D80 I was told all Nikon lenses are interchangeable, I'm at work now and can't check my lenses. I'm not about to buy a new set of lenses!
The issue isn't the lens, it's the body. The less expensive bodies do not have an auto-focus motor built into them, so you need the "AF-S" lenses in order to auto-focus. If you don't mind manual focus, there is no problem.


http://www.nikonusa.com/Images/Lear...You/Media/NIKKOR-lens-compatibility-chart.pdf
 
The 5600 is good. But it has less external controls than the D80 and lacks an autofocus motor so it won’t work with older AF-D lenses.

For $500 you could probably get a used D7100 body that would be a better upgrade, imo.

Um, this is huge, when I bought the D80 I was told all Nikon lenses are interchangeable, I'm at work now and can't check my lenses. I'm not about to buy a new set of lenses!

The D80 has a focus motor so it will work with all Nikon autofocus lenses.
 
Thanks guys! Still need to get home and study my lenses that came with the D80, but after searching and reading on the 7100 (and 7200) I may have to save up some more $$$ but it seems like a better camera. I will now have to do a search to compare the 7000, 7100, 7200.
The only advantage I see in the 5600 is the cool flip out touch screen (and it cost less) but if the three lenses I already have won't work with it that is a deal breaker.

I'm an old school guy, the D80 was my first step into the digital photography world and now I'm ready to upgrade to 24 MP and more focus points.
 
Last edited:
Hi, I own the 5500 and I am pretty happy with it. The plus side of this body is the weight and size. I mostly use my camera when travelling and its real nice having it light, especially when hiking. It takes great pictures too, haven't used the 7XXX cameras but compared with my old D70 it really is a other league.
 
Thanks guys! Still need to get home and study my lenses that came with the D80, but after searching and reading on the 7100 (and 7200) I may have to save up some more $$$ but it seems like a better camera. I will now have to do a search to compare the 7000, 7100, 7200.
The only advantage I see in the 5600 is the cool flip out touch screen (and it cost less) but if the three lenses I already have won't work with it that is a deal breaker.

I'm an old school guy, the D80 was my first step into the digital photography world and now I'm ready to upgrade to 24 MP and more focus points.

Do not buy a D7000. There are many, many copies of it that have severe focus issues. I had one and it was terrible.

The 7100 and up are mostly problem free and considered reliable and really good cameras.
 
Looks like the only big difference in the 7200 Vs the 7100 is the 7200 has a much better ISO which I think I will hold out for.
Thanks for all the replies!
 
As you noted, the D7200 is a good option if you really want to see an upgrade in the camera body over the D80. I think they were both positioned about the same point in the Nikon line, but you get a couple generations newer tech in the sensor and AF.
 
Looks like the only big difference in the 7200 Vs the 7100 is the 7200 has a much better ISO which I think I will hold out for.
Thanks for all the replies!

I vote D7200 over the D5600 if you can swing the costs.
 
To me, the D5000-series pentamirror viewfinders looks substandard, compared against the real, genuine pentaprism viewfinder system that was used in the D80,D90,and the D7100 and D7200; to some people the difference is small, or they used Live View to frame and compose shots with, but for those looking right through the camera's viewfinder, the size and magnification and clarity and contrast of the viewfinder itself can be a signifcant part of the picture-making experience. For that reason alone, viewfinder image quality, I have never felt comfortable with a number of lower-level camera bodies, when compared to the mid- or top-level Nikon cameras of the past 40 years.

But then...I wear eyeglasses when I shoot, so that keeps my eye a bit farther from the viewfinder eyepiece, so to me the bigger viewfinders, with longer eye relief, are better--for ME at least. But when you look at ma D5000-series or a D3000-series camera, realize that the viewfinder magnification has steadily been ticking upward as Nikon has iterated those lines; the newer models are slightly better than the earlier models, yet they are ALL STILL pentamirror bodies; this cuts weight and cost, yet still there is a noticeable "squinty" nature to these newer camera bodies. The serious enthusiast bodies (D80,D90,D7000,D7100,D7200) simply have a better viewfinder image than the 3- and 5000-series bodies.

If you want full Nikon lens autofocusing compatibility, and had a D80, you will definitely want a 7100 or 7200, to stay in the same class of camera AND to ensure that older-style AF and AF-D or "screw driven" focusing Nikon lenses will work fully with a D80 replacement camera.
 

Most reactions

Back
Top