The Nikon D80 is announced!

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Follow the links below to interesting information, discussions and debates surrounding Nikon's latest digital SLR:

Be careful when purchasing the Nikon D80 online | Latest Nikon D80 photos | Nikon D80 vs other cameras | Nikon D80 user reviews | Nikon D80 PDF manuals - printable and non-printable

Sneak photos (you can see the D80 photos that were leaked after the list of links below)? Because they were not officially released but started circulating round the internet. I've put them up here for your viewing convenience. Read these threads to follow the discussions surrounding the leaked images and feel the excitement build up before and after the launch:

1. 2-Sep-2006: Daniel Soh from Singapore is the first on the internet to make available two Nikon D80 NEF / RAW files.
2. 31-Aug-2006: Nikon D80 kit available for sale at the Singapore COMEX show! Read this thread to get a feel for the prices.
3. 31-Aug-2006: Nikon D80 available for sale in Japan!
4. Links to stunning, full-sized, straight-from-the-camera Nikon D80 JPEG image samples on a Japanese review site, with a brief commentary
5. Download the Nikon D80 PDF User Manual here. This printable operations guide comes straight from the NikonUSA.com site.
6. Nice breakdown of features: what the D200 has that the D80 does not, and vice-versa - a small correction; the D200 does have Black-and-White, Vivid and More Vivid settings.
7. Where and how the Nikon D80 fits into Thom Hogan's backup camera plan
8. A D2X / D200 user, Kirk Tuck gives some feedback on the D80 based on a brief hands-on session - great autofocus performance with the Nikkor 17-55mm lens, fantastic viewfinder and LCD. It also feels more solid vs the D70. Kirk wouldn't hesitate to use the D80 professionally as a backup camera.
9. A strategy for pre-ordering the Nikon D80
10. Nikon D80 or the Sony Alpha A100?
11. How the Nikon D80 improves on the legendary Nikon D70, but perhaps, may never come close to the D70 in terms of emotions evoked.
12. Astounding pre-production high-ISO Nikon D80 images - the ISO1600 shot has to be seen to be believed. Compares very favourably to the sames scene shot with the Sony Alpha A100. Read discussion threads around these images here and here.
13. ISO test (from ISO100 to ISO1600 to H1.0) of a night scene with 100% crops
14. Rob Galbraith previews the Nikon D80
15. Be sure to download the Nikon D80 PDF Brochure. Some pretty stunning pictures taken in Venice by Yves Paternoster and Hien Lam Duc in a wide variety of situations with difficult lighting. Great use of lenses like the Nikkor 17-55mm and Nikkor 10.5mm Fisheye too.
16. View two, full-sized Nikon D80 Venice image samples (shot with the AF-S Zoom-Nikkor 17-35mm f/2.8D and AF-S VR Zoom-Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8G IF-ED lenses) that were featured in the brochure.
17. Commentary on the Nikon D80 specifications by Thom Hogan
18. Official Nikon D80 specifications
19. HOT!!! 9-Aug-2006. Nikon D80 Announced on Nikon Malaysia website! The leaked announcement was later taken down, so go grab the screenshots in PDF format.
20. HOT!!! Just hours away from the launch! Sneak photos of the new Nikkor 70-300mm VR lens!
21. Why a DX design wouldn't make sense for the new Nikkor 70-300mm VR lens
22. HOT!!! How was Pocket-Lint.co.uk able to get this brochure image of the yet anannounced Nikon D80 ??? And a full specs breakdown to boot!
23. HOT!!! Nikon D80 thread
24. Thread pointing to the discussion on the Consultation des News Chasseur d'Images site
25. Thom Hogan KNEW about this! ... and proceeds to give a detailed analysis
26. Thom Hogan says that we will be happy about the Nikon D80's ability to control SB-800 / SB-600 flash units the way the D200 does
27. Thom Hogan speculates that the sensor should be the same as the Sony Alpha A100's, which is of a two-channel readout design
28. Size comparison with the D200