Nikon D80

Drawbacks of the D80 are few and far between. In fact, the biggest one isn't the camera but its software. Canon's SLRs ship with the very capable Digital Photo Professional package, offering full RAW file adjustment, batch processing and metadata tagging. Nikon's offering, Picture Project, is feeble by comparison, offering no decent response curve or white balance control and no batch facility. To get the most out of the D80's images, you'll need to spend more on a decent RAW editor (such as Bibble). Our only other criticism is the noise levels at high ISO settings. Although this has improved with the D80, Canon is still ahead of the game, with the 350D displaying lower levels despite being a generation behind. This difference is marginal, though, and Nikon has managed to keep what noise there is looking more film-like and grainy than blotchy. One final point to note is that it takes only SD card memory.

Some may argue that the price, being around £100 higher body-only than the new 400D and about £180 more for the kit, means that Canon still rules the roost. But for sheer picture-taking power, Nikon's designers have thought of nearly everything. The significant advances over the previous generation of DSLRs is enough to knock Canon off its long-held A-List perch.

Author: David Fearon