Comparing D80 v. D60 today

[Big-O]

Hey all -

I've been debating between the D80 and D60 for quite some time...

Ritzcamera has the D80 with a 18-55 VR lens for $650 (versus the D60 with the same lens for $580).

I've read alot of older reviews about the D80's overexposure problems, etc.

I want to use primarily the camera for HDR (which makes the D80 bracketing awesome), panoramas, and long exposure night photography... However, action shots, low-light (club/bar) and scenery (people/wilderness) are secondary. [After reading that, it sounds like I want a camera that does it all].

I have some old SLR Nikkor lenses (F3 days), so the backwards compatability somewhat matters.

Thoughts?

[benp]

Try out both the cameras at a store, then buy the D80 :).

$70 is not really that much to pay for the much better viewfinder, bracketing, top LCD, autofocus with non-AF-S lenses, etc.

But give some thought as to whether you'd rather save up a bit more for the D90...

[raven15]

You definitely want the D80. I don't know if your lenses will autofocus on the D80 (they probably will), but there is a 100% chance they won't autofocus on the D60. Plus, well, the D60 strikes me as more a "consumer" camera than a "photographer" camera, though arguably both are both.

[tizeye]

As the owner of a D40, and yes they made significant advancements with the D60, the D80 hands down. I also have noticed the price drop on the D80 with the into of the D90 at the D80's old price. It is sooooooo tempting.

While each of the benefits for the D80 noted in the above posts are true, add to it the D80's expanded remote Creative Flash commander capabilities with the SB-600 that the D40/60 does not enjoy.