Ken Rockwell has a side-by-side comparison of the 10.2 megapixel Nikon D80 and the 10.2 megapixel Nikon D200 and writes - “Get the D80 if you have any concerns about cost or size or weight. Spend your limited funds on a great lens and don’t waste it on a fancy body. Lenses last for years while digital bodies go obsolete every 12 - 18 months. I’d get a D80 and the 18-200mm Nikon lens and never look back. Lenses stay current for 5 - 10 years and Nikon warrants them for 5 years in the USA, while bodies only have a year warranty.”

[Read our Nikon D80 Review Roundup and View Sample Photos]

[Read our Nikon D200 Review Roundup & View Sample Photos]

If price matters, get the D80 over the D200. Heck, if price matters, even a D50 is 99% of what anyone really needs. Use the money for a better lens, or keep it to fund a photo trip. The lens is more important than the camera, and lenses don’t go obsolete in a year. I’d prefer a D80 (or D50) and the magic Nikon 18 - 200mm VR lens over any other body with any other lens for practical photography.

Nikon D80 Reviewer - Opinion Thermometer

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