Nikon d80--MEMORY CARDS

[Melissa359]

Hey everyone!
I have been reading the posts on this forum, and there seem to be a lot of
D80 owners/lovers on here!

I just purchased my Nikon D80, which comes with a 2gb memory card.
My question is....

Approximately how many pictures will 2gb hold?
What is the average size card that you guys use, and how many pictures do those hold?

Also, since this is my first dSLR, I already know I'll be filling up memory cards like crazy...so I was wondering how you guys store your pics, what's the best way? Transfer them to CDs?

Hope that's not too many questions for one post LOL
I'm sure once my camera comes in the mail, I'll be asking TONS more questions. I want to know what EVERYTHING on the camera does LOL :D

Thanks,
Melissa

[Nicole]

Congrats on the new camera, hope you enjoy it :D Oh, and welcome too! I have a friend who went to Valpo for university :)

Can't answer all your questions, but I'll point you to 2 good threads on the subject of storing your photos :)

How do you backup your pictures? (http://digital-photography-school.com/forum/showthread.php?t=445)
How safe are CDs/DVDs? (http://digital-photography-school.com/forum/showthread.php?t=1237)Hope to see some pictures from you when your camera finally arrives :)

[Melissa359]

Thanks for the links...they were really helpful!

Not sure if I'll be ready to post any pics right away.......I'm a beginner so not even close to the level of the people on this forum. But I will learn :)
Maybe the best way to learn is to post pics and let people critique them...even if it hurts LOL :o

[Saralonde]

I have a Canon XT with a Sandisk Ultra II 1 gb card. It holds around 287 pictures in jpeg.
Post away! Don't be too self-critical. You might be surprised at the comments you receive.

[Nicole]

Don't worry Melissa, I've never actually posted a pic in critique my shot. But... if you want a good place to post a shot, try the Share your Shots thread (http://digital-photography-school.com/forum/showthread.php?t=1149). It's not about critique, it's just about sharing a shot that you like, so stop by there when you take a shot that you like with your new cam :) I'm sure we'll all enjoy seeing it.

[Melissa359]

Thanks to both of you for the encouragement...I will post pics as soon as I have one I really like :)
Another question...if I know I want a 300mm lens, how do I know if the lens is a good quality? What am I looking for? A particular brand, features, etc.?

[Nicole]

Here was a discussion from earlier about 70-300mm lenses (http://digital-photography-school.com/forum/showthread.php?t=1070). Lots of people have good things to say about the Sigma. I've got the cheaper Nikkor, but I still like it lots. The thing it often comes down to is whether or not you want the macro type function. The Sigma has it. The Nikkor doesn't. :)

[AZ4Runner]

Melissa,

Just remember that the number displayed on your settings panel is an approximate number of images that can be stored on your memory card. In Nikon's case, they take the worst case scenario and give you that number. The number of pictures available is determined by the camera by taking the worst case composition (an image that varies greatly as opposed to an all black or all white image). If you take a few shots and look at the file sizes, you'll see that they change from shot to shot.

The total number of pictures you can get on a card also depends on the mode you choose (RAW, .jpg, or a mixture). Shooting in RAW always takes the most room on your card. Remember RAW is the actual data your sensor captures, plus any "camera processing" steps it applies prior to storage. I'm not sure about the D80, but the D200 you can get about 65 images per 1 GB of memory card when shooting RAW. Another option is to shoot in RAW compressed, which will halve your file sizes with minimal loss to image integrity.

The other option you have is to shoot in .jpg. It is important to note that Jpg images use a lossy compression technique to minimize the amount of space an image takes. There are several levels of compression you can choose from on your camera. Jpeg-Large is the least amount of compression, has the highest file size, and the least amount of jpg artifacts. Jpeg-Medium, medium compression, medium file size, more jpg artifacts. Jpeg-small has the most compression, smallest file size (so you'll get a ton of pictures on your card), but also has the most loss created by the compression alogorithm.

There are a lot of debates about which is best to use and when to use it, but it basically comes down to what you want to do with your images. If you're using your camera for snapshots or something you're probably not going to publish (outside of your 4x6 prints), jpg is just fine.

If you want more control over the processing done on your pictures RAW is probably the way to go.

[Scott B]

Hi I have had my D80 for a couple of months now and I am loving it! To reply to your question as to the number of pics the card will hold, it depends on what format you are shooting in. I generally shoot in fine jpeg and it holds about 256 pics. An easy way to know is when you set your format, if you will look at your LCD display on the top of your camera it will show you how many pics are left. Also if you go onto Nikkon's website there is an online tutorial for the D80 which helped me a great deal with my D80. Also i just found this site and am looking foward to posting my pics. Let me know if I can be of more help.

[ArtistHideout]

Okay, you guys convinced me. I am going to have to go for the d80 over the Canon xti.

One quick question though. Lens Mounts. Plastic or Metal?

[Nicole]

One quick question though. Lens Mounts. Plastic or Metal?

Depends on the lens ;) Metal is obviously better because it won't wear out or be subject to possible breakage like plastic, but not all lenses have metal mounts :p