After nearly a year on the market, the Nikon D200 has emerged as Nikon's flagship midrange digital SLR. With the right balance of professional features and affordability, the camera has been especially popular among serious amateur photographers and professionals on a budget.

The Nikon D80 is the first sub-$1000 SLR camera by Nikon since the release of the D50. In many ways the D80 is the direct successor of the slightly older D70, with a few major updates and upgrades. First and foremost is the new 10.2-megapixel CCD imaging sensor, which is a significant improvement over the 8-megapixel sensor found on the D70. At 10.2 megapixels, the D80's image sensor can produce extraordinarily high-resolution images for a camera in this relatively low price range.