Sporting the 3D Color Matrix Metering II found in its D40x cousin, the D80 metering has definitely been a joy to use. I haven t really had to deal with many issues, at times it gets the wrong level of exposure but that can easily be corrected by adjusting exposure. I generally keep it at -.
03 as it easier to lighten the image rather than face lost areas due to overexposure. Center-weighted and spot metering are also options. There is also a bracketing function that allows you to take 3 pictures with varying exposure levels, a definitely useful function if you are not sure what exposure level to use at the time but don t have time to play around with different options.
I generally tend to use auto white balance which has not failed me yet. There are however, several other set modes to choose from (incandescent, fluorescent, direct sunlight, flash, cloudy, shade). There is also the option to manually set white balance based on a reference point either in a current picture being taken or a picture already stored on the camera.
The option to adjust the numerical white balance is also available and adds a nice touch, although realistically this would probably be rarely used. One of the reasons DSLRs are a major step up from P S cameras is their ability to produce images with less noise at high ISO levels. ISO levels can be set from 100-3200 (Hi 1) with graduated intervals, a nice from the usual 100 unit increases.
Noise at high ISO levels (1600) is definitely present but acceptable considering you are avoiding blur that would be far worse. The auto ISO option is also nice, allowing you to set a max ISO as well as a minimum shutter speed before kicking ISO up to its fullest. This allows you to focus on either setting aperture or shutter speed without really worrying about the ISO level.
A nice gimmicky feature to have perhaps, but to me I don t really feel comfortable editing on a 2.5 screen with far less color reproduction than a computer screen and so I have yet to really use the in-camera editing tools. I can definitely see the advantage of having this as an option however, and I might use it if I am not able to access my computer for some reason, but I see this more as an advantage to the casual user and not really the majority of individuals using this camera.
There are several options you can adjust with the editing tools that might be of interest: Compensates for low lighting or back lit subjects Corrects red eye Allows you to crop the image. Create B W, sepia or cyanotype effects Sporting the 3D Color Matrix Metering II found in its D40x cousin, the D80 metering has definitely been a joy to use.
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