I was having inconsistent exposure issues with my D80. One day over exposed,then the next under exposed, horrible noise...Aaargh:mad2: Well, after much experimentation, almost giving up on this Camera and $500.00 lense I got it...With a Non-Nikkor lense I now use ~A~ priority mode, get full control over the lense. I guess :confused: Is it the matrix metering thing.:eek:
Lately, I'm shooting with razor sharp results,Right from the camera.That's what I expect from a Nikon. It's a finicky beast.I guess I had a steep learning curve being a DSLR rookie. Next is a VR lense. I'm currently learning the Nikon Capture NX tools(which I think are fantastic). If you have a D80 don't give up.You'll get it..... I think I can...I think I can...I think I can... Any advice ?? Did I just finally get it ? Is it the Camera or is it me?? hahaha
DSLR rookie
Rick

I have a Sigma 10-20 - it's a really nice lens and a lot of fun shooting with that wide of a perspective. Mine seems really sharp too but I haven't made any big prints with it. I'm sure it will pass that test just fine.

One thing - sharpness in camera is the result of a lot of things. Of course there's lens sharpness and camera shake (or lack of, from using a tripod) but digital images generally are a little soft even when you have everything else right. You can either sharpen in-camera or in a program like Photoshop. Personally I don't sharpen at all in the camera and take care of it all in Photoshop since the same image used on the web and made into a large print might need two different levels of sharpening to look the best. Scott Kelby's book on Photoshop devotes a whole chapter to sharpening and it's very easy to get the results you want using one of several methods. OTOH, my camera is a fairly old Fuji S2 and I'm sure the in-camera sharpening used on the brand new D80 is much better than what I have.

"A" mode and matrix metering are two different things. "A" mode is aperture priority and that means that you pick the aperture; the camera picks the corresponding shutter speed. "S" mode is just the opposite, you pick the shutter speed and the camera picks the aperture. Matrix metering is one of three modes that Nikon uses - there's also center weighted and spot. I use all three but my "default" is Matrix. Sometimes I shoot in manual mode and will use the spot meter for this but it takes some practice to get used to it. The payoff is 100% consistent results (any exposure error is that of the photographer...). Sometimes matrix will underexpose in low light and center weighted won't, so if you run into that situation there's a fix.