I am thinking of ugrading from my D70 and before I would buy the D80 I wanted to know if anyone has heard of a replacement to the D80 coming soon? I want to still stay in the D80 price range or maybe a little more if a new model was coming (higher resolution and 3" LCD).

Thanks

There are very few reputable leaks about new cameras from any of the big camera makers. If there is a replacement, we will most likely hear about it in late August or early September, just before the big Photokina tradeshow, in Germany. And it probably wouldn't be available until October or November. So if you think the D80 is a worthy upgrade and you want to use it this summer, I would recommend buying now. You might also consider looking for a used D200. With the D300 out, there are probably very good deals to be had on used D200s.

Often there is a reliable leak in the French press a couple of months before a new camera announcement from Nikon. I haven't seen anything yet.

The replacement for the D80 is a given at this point. It fits with Nikon's release cycle. It'll be out around Photokina, most likely, and probably will offer a modest increase in resolution, a larger LCD, possibly autofocus refinements, and I'd be willing to say we might see an increase in shooting speed.
Unless you really need the D80 for the summer, I suggest you wait.

Thanks for all the input. I think I will wait because I really like the bigger LCD and over 10MP resolution.

I recently email Nikon asking if they had an upgrade to the D80 coming out anytime soon. I got the standard “we don’t have that info” answer, but the rep also said that the D80 WAS the oldest DSLR in the Nikon lineup now, so if a camera was scheduled to be upgraded, that WOULD be the logical one.

Sounds almost like an answer to me, LOL

October most likely you'll see a replacement. I ended up buying a used D200 that gave me low iso performance identical to the D300, a much more rugged body and much better meter than the D80, and really fast AF (I honestly don't need the 58 segment AF). Since I don't shoot above ISO 400 the D200 was perfect and a REALLY good deal.

Thanks for all the input. I think I will wait because I really like the bigger LCD and over 10MP resolution.

I have the D200 and the D300. After 6 months I still haven't written a review of the D300 - I've done less than 1000 shots with it. I have to force myself to use it. It's a better camera than the D200 but I was used to the D200.

- The bigger LCD is nice
- The 51 zone focussing system with all the points in focus that light up is good
- You gain one more stop overall (base sensitivity is 200 ISO instead of 100 ISO)
- The DLighting thing is useful in NX. And the 14 bit option for extreme lighting
- Exposure consistency is even better
- The battery grip is smarter
- Sensor cleaning of course I can change lenses without having to worry too much

But I wouldn't say that 12Mpix makes any difference over 10Mpix.