I have been debating for a very long time now which of these two cameras i should buy. I am currently shooting with my canon t50 and Ftb. But i like the nikon setup better, better than canon. I am not going for the professional world quite yet, im just a younge kid trying to upgrade. I don't have all the money in the world all of this is coming straight from my own pocket. Between the two i have leaned toward the n80 more because it has the bulb setting and i love to do star trail shots but i can use my ftb for that if needed.

Another thing is that i am not terribly skilled, i mean i know what i am doing, i feel very compitant in what i produce, anyway i am going to be mostly shooting outfoor portraits and some studio but not as much as the outdoor, and then some random stuff just for my class, but the camera isn't just for the class, its for me and i want to know what would be best for me at this point for just an upgrade, please be honest and thanks for any help

Devin

If you want to become skilled, then using the camera manually will really teach you the techniques of photography. Matrix metering and program mode do a good job most of the time, but in tricky lighting situations you won't know if you got the shot unless you know how to meter the light. Otherwise, how do you know what was metered? A spot meter is really valuable for this, and the N80 has one. This alone might be the reason to get it. You can apply a simplified version of Ansel Adam's Zone System and with practice get your metering "bombproof".

The bulb setting will really wear the batteries down quickly - the Canon might be good to keep if you do a lot of star trail shots or other really long exposures.

The bulb setting will really wear the batteries down quickly - the Canon might be good to keep if you do a lot of star trail shots or other really long exposures.
Sounds like a plan to me! You always buy a new camera according to what provides the best expansion of your capabilities, AND hang onto those that have already proven themselves capable for some aspect of your shooting. After all, they're already paid for.:)

That is how 'collections' are built - and is the cheapest way to have a solid backup available if the new toy breaks. Only when you reach the point of multiple redundancy, for ALL areas of your shooting, do you ever consider 'thinning the collection' - being careful, of course, to maintain at least two for every application.