BillMac Loc: Crescent City California

This is my first & only DSLR (at 85 yrs) I love it & don't plan a upgrade for sometime. My problem is I don't understand "chip size". Would someone please explain this in very simple terms. What is the normal size chips I should use and whayt is the MAX size chip I can/should use. Picture taking is just for my personal pleasure.

alandg46 Loc: Boerne, Texas

I believe you're referring to the image sensor in your camera which for your camera is fixed.

alandg46 Loc: Boerne, Texas

For a comparison of sizes go here: http://photoseek.com/2013/compare-digital-camera-sensor-sizes-full-frame-35mm-aps-c-micro-four-thirds-1-inch-type/

Erkibler

I think the SD card is what he's referring to as "chips".

jeep_daddy Loc: Prescott AZ

Glad to see that you are getting out there and using your DSLR. The kind of "chip" as you call it is called an SD or SDHC memory card. This is what your camera takes. The SD / SDHC stands for (Secure Digital or Secure Digital High Capacity)This camera is 11 years old and takes 10 megapixels images. This is small by today's standards, so you can use smaller SD cards with this camera. Mostly people use 32 GB (GB = GigaByte) cards but you could use 8GB or 16GB cards fine. I'd suggest you keep clear of off brand cards, and stick with the better known brands such as Lexar, Kingston or SanDisk. I like those 3 but you can use any that you like. Prices are very low on the smaller memory cards so going with a brand name card is cheap.

The best practice to use when taking pictures is to format the memory card using the camera. Formatting is preparing the card to accept pictures by the camera for the camera. After you take pictures, remove the card, put it in your computers card reader, transfer the images to your computer. Do whatever you like with those pictures that are on your computer but be careful not to delete them or put them in a folder that you can't remember. Then put the memory card back into your camera and format it again. This keeps the cards filing system indexed and ready for new pictures.

alandg46 Loc: Boerne, Texas

Oh!

Rwheless Loc: Houston, TX

By "chip," I think you must be talking about SD card where images are stored inside the camera before downloading and formatting. Yes?

Your D80 is about a 10 mega-pixel camera and can shoot in different formats and JPEG compressions. So these settings will ultimately determine the maximum number of frames you can store on the SD card before downloading and formatting the card (erasing it). That being said, an SD card as small as 8 GB would allow you to shoot about 1,000 images at the "fine" JPEG compression before having to download images and formatting the card.

GoofyNewfie Loc: Kansas City

Salt and vinegar is my favorite!

jeep_daddy Loc: Prescott AZ

Mine too.

JPL

I think you are referring to the SD card size when you talk about chip. SD card is a memory card where your camera stores the pictures you take with it.
When you talk about chip size I guess you are talking about the storage capacity. That is measured in Gigabites (GB) 1 Gigabite is approximately 1000 megabytes. One picture taken in RAW (highest quality) is about 12,7 megabytes. That means if you have a 1 GB SD card in your camera you will fill it up with about 79 pictures before the card is full and you have to transfer the pictures from the card to your computer to be able to take more pictures.

I would suggest you use 8 or 16 GB SD cards in your camera. Then you will be able to take either about 630 or 1260 pictures respectively until you have to transfer pictures from your memory card to pc to be able to continue taking more pics. That should allow for a days shooting or a weekends shooting or even more without having to stop because you have no room for more pics on your memory (SD) card.

And by the way, I have one D80 camera. It is a very good camera, I have got lot of pictures I am very pleased with on that camera and sure you do not need another camera as long as this one is in good shape.

PHRubin Loc: Nashville TN USA

We don't refer to them as chips, so we're not sure what you are referring to. If it is the sensor size, we tend to categorize cameras by the size of their sensors. The smallest sensors need the most light and the cameras that use them we call "point and shoot". Sensor sizes vary here. DSLRs come in 2 varieties. Full frame (which uses a sensor the same size as 35mm film or slides) and APS-C which is roughly 2/3 that size, so the image appears 1.5 times larger. The APS-C types have the advantage of lighter weight, smaller size, cheaper lenses, although they can use the same lenses as full frame. Also, for the same lens, they have greater "reach", which is useful for photographing sports and wildlife. Full frame is more sensitive and needs less light, and is useful in photographing landscapes where the 1.5 magnification of APS-C works against you.

On the other hand, if you are talking about the memory cards, the size is in giga-bytes (GB) - the bigger the more you can store -
and they are also rated on speed which is important for high def video.

Let us know what chip you are referring to and we can tell you more.

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

If you have a manual for the camera, see what type of SD cards are approved. Getting larger or faster won't help.

chase4 Loc: Punta Corona, California

Copied directly from the Nikon D80 Manual:

Approved Memory Cards
The following SD memory cards have been tested and approved for use in the D80. All cards of the designated make and capacity can be used, regardless of speed.
Viewfinder eyepiece accessories
Filters
SanDisk 64MB, 128MB, 256MB, 512MB, 1GB, 2GB*, 4GB*†
Toshiba 64MB, 128MB, 256MB, 512MB, 1GB, 2GB*, 4GB*† Panasonic 64MB,128MB,256MB,512MB,1GB,2GB*,4GB*† * If card will be used with card reader or other device, check that device sup-
ports 2 GB and 4 GB cards.
Lexar
128MB, 256MB, 512MB, 1GB, 2GB* Platinum II: 512MB, 1GB, 2GB* Professional:1GB,2GB*
† SDHC compliant. If card will be used with card reader or other device, check that device supports SDHC.
Operation is not guaranteed with other makes of card. Contact the manufacturer for details on the above cards.

I use only the recommended memory cards in my Nikons and never had any problems. NOTE: Max size is only 2 or 4 GB depending on the brand and only SD cards are supported, NOT all SDHC cards will work. I hope this helps. chase

Stormrider Loc: Idaho Territory

Howdy folks: first time post here. New to real photography. Just treated myself to a new Canon D80. I am looking at it still in the box and as it does not come with a SIM card was intrigued and gratified by this discussion. I do landscapes, ghosttowns, stage stops etc. As a former homicide rconstruction guy, I follow a crime scene format; far, intermediate and closeup. I would like to also try video. I use an IMac for desktop and will be transferring and, dare I Say, manipulating photos on that platform. ANY gross beginner tips and a straight forward recommendation for the SIM card will be much appreciated or and/or lens package will be apprciated. Nice to meet you all.

Wingpilot Loc: Wasilla. Ak

Welcome, Stormrider. You have a great camera to start out with. It's a good one to grow into. But just so you know, it's a camera, not a phone, so it doesn't take a SIM card. But it does take an SD card. Since you are just starting out, you may want to investigate shooting JPEG images before you get into RAW and lots of post processing. That will come later, I suspect. So a good 8 or 16Gb card should be sufficient. Just get the fastest card you can so that the images transfer to the card quickly.