boomer826 Loc: Florida gulf coast

. The manual is a start but they don't really explain what all the settings and switches do to your pictures. I have five Nikon cameras and believe me, there manuals leave a lot to be desired. You must be a Canon man, and that's alright (lol). They work the same way as any other camera, basically. So you should be able to help your son understand some of the stuff he needs to learn. Then he can show you the error of your ways, and convince you to get a Nikon. (LOL).

Steve3265 Loc: Fulton, IL

JPL, I agree with you that a photo course may be just the ticket for this young man. He may also want to look into a photo club in his area that may be able to help him with settings and help him learn to use the camera to the best of everything that it offers.

For tBragg Guy Loc: Fort Bragg Ca

Thank you all again for your replies and advice. The photo course would be the best to do with someone to do hands on training. As I live in another state too far to travel lightly it is difficult to do consistent help. He is also a single father moving to another state for a new job and going to school to advance his career. I will push him to try a photo course when the time is better to do so. I guess I was hoping for a magic bullet for him to gain more quickly than realistic.

whitewolfowner

The D80 is a fine camera. It's limitations are it's slow buffer and low light shooting. Otherwise it is a great camera. The best camera in the world will not give results if the person behind the lens has no knowledge of photography and the usage of a camera. If he wants to get great results from the D80, he has learn the basics of both composition and technical use of the camera. I suggest he get into a basic course or find a mentor.

heyjoe Loc: cincinnati ohio

take walks, and shoot as many pics as you can,only takes a day or so to get the basics down,then you can work on some great shots,
i started 4 years ago with a canon 30d,had no experience with film cameras,i did some reading,but for me learning was much faster
with hands on practice,

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

The camera in the Google cell phone has gotten excellent reviews, and the D80 technology goes back a decade. Still, the Nikon can take great pictures. It's a question of good exposure and good focus. There is probably a setting in the Menu for Normal, Vivid, etc., concerning how the JPEGs are processed in the camera.

How do his pictures compare with shots taken with your Canon? You should each take pictures of the same scene and compare them. Then you will be able to see DSLR vs DSLR shots and where the discrepancies are.

billnikon Loc: Pennsylvania/Ohio/Florida/Maui/Oregon/Vermont

My wifes cell phone will, from time to time, deliver a better PICTURE than on my D4s.

Madman Loc: Gulf Coast, Florida USA

Although the D80 is not the most up to date DSLR around, it is quite capable of giving exceptional quality photos. The best way for us to assist you is to see samples of your sons photos posted with the (store original) box selected. Then we can see it's strengths and weaknesses and analyze the EXIF data that is attached.

Besides, many of us enjoy seeing photos of waterfalls and beautiful scenery.

paulrph1 Loc: Washington, Utah

Photography is not a simple process as many would like to make it so. That is why there is so much use of cell phones and point and shoots. Photography is a never ending, always learning process so do not expect it to be easy. My daughter had a D80 which I gave to her and she had the same problem until I showed her how to use the camera. Get a good photography book, read the manual, take pictures while reading the manual, It will take work or you can settle. My mother always told me to buy a post card. There, that was easy.

craggycrossers Loc: Robin Hood Country, UK

Hi, and all the way from the UK too !

Looking at your son's woes my perception is that he needs to learn a few photography basics. If he stays on "everything auto" then it's almost no use keeping that camera and lens which are still capable of getting good results. It may well depend upon your son's own levels of motivation and desire to improve.

He doesn't have to "pay" for any course of study either. By getting a good handle on the material available on this website he can plan his study around his own needs and time.

That is ...... as long as he can put up with an "English" accent !

Look here : http://www.youtube.com/user/photoexposed

tomcat

So if it were a Canon, you could teach him "better"? What if he rented a new car and could not figure how to drive it--lol? Canon or Nikon, it's still the same general philosophy. I use Nikons exclusively but I can still help Canyon shooters, lol

rmalarz Loc: Tempe, Arizona

Teach your son how to use the camera in manual mode, use RAW format, and learn to post process.
--Bob

Impressionist

Concepts with regards to photography haven't changed since the art/science was invented. There are more then enough excellent examples of photographs taken from the past to present that demonstrate the value of knowledge in the science and art. The technology in new cell phones is more advanced then most DSLRs ten years past. The engineers of technology know photographic principles and are constantly improving the way imaging devices apply them. Engineers still aren't the ones who make the decision to make an image. Your son needs to know the concepts of photography better then he does if he wants to improve. Perhaps you and he can learn together. There are books like Bryan Peterson's Understanding Exposure and maybe better for you David Busch's Digital SLR Cameras and Photography for Dummies. No implication on Dummies part intended. It is a good book and he writes good guides to many NIKON Cameras as well. Learning something together can be fun as long as it isn't made into a contest. You and he are smart enough to ask questions. Take the next step and learn the concepts that go into the art of photography. Always great to see that close bonds can be made even closer.

WessoJPEG Loc: Cincinnati, Ohio

Now you know why it's called the ugly Hedge Hogg.

gvarner Loc: Central Oregon Coast

Cell phones are set up as dedicated point and shoot cameras. More complicated DSLR's have to be set up in advance to do this. I have a D7000 and my daughter's cell phone was taking better pics without flash inside a museum than mine did - until I discovered the magic of Auto ISO and center weighted metering. But then again, she can't do off camera flash or mount a macro lens either so I guess we're even.