I am spending way too much time looking at screens. Screens are everywhere. Even when I am out shooting I look at a screen either trough the viewfinder or at the back display. And I remembered a time, I was starting out with photography, when cameras that used an electronic viewfinder were considered as somewhat mediocre. This was mostly due to the inherent limits of mid 2000s display technology. Digital SLR cameras were considered the best option for photographers. Instead of slow low resolution displays you would look through a bright and clear glass viewfinder that would show you the world exactly like the lens would see it.

Today most manufacturers have stopped producing DSLRs because electronic viewfinders are in every respect better and more useful than optical viewfinders. Well in almost every respect, they are just one more screen to look at. So I thought I get myself an old DSLR just for the experience of using an optical viewfinder and a large more mechanical camera. I used to shoot for years with a Canon EOS 20D.

I tried to procure a full frame camera but those are surprisingly expensive on the used market. Seems like I am not the only one thinking about older technology. Then I figured I go back a few years more and find something from the time when DSLRs became a mature product. And this was the mid 2000s. As I had already ample experience with Canon I chose a Nikon camera just to see the difference in their respective user experiences. I also got a Tamron fast standard zoom lens to go with my D80. Hopefully I can find a good deal on prime lens as well.

Over the next months expect some posts and images about this 16 year old camera. I am excited. My usual Fuji X-E4 looks like a toy camera next to it.