Nikon D80 vs Sony Alpha 3500

      Nikon D80

      Sony Alpha 3500
      55
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      59
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      Disclosure: We earn money from the affiliate links to products associated with content in this article.

      Overview

      In this comparison, we will evaluate the Nikon D80 and the Sony Alpha 3500, highlighting the advantages of each over the other, discussing their pros and cons, shared strengths and weaknesses, and providing a rating based on their available features and specifications to assist you in choosing the one that best suits your needs.

      Nikon D80 was introduced in September 2006 and Sony Alpha 3500 was introduced in March 2014. Let us first list highlights of the models.

      Nikon D80 Highlights

      • 10.2 MP APS-C CCD Sensor
      • 100 - 1,600 Native ISO
      • 2.5" 230k dot Fixed Screen
      • Optical (pentaprism) Viewfinder
      • 3.0 fps Continuous Shooting
      • Built-in Flash

      Sony Alpha 3500 Highlights

      • 20 MP APS-C CMOS Sensor
      • 100 - 16,000 Native ISO
      • 25 Focus Points
      • 3.0" 230k dot Fixed Screen
      • Electronic Viewfinder
      • 3.5 fps Continuous Shooting
      • 1920 x 1080 Video Shooting
      • 30 min Video Recording Limit
      • Built-in Flash
      Table of Contents
      1. Overview
      2. Pros and Cons
      3. Advantage of Nikon D80
      4. Advantage of Sony Alpha 3500
      5. Common Strengths and Weaknesses
      6. Screen and Viewfinder
      7. Sensor
      8. Photography Features
      9. Connectivity, Battery and Storage
      10. Other Features
      11. Physical Parameters
      12. For Different Types of Photography
      13. Evaluations
      14. Specifications  

      Now that we've looked at the most essential specifications and gained a basic understanding of these cameras, we can delve into more details and see the differences between them.

      Pros and Cons

      In this section we present pros and cons of Nikon D80 and Sony Alpha 3500.

      PROS

      Nikon D80

      Sony Alpha 3500

      •   Built-in Flash
      •   Orientation Sensor
      •   Video Capture
      •   Face Detection
      •   Live View Autofocus
      •   Built-in Flash
      •   HDMI Output
      •   Light - 411 g (0.91 lb / 14.50 oz)

      CONS

      Nikon D80

      Sony Alpha 3500

      •   No Video Capture
      •   Low Resolution Sensor - 10.2 Megapixel
      •   1,600 Highest Native ISO
      •   Timelapse Recording
      •   No Face Detection
      •   No Image Stabilization
      •   Fixed Screen
      •   Low Resolution Screen - 230k dot
      •   No Live View
      •   Low Max Continuous Shooting - 3.0 fps
      •   No HDMI Output
      •   No Built-in Microphone
      •   No Microphone Input
      •   No Headphone Output
      •   No Built-in GPS
      •   No Built-In Wi-Fi
      •   No Built-In Bluetooth
      •   No Environmental Sealing
      •   Timelapse Recording
      •   No Image Stabilization
      •   Fixed Screen
      •   Low Resolution Screen - 230k dot
      •   Low Max Continuous Shooting - 3.5 fps
      •   Low Video Resolution - 1920 x 1080
      •   Low Video Recording Limit
      •   No Microphone Input
      •   No Headphone Output
      •   No Built-in GPS
      •   No Built-In Wi-Fi
      •   No Built-In Bluetooth
      •   No Environmental Sealing
      •   Short Battery Life - 470 shots


      And here are some specifications which fall into average criteria and are neither in PROs nor in CONs category:

      AVERAGE

      Nikon D80

      Sony Alpha 3500

      •   100 Lowest Native ISO
      •   Screen Size - 2.5"
      •   Max Shutter Speed (Mechanical or 1st Curtain) - 1/4000 sec
      •   Max Flash Sync Speed - 1/200 sec
      •   DxO Overall Score - 61
      •   Weight - 668 g (1.47 lb / 23.56 oz)
      •   Sensor Resolution - 20 Megapixel
      •   100 Lowest Native ISO
      •   16,000 Highest Native ISO
      •   25 Focus Points
      •   Screen Size - 3.0"
      •   Max Shutter Speed (Mechanical or 1st Curtain) - 1/4000 sec
      •   Max Flash Sync Speed - 1/160 sec

      Advantage of Nikon D80

      Nikon D80
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      This section shows those features and specifications which are the reason to choose Nikon D80 over Sony Alpha 3500.

      Nikon D80 vs Sony Alpha 3500
      Phase Detection for Autofocus vs
      Top LCD Screen vs
      Higher Viewfinder Magnification (35mm equivalent) 0.63x vs 0.47x
      Higher Flash Sync Speed 1/200 sec vs 1/160 sec
      Average Metering vs

      Check out other cameras which are frequently compared to Nikon D80.

      Nikon D90
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      APS-C

      12.3 MP

      Nikon D70
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      APS-C

      6.1 MP

      Nikon D40X
      Image cannot be found

      APS-C

      10.2 MP

      Nikon D60
      Image cannot be found

      APS-C

      10.2 MP

      Nikon D70s
      Image cannot be found

      APS-C

      6.1 MP

      Nikon D40
      Image cannot be found

      APS-C

      6.1 MP

      Nikon D50
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      APS-C

      6.1 MP

      Nikon Z30
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      APS-C

      20.9 MP

      Nikon D800E
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      Full Frame

      36.3 MP

      Sony a7 III
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      Full Frame

      24.2 MP

      Fujifilm X-H1
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      APS-C

      24.3 MP

      Sony a7C II
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      Full Frame

      33.0 MP

      Advantage of Sony Alpha 3500

      Sony a3500
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      This section shows those features and specifications which are the reason to choose Sony Alpha 3500 over Nikon D80.

      Nikon D80 vs Sony Alpha 3500
      Video Capture vs
      Higher Sensor Resolution 10.2 Megapixel vs 20 Megapixel
      Higher Native ISO 1,600 vs 16,000
      Max Image Resolution 3872 x 2592 vs 5456 x 3632
      Center Autofocus vs
      Tracking Autofocus vs
      Face Detection vs
      Live View Autofocus vs
      Contrast Detection for Autofocus vs
      Larger Screen 2.5" vs 3.0"
      Live View vs
      Higher Viewfinder Coverage 95% vs 100%
      Higher Max Continuous Shooting 3.0 fps vs 3.5 fps
      Multi-Segment Metering vs
      Center Weighted Metering vs
      HDMI Output vs Mini
      Built-in Microphone vs Stereo
      Lighter 668 g (1.47 lb / 23.56 oz) vs 411 g (0.91 lb / 14.50 oz)

      Check out other cameras which are frequently compared to Sony Alpha 3500.

      Sony a3000
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      APS-C

      20.1 MP

      Pentax K-3 III
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      APS-C

      25.73 MP

      Hasselblad X2D 100c
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      Medium format

      100 MP

      Leica D-Lux (Typ 109)
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      Micro Four Thirds

      12.8 MP

      Pentax K100D
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      APS-C

      6.1 MP

      Nikon D500
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      APS-C

      20.9 MP

      Sony a6300
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      APS-C

      24.2 MP

      Pentax K-500
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      APS-C

      16.3 MP

      Fujifilm X-E2S
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      APS-C

      16.3 MP

      Fujifilm X-T200
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      APS-C

      24.2 MP

      Panasonic G2
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      Micro Four Thirds

      12 MP

      Canon Rebel T5
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      APS-C

      18.0 MP

      Common Strengths and Weaknesses

      We already listed pros and cons of each model. However, you may also find useful to look at their common strengths and weaknesses shown side-by-side.

      STRENGTHS Nikon D80 Sony Alpha 3500
        Built-in Flash
      WEAKNESSES Nikon D80 Sony Alpha 3500
        Timelapse Recording
        No Image Stabilization
        Screen TypeFixedFixed
        Low Resolution Screen230k dot230k dot
        Low Max Continuous Shooting3.0 fps3.5 fps
        No Microphone Input
        No Headphone Output
        No Built-in GPS
        No Built-In Wi-Fi
        No Built-In Bluetooth
        No Environmental Sealing

      Screen and Viewfinder

      Screen

      Nikon D80 has a 2.5" screen with 230k dot resolution and Sony Alpha 3500 has a 3.0" screen with 230k dot resolution. Both have Fixed screens.


      Viewfinder

      Nikon D80 has a built-in Optical (pentaprism) viewfinderSony Alpha 3500 has a built-in Electronic viewfinder. Nikon D80 has 95% coverage with 0.95x (0.63x 35mm equivalent) magnification and Sony Alpha 3500 has 100% coverage with 0.70x (0.47x 35mm equivalent) magnification.

      Sensor

      Nikon D80 features a 10.2 megapixel APS-C CCD sensor with dimensions of 23.6 x 15.8 mm and a total area of 372.9 mm2. Its native ISO range is 100 - 1,600 and expands to 100 - 3,200 in boosted mode. Sony Alpha 3500 features a 20 megapixel APS-C CMOS sensor with dimensions of 23.5 x 15.6 mm and a total area of 243.4 mm2. Its native ISO range is 100 - 16,000.


      Here is a sensor size comparison chart where you can see how different sensors compare with each other:

      Sensor size chart
      Sensor Dimensions Area Aspect Ratio Crop Factor
      Image cannot be displayedMedium Format44 x 33 mm1452 mm24:30.79x
      Image cannot be displayedFull Frame36 x 24 mm864 mm23:21x
      Image cannot be displayedAPS-H27 x 18 mm486 mm23:21.3x
      Image cannot be displayedAPS-C23.6 x 15.6 mm368.2 mm23:21.5x
      Image cannot be displayedAPS-C (Canon)22.3 x 14.9 mm332.3 mm23:21.6x
      Image cannot be displayedMicro Four Thirds17.4 x 13 mm226.2 mm24:32x
      Image cannot be displayed1-inch13.2 x 8.8 mm116.2 mm23:22.7x
      Image cannot be displayed1/1.7-inch7.44 x 5.58 mm41.5 mm24:34.7x
      Image cannot be displayed1/2.3-inch6.17 x 4.55 mm28.1 mm24:35.6x

      Photography Features

      Nikon D80 can take pictures up to 3872 x 2592 resolution. It can also take pictures with lower resolution like 2896 x 1944, 1936 x 1296 with 3:2 aspect ratios. Sony Alpha 3500 is equipped with BIONZ processor and can take pictures up to 5456 x 3632 resolution. It can also take pictures with lower resolution like 3872 x 2576, 2736 x 1824 with 3:2, 16:9 aspect ratios.


      Lens Mount

      Nikon D80 has Nikon F lens mount and Sony Alpha 3500 has Sony E lens mount. Due to their APS-C sensor their crop factor (also called lens multiplier) is equal to 1.5x. This means that a 35mm equivalent focal length of the mounted lens will be equal to its actual focal length times 1.5.


      No Image Stabilization

      The cameras do not have image stabilization. On Nikon D80 it means that you need lenses with optical image stabilization for vibration reduction. As for Sony Alpha 3500 nothing can be done. On Sony Alpha 3500 it means that you need lenses with optical image stabilization for vibration reduction. As for Nikon D80 nothing can be done.

      Connectivity, Battery and Storage

      USB Inputs and HDMI Outputs

      Both models have USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) inputs for data transfer. connector for video signal output.


      Battery

      Nikon D80 comes with EN-EL3e battery pack and Sony Alpha 3500 comes with NP-FW50 battery pack with battery life of 470 shots.


      External Storage Slots

      Nikon D80 has a single SD/SDHC card slot. Sony Alpha 3500 has a single card slot.

      Other Features

      Shutter

      Nikon D80 has Electronically-controlled vertical-travel focal plane shutter. Shutter speed can go up to 1/4000 sec on Nikon D80, and up to 1/4000 sec on Sony Alpha 3500. Nikon D80 can shoot continuously up to 3.0 fps. Sony Alpha 3500 can shoot continuously up to 3.5 fps.


      Flash

      Cameras have built-in flash with maximum range of 13.00 m at ISO 100 on Nikon D80 and 4m at ISO100 on Sony Alpha 3500. They also accept external flash which can be connected via Standard ISO hot-shoe contact with safety lock to Nikon D80. The fastest flash synchronization speed is 1/200 sec on Nikon D80 and 1/160 sec on Sony Alpha 3500.

      Physical Parameters

      Nikon D80 body has dimensions of 132 x 103 x 77 mm (5.2 x 4.06 x 3.03") and Sony Alpha 3500 body has dimensions of 128 x 91 x 85 mm (5.04 x 3.58 x 3.35"). Nikon D80 weighs 668 g (1.47 lb / 23.56 oz) and Sony Alpha 3500 weighs 411 g (0.91 lb / 14.50 oz).

      Nikon D80

      Sony Alpha 3500

      132 mm

      103 mm

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      128 mm

      91 mm

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      103 mm

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      91 mm

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      77 mm

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      85 mm

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      Size comparisons of Nikon D80 and Sony Alpha 3500

      Nikon D80 and Sony Alpha 3500 for Different Types of Photography

      We give scores to the cameras for six types of photography based on their features and specifications. Let us see how suitable they are for each type of photography.

      Landscape Photography

      Nikon D80

      Sony Alpha 3500

      AVERAGE
      63
      •   Low Resolution Screen - 230k dot
      •   No Live View
      •   No Built-in GPS
      •   No Environmental Sealing
      AVERAGE
      65
      •   Low Resolution Screen - 230k dot
      •   No Built-in GPS
      •   No Environmental Sealing

      Sports Photography

      Nikon D80

      Sony Alpha 3500

      AVERAGE
      55
      •   1,600 Highest Native ISO
      •   No Face Detection
      •   No Image Stabilization
      •   Low Resolution Screen - 230k dot
      •   No Live View
      •   Low Max Continuous Shooting - 3.0 fps
      •   Orientation Sensor
      AVERAGE
      67
      •   16,000 Highest Native ISO
      •   25 Focus Points
      •   Face Detection
      •   No Image Stabilization
      •   Low Resolution Screen - 230k dot
      •   Low Max Continuous Shooting - 3.5 fps
      •   Short Battery Life - 470 shots

      Wildlife Photography

      Nikon D80

      Sony Alpha 3500

      POOR
      54
      •   1,600 Highest Native ISO
      •   No Image Stabilization
      •   Low Resolution Screen - 230k dot
      •   No Live View
      •   Low Max Continuous Shooting - 3.0 fps
      •   No Environmental Sealing
      •   Orientation Sensor
      AVERAGE
      57
      •   16,000 Highest Native ISO
      •   25 Focus Points
      •   No Image Stabilization
      •   Low Resolution Screen - 230k dot
      •   Low Max Continuous Shooting - 3.5 fps
      •   No Environmental Sealing
      •   Short Battery Life - 470 shots

      Portrait Photography

      Nikon D80

      Sony Alpha 3500

      GOOD
      72
      •   No Face Detection
      •   No Image Stabilization
      •   Screen Size - 2.5"
      •   Low Resolution Screen - 230k dot
      •   No Live View
      •   Max Flash Sync Speed - 1/200 sec
      •   Orientation Sensor
      GOOD
      76
      •   25 Focus Points
      •   Face Detection
      •   No Image Stabilization
      •   Screen Size - 3.0"
      •   Low Resolution Screen - 230k dot
      •   Max Flash Sync Speed - 1/160 sec

      Street Photography

      Nikon D80

      Sony Alpha 3500

      GOOD
      77
      •   No Image Stabilization
      •   Fixed Screen
      •   Low Resolution Screen - 230k dot
      •   No Live View
      •   No Built-in GPS
      •   No Environmental Sealing
      •   Weight - 668 g (1.47 lb / 23.56 oz)
      GOOD
      80
      •   25 Focus Points
      •   No Image Stabilization
      •   Fixed Screen
      •   Low Resolution Screen - 230k dot
      •   No Built-in GPS
      •   No Environmental Sealing
      •   Light - 411 g (0.91 lb / 14.50 oz)

      Travel Photography

      Nikon D80

      Sony Alpha 3500

      GOOD
      77
      •   No Image Stabilization
      •   Fixed Screen
      •   Low Resolution Screen - 230k dot
      •   No Built-in GPS
      •   No Environmental Sealing
      •   Weight - 668 g (1.47 lb / 23.56 oz)
      GOOD
      80
      •   No Image Stabilization
      •   Fixed Screen
      •   Low Resolution Screen - 230k dot
      •   Low Video Resolution - 1920 x 1080
      •   Low Video Recording Limit
      •   No Built-in GPS
      •   No Environmental Sealing
      •   Light - 411 g (0.91 lb / 14.50 oz)
      •   Short Battery Life - 470 shots

      Evaluations

      We evaluate Nikon D80 and Sony Alpha 3500 and give them scores of 55 and 59 out of 100 recpectively. We also give separate scores for 7 different categories according to the available features and specifications some of which are listed below. These evaluations are relative and may change each time a new camera is added to the database.


      Nikon D80

      Sony Alpha 3500

      OVERALL
      55
      OVERALL
      59

      Sensor

      Nikon D80

      Sony Alpha 3500

      AVERAGE
      67
      •   Low Resolution Sensor - 10.2 Megapixel
      •   100 Lowest Native ISO
      •   1,600 Highest Native ISO
      •   DxO Overall Score - 61
      AVERAGE
      63
      •   Sensor Resolution - 20 Megapixel
      •   100 Lowest Native ISO
      •   16,000 Highest Native ISO

      Photo

      Nikon D80

      Sony Alpha 3500

      POOR
      53
      •   Timelapse Recording
      •   No Image Stabilization
      •   Max Shutter Speed (Mechanical or 1st Curtain) - 1/4000 sec
      •   Low Max Continuous Shooting - 3.0 fps
      •   Max Flash Sync Speed - 1/200 sec
      AVERAGE
      56
      •   Timelapse Recording
      •   No Image Stabilization
      •   Max Shutter Speed (Mechanical or 1st Curtain) - 1/4000 sec
      •   Low Max Continuous Shooting - 3.5 fps
      •   Max Flash Sync Speed - 1/160 sec

      Video

      Nikon D80

      Sony Alpha 3500

      BAD
      0
      •   No Image Stabilization
      BAD
      16
      •   No Image Stabilization
      •   Low Video Resolution - 1920 x 1080
      •   Low Video Recording Limit

      Focusing

      Nikon D80

      Sony Alpha 3500

      GOOD
      75
      •   No Face Detection
      GOOD
      71
      •   25 Focus Points
      •   Face Detection
      •   Live View Autofocus

      Screen and Viewfinder

      Nikon D80

      Sony Alpha 3500

      AVERAGE
      68
      •   Fixed Screen
      •   Screen Size - 2.5"
      •   Low Resolution Screen - 230k dot
      AVERAGE
      69
      •   Fixed Screen
      •   Screen Size - 3.0"
      •   Low Resolution Screen - 230k dot

      Connectivity

      Nikon D80

      Sony Alpha 3500

      POOR
      40
      •   No HDMI Output
      •   No Built-in Microphone
      •   No Microphone Input
      •   No Headphone Output
      •   No Built-in GPS
      •   No Built-In Wi-Fi
      •   No Built-In Bluetooth
      AVERAGE
      65
      •   HDMI Output
      •   No Microphone Input
      •   No Headphone Output
      •   No Built-in GPS
      •   No Built-In Wi-Fi
      •   No Built-In Bluetooth

      Battery, Storage and Physical

      Nikon D80

      Sony Alpha 3500

      POOR
      41
      •   No Environmental Sealing
      •   Weight - 668 g (1.47 lb / 23.56 oz)
      POOR
      43
      •   No Environmental Sealing
      •   Light - 411 g (0.91 lb / 14.50 oz)
      •   Short Battery Life - 470 shots


      For a full specification list please go to the specifications page:

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