Nikon's 2008 bridge superzoom — 10.1MP CCD, 18x 27-486mm VR lens, EVF and 2.7in LCD.
The Nikon Coolpix P80 was a bridge-style superzoom in Nikon's P (Performance) series, introduced in April 2008. It offered an SLR-shaped body with a huge zoom range at a time when 18x was near the top of the class, and it was superseded by the Coolpix P90 in March 2009.
The P80 combined a 10.1-megapixel CCD sensor (maximum 3648x2736 images) with an 18x Zoom-Nikkor lens covering a 27-486mm equivalent range, stabilised by Nikon's lens-shift Vibration Reduction. Composition was via an electronic viewfinder or a 2.7-inch 230k-dot TFT LCD. ISO settings ran from 64 to 6400, shutter speeds from 8 seconds to 1/2000, and metering options included 256-segment matrix, centre-weighted and spot. It recorded VGA (480p) video with sound in AVI format, stored images on SD cards alongside 50MB of internal memory, and ran on an EN-EL5 lithium-ion battery good for roughly 250 shots.
The P80 suits travellers and casual wildlife or sports shooters who want one camera that goes from wide-angle to serious telephoto without changing lenses. The VR stabilisation makes the long end usable handheld, and manual exposure modes give room to learn. Limits are those of the era: a small sensor that struggles at high ISO, an EVF of modest resolution, and video well short of HD.
Second-hand, confirm the EN-EL5 battery holds charge and a charger is present — this Nikon battery type was used across many Coolpix models and replacements remain easy to find. Work the zoom through its full 18x range listening for motor strain, check the EVF and rear LCD for defects, and test the VR system by comparing stabilised shots at full telephoto. SD storage means no card headaches.