The Coolpix P80 is equipped with a 18x Nikkor optical zoom lens with a 27 - 486mm (in 35mm equivalent) focal length coverage. The maximum aperture is F2.8 to 4.5, and the lens is comprised of 14 elements in 5 groups. The lens is protected by the included lens cap.

The 9-area contrast detect TTL AF system covers a focus range of 1 ft. 4 in. (40cm) to infinity [W], 5 ft. (1.5m) to infinity [T]; Macro close-up mode: 4 in. (10cm) to infinity (zoom position where flower turns green), 0.4 in. (1cm) to infinity (zoom position at ^ mark). It is aided in low lighting condition by a Focus-assist lamp. Auto focus can be single AF or Full-time AF with Auto area selection, Center-focus area selection or Manual area (99 points) selection available.

The Coolpix P80 features the VR (Vibration Reduction) system originally developed for Nikon SLR cameras. Providing a shooting experience akin to shooting at shutter speeds three stops faster, it enables photographers to shoot without blurring in lower light, keeps subjects clear when panning, and also helps support faster framing on the LCD. What’s more, the benefits of VR assurance also extend to movie shooting so users can capture action with welcome stability.

The built-in speedlight has a shooting range of approx. (W) 0.5 to 8.8m (1 ft. 8 in. to 28 ft.), (T) 0.5 to 5.6m (1 ft. 8 in. to 18 ft.) at ISO Auto, and can be set for Auto Flash, Red-Eye Reduction (with or without slow sync), Fill Flash, Slow Sync or Disabled.

The P80 features a 0.24-inch EVF (Electronic ViewFinder) with 230,000 pixels of resolution. It offers 97% frame coverage and has a diopter adjustment feature.

The large 2.7-inch color LCD with 230,000 pixels of resolution serves as the viewfinder as well as for reviewing your images and movies and accessing the menu screens. In lower light conditions the LCD will "gain up" for better framing and provides 97% coverage. The screen is coated with a anti-glare finish and offers a wide viewing angle even in the bright sunlight.

Controls on the back: Along the left hand side of the EVF is the Monitor button, which switches between the LCD and EVF. TO the right is the DISPlay button, it controls the about of information displayed on both screens. At the far top right you can see the command dial, which is used for changing various settings as well as for quickly navigating the menu system or scrolling through stored images. The "blue arrow" button puts the camera in Play mode. Next is the 4-way selector, which is for navigating menus and selecting pictures. In record mode pressing it "Up" selects the desired flash mode. Pressing it "Left" activates the self-timer. Pressing it "Down" enables the macro focus mode. Press it "Right" to adjust exposure compensation in P mode or exposure values in M/A/S (in conjunction with the command dial). The center OK button accepts menu selections. The MENU button calls up and dismisses menu screens, and the "trash can" button is for deleting images.

Controls on top include the Mode Dial with positions for: Auto, Program, Shutter priority, Aperture priority, Manual, SETUP, Movie, Scene, and Sports. You can also see the power on/off button, shutter release with the zoom controls mounted around it (also act as the index and magnify options in playback mode.)

The interface connector is a combination device used to connect either the USB 2.0 cable for downloading images to the host computer or connect the Audio-Video Out cable to a TV set. The video signal is selectable for NTSC or PAL. The USB cable can be connected to any PictBridge compatible photo printer for computer-free printing.

The Coolpix P80 is equipped with ~50MB of internal memory and a SD/SDHC memory card slot, no card is supplied with the camera. Images and movies can be copied from internal memory to SD card or vice-versa. We recommend the purchase of at least a 1GB (or larger) SD card or your picture taking will be quite limited.

The camera is powered by a proprietary EN-EL5 rechargeable Li-Ion battery which provides approx. 250 shots (CIPA standard) per charge. The included MH-61 charger works on 100-240v AC systems. An optional power adapter (AC Adapter EH-62A) allows the camera to be powered from an A/C wall outlet.