Is nikon d80 better than nikon d200 in low light?

Maybe what i want like a good viewfinder, autofocus motor and good low light performance is all there on nikon d80.

i might spend $500 for the body(used for 1 year) . What do you think

Added (1). Does nikon d80 have high speed sync with flash and can its mainboad flash serve as the commander

Added (2). High speed sync like 1/500 or above with flash

The D80 and D200 share nearly identical sensors. Image quality in lowlight is indistinguishable. If you've got a D200, there's little reason to step down to the D80. The D80's onboard flash does have flash commander capability but, I think the last Nikon body that had a native flash sync speed of 1/500th of a second was the D70/D70s. That said, I think nearly all Nikon's offer a high speed sync mode (>1/500th sec) that works with the SB 600, SB 800 and SB 900 flashes, albeit at reduced power.

No… I own both and don't use either in low light as my D90 and D7000 are miles better. While a fantastic camera the D90 is much better than the D80(or D200) in low light and color handling.

The D80 and D200 actually have the same sensor so the results are the same. Also the D80 only syncs at 1/250th of a second. To get a camera that does that either the D70 (which is horrible in low light) or the D700 (which is a dream camera but 3 times the price you listed). While the sync is slower you can use it as a commander…

Also a fast lens will help. A F1.8 lens is much better than an f/4 lens in low light. When I use either my D80 or D200 in low light I always use a lens that is f2.8 or faster…

Get a used D90