Product Description

Features: 6.1 effective megapixel Nikon DX format CCD image sensor Compact, lightweight and easy to use 7 digital Vari-Programs Incredible battery performance with the EN-EL3 rechargeable battery Large, 2 LCD High-performance digital processing 5-area autofocus system 2.5 frames per second (fps) with uninterrupted shooting up to 137 frames 3D Color Matrix Metering II Small picture function i-TTL and Nikon s creative lighting system Responsive performance PictureProject software included NikonCapture software compatible (sold separately)

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #19397 in Consumer Electronics
• Brand: Nikon
• Model: D50BKIT1
• Released on: 2005-06-03
• Number of items: 1
• Dimensions: 5.58 pounds

Box Contents

Customer Reviews

Excellent entry level DSLR
I bought my D50 last year, at the end of October. I'd been messing around with various point and shoot cameras and I finally accepted that what I wanted to do was a long way off easy with P&S cameras. I'd owned a Canon EOS (film) as a student but it was a while ago and I'd forgotten everything I knew. I made a list of possible DSLRs which included two Canons and two Nikons and then went off to try them out. I went to the shop being biased towards the Canon and came back with the Nikon D50. I could have had the D70 or the D40 but I chose to have this one. Why? The reviews were good, it did everything I wanted and it felt right. Nearly a year on I'm still bowled over by it. I've bought a lot of Nikon glass to go with it and at some stage I know I'll go for a better body (Nikon) but not at the moment because this does everything I need at this stage in my development. It's easy to use, the menu structure is logical once you understand where it's coming from, on auto it makes sensible choices and on manual it's easy to use. I started off shooting on auto but after a couple of weeks I was confident enough to make my own decisions. These days I switch between auto and manual mode depending on the situations.

I have no idea how the D40 compares but I love this camera. I feels right. I'm female and I have quite small hands but I've had no problems operating this and holding it steady. My one gripe is the way it manages a delayed exposure (self timer) - it constantly resets whenever you shoot so if you want to take several pictures using the timer you have to reset it. It drove me spare to start with as I take macros on a tripod at small f/stops and long exposures but a remote control fixes that problem and saves any possibility of movement on the tripod. Of course, someone might come along and say I'm a dolt because you can set this up not to reset but if you can I've never found out how!!

The camera comes with Nikon's PictureProject (I shoot in RAW) which is adequate for simple post-processing - I don't post process much in any case; I take photos how I want them to be. PP is fine though Nikon Capture which I've used but not bought is much better... but the price is a bad joke.

I bought mine with this kit lens and again, it's fine, covers most of what you need to start with and the lens quality is a lot better than you often find with kit lenses. I'd buy it again if I was back there making this decision even though now I hanker after the D80 or even the D200 when I forget I'm just an amateur! If you're making the move from point and shoot to DSLR then this would be the way to go (though it's no longer produced)... if you're already an expert with DSLRs then it's better to go D80 or D200... However, don't take my word for it TRY THEM OUT first... the Canon/Nikon argument comes down to which you feel happier with. I've owned both and Canon felt better to me then and now Nikon feels better to me... but both make excellent cameras; it's a matter of taste.

REVIEW ON NIKON D50
Well!,i have owned over 14 digital cameras so far, from all different brands, like: Canon, fuji, Olympus,Panasonic, Sony and now Nikon. The reason i buy Nikon last is because i work as a fotospecialist for the big newspaper for over 25 yrs now.The company i work for used to have all Nikon gears for over 15 yrs, now they have switched to all Canon gears, due to the fact that Nikon digital has alot of problems with dynamic range and noise. They used to have Nikon D2H series.I personally worked on thousands of Nikon pics back then and i have found that Nikon has bad noise issues and white balance.
I finally decided to sell my Sony R1 and replace with Nikon D50, after about 100 test shots, i found that D50 colors are somewhat fine, but i can see clearly that its lack of dynamic range, its seems to blow hilight details, and shadow end seem to plug, another word its too short of dynamic range.The noise issue seems to be better now at high iso. I use it with my Sigma EX 24-70mm f2.8 one of my sharpest lens, the colors are fine, sharpness on D50 is fine too, but in overall as far as pics quality i think Sony R1 produces better images, but Sony R1 is a slower shooting camera as D50.
The goods, i think D50 has very solid build, compact, fast shooting and fast AF, menu is easy to use, great price.
i paid 330$ for D50 used in demo shape, for the price i cant complain, it does what i expect, a good camera to beat around, when i dont want to lug around my bigger cameras.
I found that d50 compact size is good, but its too small, my pinky finger is hanging out when i shoot, so i bought the generic battery grip holder for it. this will be my back up camera. great camera for anyone who wants to start of with thier 1st DSLR, its price body only is less than most point and shoot cameras.
I compared D50 pics to my Fuji S2 and S3 pros with the same lens, No question asked!, Fuji produces much better quality.
then come my Sony A100 on 2nd place.
My 2 centz.

For a first SLR, look no further!
With a view to taking my photography further, last year I decided to chuck the compact and jump into the world of the SLR. I chose the D50 mainly as it was the best I could afford - yes, Canon's EOS 350D is pretty similar on price, but Canons don't benefit from range wide lens mounts. This may not sound terribly important, but rather limits your options for upgrading your DSLR body yet retaining your lenses.

The D50 is a truly great all round camera. Six megapixels may not sound that brilliant in today's market of 11 megapixel compacts, but the D50 has a physically larger sensor, which is of excellent quality, so the end results are much better. Coming from the compact, the battery life impressed me - it's not difficult to make a fully charged battery last a week of a holiday. However, it is big - so if size is an issue, maybe look at something else - but sits nicely in your hands and is of a weight that implies that it's solidly built. True enough, I've had no build quality issues as yet.

The D50 takes SD cards as memory - which is handy as it's the biggest memory type in the world, so high capacity cards are fairly easy to come by and are cheap. However, I'd recommend you go for high-speed cards, with quick write and read rates, to make cycling through the photos easier.

As for lenses, the standard kit lens (the 18-55 mm) is a peach. It focusses quickly and smoothly, and in its lower zoom reaches introduces an almost wide-angle effect. Top notch.

A word about focussing - the D50 has three vertical focus points, and two horizontal. This may sound quite a bit, but the camera does allow you to mobilise only the central focus point, or another two modes which open up all of them, and one in which you can choose 'closest subject' - in which the camera will, surprise surprise, try to focus on the subject closest.

I'd recommend the D50 without a doubt to those looking to graduate to an SLR from a compact. The good image quality, top notch kit lens and infinite adjustability mean that this is the camera for you.