barry_vangrov Posted January 7, 2006 Share Posted January 7, 2006 Needing to replace my 2 year old Coolpix 5700, I'm debating between the 8700 or the D50. Other than the flexibility of interchangeable lenses, is the D50 worth the extra $200 or so? Does the difference show in image quality? And if I go with the D50 which lense should I get with it to start? Thanks. All input is helpful. Barry Vangrov Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
terry_rory Posted January 7, 2006 Share Posted January 7, 2006 No competition. Get the D50. The 18-70mm AF-S DX lens is a very good general purpose lens and you may want a fast prime like a 50mm f/1.8 (or a 35mm f/2) to supplement it on occasions when you really want the speed. The 50mm f/1.8D AF is very cost effective for portraits in low light indoors without flash and the 35mm f/2 is a better choice for a 'normal' lens perspective (equivalent to around 52mm on a film SLR) but costs a little more. The D50 will give good images with acceptable noise levels at ISO 1600. (Especially if you invest in noise reduction software like Noise Ninja for a few tens of dollars.) Always shoot in RAW (NEF) and learn the benefits of shooting in Aperture priority or shutter priority modes. If you need a RAW convertor but dont have Photoshop CS2 then the Nikon worldwide technical support websites all have free downloads for Nikon View 6.2.7 (Mac & Windows) which includes a useful RAW convertor function which will operate in full 16 bit mode if you want to produce 16 bit TIFF files for the highest quality work. The D50 will accomodate a couple of very capable flash units either the SB600 or SB600 (the SB600 offers the best value for the D50) and if you are into TTL balanced flash or rear curtain synch then you can get very creative with some excellent results using the D50/18-70mm/SB-600 combination. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jon_sak Posted January 7, 2006 Share Posted January 7, 2006 Wait and look before you leap. Do you have nikon AF lenses already? If not you will be unpleasantly surprised at the start up cost. Before I begin, people will say that you can get a d50 with a decent zoom lens and a 1gb CF card on B&H for less than $700 USD. But there is a lot more to it than that if you do not alreay have some nikon AF lenses. I would actually recommend you get the 8800 with vibration reduction. If you have been using a 5700 I assume you don't absolutley need depth of field (blurry backgound of focused subject) The VR lens on the nikon 8800 is very helpful and can definately produce images as good as a D50 when you stay under iso 200. Just do the calculations on the price of "35-350 mm equivilant F2.6-F4 VR lens" to be used on a D50. Its an astronomical price. The downside to the 8800 is that images at iso above 200 are pretty bad, but everything is a compromise. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michael erlich Posted January 7, 2006 Share Posted January 7, 2006 An 8700 can't compete with a D50 in terms of noise at high ISOs or in operating speed. If these are important to you get the D50. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jon_sak Posted January 7, 2006 Share Posted January 7, 2006 Thats why he should look at the nikon coolpix 8800. It has built in VR Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michael erlich Posted January 7, 2006 Share Posted January 7, 2006 I'm referring to startup time and shutter lag, not handhold-ability at slow shutter speeds. The D50 can use VR lenses. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jon_sak Posted January 7, 2006 Share Posted January 7, 2006 Michael Erlich the cost to get two nikon VR lenses that cover a focal range of 35-350mm would cost at least $1800 USD retail. The 24-120mm VR is at least $300 USD and the 80-400mm is at least $1000, most of the time they cost more. I don't think that we are talking about the same price range. The nikon 8800 with VR can be had for less than $700 USD and don't forget that it can make full advantage of the nikon TTL flash system. If he decides to get a D50 and cover the same focal length he would need $869 USD for the kit being offered by B&H. That kit includes the 18-55mm DX Zoom Nikkor and the 55-200 DX Zoom Nikkor. These are very, very different price classes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cjfraser Posted January 8, 2006 Share Posted January 8, 2006 Hi Barry, All of the above advice is well founded, and how it applies to your case will depend on your answers to other questions. What kind of pictures do you generally take? What operating mode did you usually use the 5700 in? Were you satisfied with the handling and performance of your 5700? (Framing photos on an LCD, focusing, zoom range, pushing a button to zoom, etc.) Are you looking for an upgraded version of roughly the same camera? Then the 8700 or 8800 may be the better choice. Do you see yourself investing an increasing amount of time and energy (and probably money) in photography in the next couple of years? Do you have experience with film SLR cameras? Were you frustrated by the 5700 in any way? Then you might favor the D50. A digicam and a DSLR are such different animals that image quality alone isn't a dominant, decisive factor in choosing between them. Used well, the 8700 can produce very good images. But the D50 will offer you more control over the image, more flexibility, and more room for growth. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michael erlich Posted January 8, 2006 Share Posted January 8, 2006 Well said, Chris. A P&S and a DSLR are aimed at entirely different kinds of users. There are many more factors to consider than just image quality. If image quality is the only thing to go by, we'd all be shooting 8x10 sheet film. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
barry_vangrov Posted January 8, 2006 Author Share Posted January 8, 2006 A lot of good input and a lot to think about. I used a Nikon FE2 SLR for many years and have several lenses for that camera. These lenses are twenty years old. For example I have an AF Nikkor 70-210mm. The other lenses are Nikon Series E. Are you saying these old lenses will fit the D50? That would certainly make a difference in my decision. Another question. Do you think there is an appreciable image quality difference between the 8700 or 8800 and the D50 (taking removeable lenses out of the equation.) Thanks again for all of the information. Barry Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jon_sak Posted January 8, 2006 Share Posted January 8, 2006 Barry Vangrov you have just touched upon a disadvantage of the D50. Your old lenses can mount on the D50 body and can only use focus confirmation. The light meter in the D50 WILL NOT work with E series lenses and older. You have to use AF-D lenses or later for the meter to work at all. Also don't forget the crop fator of x1.5. A 50mm lens frames photos like a 75mm lens. So all you wide angles lenses will not be so wide angle on the D50 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris_buff Posted March 10, 2006 Share Posted March 10, 2006 As a happy owner of both the Nikon Coolpix 8700 and Nikon D50. I would strongly recommend that you choose the D50. If you happen to already have some older Nikkor lenses, you will likely be able to use them again with the D50. Check the Nikon site for a lens compatibility list to be sure. I am currently using 1980's vintage Nikkor 70-210 f4 and 35-70 f3.3 lenses in addition to the 18-55mm kit lens. I find that the noise levels of the D50 are SO MUCH lower than that of the 8700. The 8700 is a great vacation and general purpose camera with a flexible lens and portability. Where it loses to the D50 is when the light is poor or when you need high iso for shooting rapidly moving objects. In addition, while the shot to shot performance of the 8700 is better than the 5700, it cannot come close to the instantaneous shot to shot performance of the D50. If you want to shoot action (or quick footed children!) The D50 really shines under those conditions. I can take a 50% crop of a D50 image, iso 400 or 800, print it out at 8inch by 10inch and get absolutely amazing results. Here is an example of what you can do with the D50: http://www.aviationbuff.com/DSC_1255%20master%20before%20sharp%208x6.jpg Just my opinion of course! Sincerely, Chris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now