D50: A Poor Choice?

[amber_b1]

Let me just start by saying I would get the D200 if I had the cash. I would probably get the D200 if I had

the credit. ;)

 

That being said, I can't. I currently own a Canon K2 and the cost of film and development is eating me

alive. I've always been a bigger Nikon fan and don't want to buy another Canon camera. I am not a pro by

any means, though I would like to get there someday. I would call myself a serious amateur. By that I

mean, the first section I go to in the bookstore is the photography section; every trip, gathering, etc I've

been on since the fifth grade I was the "official" photographer for; I see the world through a self-imposed

viewfinder; and I have, on more occassions that I can count, put my entire life out of sync to try for a great

shot. Including driving to Corpus on a whim....

 

Would the D50 be a waste of money? People have said that no serious photographer would ever buy that

camera. For me, the D50 would only be a way to keep taking pictures without the cost of film and

development. (It would pay for itself in just a few months.) It would be a stepup to the D200.

 

Should I not even waste my resources on it? Is it not even worth it? People here have criticized that

camera so much that I'm starting to second guess. I was excited about the prospect of a digital camera

because of the cost of film, but now I'm wondering if I should just wait a couple of years and get the D200

equivalent (because it will surely have been replaced in 2 years.)

 

Thank you for your input! :)

Amber

[frank_skomial]

You listen too much and believe to all ?

 

I assume you are not a professional full time photographer ?

 

D50 is fine camera. If you will not be using it ? then that would be perhaps (?) waste of money.

 

I suggest waiting a bit longer since Nikon is about to release D40 camera that is even less expensive, but has more (some are severe) limitations and cannot use AF lenses (but you do not have any Nikon lenses ? perhaps). Then you decide.

[vincent_lucas]

Hi:

 

What reviews have you been reading? Lol. The overwhelming reviews have been very favorable for this camera. I own one and once the learning curve is over, it does everything that I need a camera to do and does it well. I assume you have Nikon AF lenses to use with it? No matter. . . .

When all is said and done, it isn't the camera that is the most important component of photography, but rather the person/brain behind the camera! I once saw a photo taken by a friend who shot it using nothing but a pinhole camera he made from a Quaker Oats box. The resulting print was then hand-tinted/colored. It was an AWESOME image and won many high rewards in photographic competitions, beating out many images made with top-of-the-line Canons and Nikons. Just my two-cents worth. . . .

[briany]

Sounds like you've been listening to a lot of people talking out of their @$$es, but who knows? To be honest though, I've not heard the same criticisms. The answer is pretty simple - what does the D50 lack that you want/need? If you need DOF preview and CLS flash, could you pay a couple hundered more for the D70s or buy a used D70? All indications I've seen is that the D50 is a great camera. No, it's not a D2Xs, but it ain't bad...

[devoted]

Pffffft. I love my D50 (despite recent light-meter issues that seem to be a one off, not a

known problem). It's currently my primary work camera, takes the lenses from my FE2, and

will be the backup camera when my new D200 gets here.

 

Don't listen to what "people" say. It's a great little camera for the money and will more than

serve its' purpose for a serious amateur, until you can go for the bigger guns!

[leicaglow]

Amber, The D50 was my first DSLR, though I've been using consumer based cameras for 10 years. I liked the camera so much that I bought the D200 when it came out as a second body. I still use my D50 all the time. It takes superb images. It gets great mileage off its battery. The images aren't so big that I have to reduce them much, and any computer I own can easily open and manipulate them. I personally like all the pre-programmed modes. They work very well without much fuss. I'd say go for it. You can always fault a feature here or there, but you can't fault the superb images it delivers.

[ShunCheung]

Obviously the D50 has its limitations, but it is a capable DSLR. If you cannot afford something better, it is still a good choice. If you can, by all means stretch to a D80 for a better viewfinder and 10MP.

[dan park]

I made the leap from film to a D50 a little over a year ago. It took a while to start seeing decent images out of the camera because I wasn't setting it up properly. The auto white balance was just plain frustrating and the default color settings create an over saturated jpeg. Then about 6 months ago I moved to shooting only raw and started setting the white balance with a gray card. I also invested in some decent nikon lenses and since then I've been very happy with the results.

 

Having said that I just moved to a D200 and I will say that the images (except those done at high iso) are just better. The white balance and colors and just plain feel of the camera is superior to the D50 in every way. I don't use the D50 that much anymore and handed it to my wife who likes the *child mode. She still takes better photos than I do with the default settings too.

 

I guess what I'm trying to say is that a D50 in hand is better than two D200's a year from now. It is a great camera and capable of producing great images. Don't get too hung up on the specs or opinions of snobby camera geeks when you could be out shooting images with this bargain price well featured camera. Spend the extra money on glass and then when your ready for a more complex camera the D200 will be waiting.

 

Dan

[darrengold]

I've had my D50 for nearly a year and haven't regretted it for one moment. It takes superb pictures and they enlarge up to 15 x 10 no problem.

 

As Brian Y said what do you need that the D50 doesn't have? You'd be better spending the money on a good lens and an SB800 flash. I use a Sigma 24-70mm f2,8 with mine as the 'standard' lens and bought the D50 body only. The pictures are terrific.

 

Anyone who says it is a poor camera is taking the mickey!!

 

Regards<div></div>

[jens_krause]

Some of my best images were taken with a Nikon F75/N75, hardly a professional camera. I just needed a replacement for my F90X/N90X that I broke at the time. The F75/N75 fit the bill beautifully and cost less than $200 back when I bought it new in 2004. Except for the slow shutter, it never got in the way. When I then got the F90X/N90X back from repair, I still used the F75/N75 occassionally.

 

<p>If you know the limitations of a camera, you'll be able to enjoy even a point & shoot camera or a low-range SLR/DSLR. At the end of the day, I won't need mirror-lock-up, interval timer, 5-frame-per-second capabilities etc. for 95% of my shots.

 

<p><a href="http://www.jckrause.com/" >Jens</a>

[tumble2113]

I love my D50 and now that I shoot in RAW, I leve the camera even more. I made the decision to buy the D50 after all the reviews seemed positive at the worse and amazing at the best. In fact a magazine I always liked to read when going through the UK "Digital Camera" just released a dedictated soecial issue just to the D50. They always touted it as an exceptional backup for a pro, which to me made it sound like the best camera for me, I like to consider myself a back up to a pro :)

[hugh_davis]

Hey Amber,

 

I'd have to chime in with the positives on the D50. It's an excellent camera for getting acquainted with digital imaging. I'd point out one thing though, if your longer term wish is for a D200. D50's (and D80's) use Secure Digital memory cards, while the D200, D100, D1's and D2's and the D70/S use Compact Flash cards. For that reason you may want to start with a D70 or D70S, which performs about the same as the D50 generally and has a little more advanced flash capability. A used D70 shouldn't run any more than a new D50, and you wouldn't have to buy a new round of memory cards when you upgrade.

Sidebar: Did you get the whim shot in Corpus? :^) HWD

[adrian_lam1]

Buy a system that is within your budget and enjoy it. There will always be a better camera

but is it always necessary? Just look at Magnum photographer Alex Majoli who has

personally chosen to use a Point-and-Shoot camera for his incredible work in Iraq. See

http://www.robgalbraith.com/bins/multi_page.asp?cid=7-6468-7844

He explains his reasoning in the article and describes his technique for overcoming any

short comings of the camera. The D50 you are considering is much more sophisticated

than his Olympus P&S camera.

[d_gillespie]

Any digital SLR can get you away from your stated problem of the cost of film and processing. The choice of a major brand such as Nikon keeps you in the family (lens and accessory wise). My example is this: Put my set of 10 year old clubs in the hands of Tiger Woods, give me his hybrid state of the art no one can buy off the shelf clubs and he will beat my eyes out 10 out 10 times. It's not what is in front of your eyes, it what's behind them.

[mjt]

D50 a waste of money? hardly, especially considering you're making the transition from film to digital. this is a great camera - one i've owned and eventually sold to a friend after i added the D70s, D80, and D200 to my arsenal.

 

the *more* important consideration is "what lens(es) should i get?". the D50, with the correct selection of lenses will get you as good a shot(s) as, say, a D80 or D200 with the same lenses. heck, i've seen pros who get can get a better shot (w/D50) than, say, an amateur with a D2X/H or an EOS 1Ds Mark III. i'm serious - i know someone with a Mark III who takes shots worse that my 11 year old son with a throwaway cardboard camera.

 

BTW, i know where you can get a D70s (~8000 shots), 18-55 mm f/3.5-5.6G ED AF-S DX Zoom, and 55-200mm F/4-5.6G ED AF-S DX Lens, all in like-new condition with boxes and manuals :)

[Peter_in_PA]

Here's a thought...

 

If you don't necessarily want or need 10MP instead of 6, white balance fine-tuning, depth-

of-field preview, viewfinder grid, or need compact flash instead of SD, then the D50 will

take as good a picture as any camera you could ever buy. If you can afford more money,

get the D80. I'd skip the 40... too many limitations imho. The D50 is not a fine camera, it

is an EXCELLENT camera! Ken Rockwell's review at http://www.kenrockwell.com/nikon/

d50.htm is excellent at pointing out the particulars of why you'd want a D70 (now a D80)

over a D50.

 

So...

 

Are you going to blow up a lot of photos bigger than 8x10? If not, the higher res cameras

don't give you a huge benefit.

 

Do you need white balance fine-tuning? I thought I'd wish I had it when I bought the D50.

In real world shooting, it turns out I don't care.

 

Do you need a viewfinder grid? Alas, this is the one thing I wish I had that would've come

in handy that is in the D70 and I think the D80, too. But I'm cool with it.

 

If you can only afford a D50, buy it and don't look back!

[geoffs1]

"If you can only afford a D50, buy it and don't look back!"

 

Ditto.

 

The 6Mp isn't a serious limitation unless you want to make huge prints and stare at them from close up. My first DSLR was a D70 and I never noticed the resolution except when dealing with hyper-picky print editors who absolutely wanted 8x10 at 300 dpi (cropping drops the long-edge size to around 2500 pixels). A bit of Photoshop upsampling fixes that...

 

Cheers,

 

Geoff S.

[juan_parm_nides]

Hello everybody. Another good bet for D50. It is a fine camera for its price. Cheers. See D50 photo atch.

[bueh]

If you already have a camera with an EOS/EF mount, why not get a Canon dSLR? Their body line-up is equal to the Nikon products, and offers the opportunity of using inexpensive manual focus via an adapter (unlike Nikon, only the D200 etc. can do this).

 

Whatever you do, check the used market for bargains.

[paul levin]

The D50 is an excellent camera and a good choice for your first DSLR IMHO. A trend I've noticed, not only here but on other boards as well, is a swarm of people picking up a D200 as their first digital camera and having all sorts of problems. I bought the D70s over the D50 last summer mainly because I preferred how it fit my hand. They're both great cameras and since the D80 came out a D70 or D70s can be found used at under $500.

[david_eicher]

Hardly. I use my D50 for all my sports photography provided to the local newspaper. They seem very happy with my images.

[Jerry_]

The D50: top synch speed is 1/500th of a second.

 

 

 

 

The D80: top synch speed is 1/200th of a second __?

 

 

 

 

Either camera works well at higher ISO settings.

 

 

 

 

If you have a budget, you have to make the decision.

[amber_b1]

Thanks everyone who has answered! I figured if I posted my fears from all the negative

reviews I've read I'd get some balances. There are some people who will criticize anything if

it isn't the absolute best, or if it isn't what "they" would get, and it's good to hear some other

opinions.

 

I'm looking forward to getting my D50, thanks for everyone's input!! :)

 

Amber

[Karim Ghantous]

Just one more comment: I love that camera! Enough said.

[ndt_photo]

Gotta stand up for the D50. Would you rather wait another year and not take a single photo to save for the D200 or get the D50 soon and be able to take quality photos very soon?

 

Alot of the issues people have with the D50 are from the kit lens. I think it is OK, but I wouldn't use it for PRO work. That said I WOULD use the D50 for pro work, just with a better lens.

 

If you buy the D50 and start picking up accessories such as lenses, a tripod, good ball head, filters, etc, they should all be useable in some aspect if you decide too upgrade the camera body to the D200 or whatever you wish in the future. The beauty of SLR's and Nikons camera systems are all of the high quality peripherals they produce.

 

One note, if you are dead set on the D50 now and the D200 down the line compare their accessories and see if they will be compatible with each other when you upgrade. The main ones would be - Memory cards, external flashes, remote controls, and batteries.

 

I have not done any research on the D200 because I am more than happy with my humble D50 and don't have the need or $$$ to get the D200 now...

 

Good Luck.