Nikon D50 - Dead or Alive ?

[markst33]

Hi there,

 

I bought a D50 new about 18 months ago as my first Digital SLR. I am quite happy with it but I noticed that it

seemed to be discontinued rather soon afterwards and replaced with the D40 and D40x. I was wondering if anyone

knew why it had been discontinued. I rarely see any discussions on this camera in any of the forums and I was

wondering if there are problems with it that I am not aware of (yet).

 

Any information anyone has on the D50 or comments on their experience in using it would be gratefully received.

 

Mark S.,

Dublin.

[hans_janssen]

You don't much discussions about the D50, because it is a camera without problems, never had a firmware update: it is simple and always working. Replaced by the D40, because??????????

Cheaper to make, no more parts available, better specs for the same money.......

[Peter_in_PA]

All things must pass. All of these cameras are eventually discontinued.

 

I bought my D50 2 and a half years ago, it's still going strong, I still love it and don't need (and can't afford) something

newer and better.

 

I might add that perhaps people don't discuss the D50 so much because it's so great and easy to get good pics out of

that people don't feel the need to ask any questions about it.

 

After 18 months, if there were any real problems, you'd know it by now. I find mine over-exposes by about 0.7, so I

generally adjust accordingly.

[CharlesBecker-Toronto]

Hi Mark-Digital Photography Review lists the D50 as discontinued but don't sweat it. Camera models,especially digital, get

replaced quite quickly as new features are introduced; sometimes those features are meaningful and sometimes not so

much. Your camera is still every bit as good as it was-it just means that new features are now available on newer models. I

have the D70 and it's just over 4 years old; it is still doing a very good job (it knows more about taking good images than I

do) and I have previously thought about replacing it with a newer model (ie the D80 or the D200) but couldn't justify it; now

that I print larger than 8-1/2 x11 inch format, I can justify a camera with more pixels and I think the D90 is in my near

future. In the meantime, the D70 produces pictures as well as it did before the D40, D50,D60 etc. Happy Shooting! cb :-)

[mark_loader]

These guys have pretty much nailed it,Mark. No camera model seems to have a shelf life of longer than about 2 years. Like they say in "The Godfather" ITS JUST BUSINESS! I have never heard much in the way of complaints with this model- in fact the jpegs straight out of the camera are great, certainly superior to that OTHER brand ( i dont like to use the C word ). Why not check out some websites to see what results other D50 users are achieving? Don't lose sleep on it, boyo!

[carl_becker2]

One of my buddies has a D50. He also purchased my D70 when I upgraded to a used D200. The only problem with the D50 is that a new model has replaced it. Take pictures be happy, if you wear it out then replace it.

[toan_pham1]

I have a D50 too. Great camera. One of the best ISO 1600 on a 6MP DX sensor. Very easy to use compared to my D700 (still haven't figured the menu tabs etc.)

 

I still use it as backup DX camera.

[beartooth1]

I've had mine 2 1/2 years or so....Not a single problem. if you put good glass on it you will get great pics... almost all the pics in my port on here are shot with that camera......Although I'm getting the itch for a D300....

[landon wright photography]

The D50 was my first DSLR and I loved it. I used it for about 8 months and decided to upgrade to the D80. That was a

mistake. I miss that D50! I was never satisfied with the D80. If you find one buy it, it's a great little camera.<div></div>

[phule]

[[i am quite happy with it]]

 

Then you should ignore other camera models and concentrate on your photography! :)

[g-man1]

I bought the D50 again after owning the D40, D200 and before "upgrading" to the D700. The D50 has a built-in focus motor allowing me to use non af-s lenses, fits better in my hand, too. However, the IR filter is not as strong and it produces magenta casts with synthetic blacks.

[photo5]

Landon, that photo rocks. Make a 40x60" print and put it on your wall.

[titospna]

Be happy with your purchase because it is a wonderful camera. I actually think it's better than the models that replaced it. My hunch is that it was discontinued after Nikon realized their mistake in including an autofocus motor in a base model, allowing one to mount older AF-D lenses. As everyone now knows, Nikon ended this with the D40 and you must now buy a D80 model (or higher) to obtain that pleasure. I've heard lots of former D50 owners who have lamented ever changing models, unless they did a quantum jump to something like the D300. You should enjoy what you've got.

[mark_loader]

Let me add one more thing: I,too, have wondered about the performance of my camera compared to the latest releases and all it did was lead to doubt and uncertainty. NOT a good place to be. Grab a great lens or two, go down to that glorious Irish coastline ( Giants Causeway perhaps?), take some great photos, upload them, and knock us all out. What are you waiting for?

[fred_fuzz]

Hello Mark.

I have had a D50 for 3 years or so now and like you I got a bit fidgety about the speed at which it was discontinued. However I set out to check it against a D80, which had become the object of my desire, so I took some sample shots with my D50 and then repeated them with my pals D80 body and my lens.

Since the maximum I can print on my R1800 is A3 I made each file a suitable size to print at 240dpi, which meant a little bit of interpolation was involved, and printed them out so I finished up with 8 A3 prints for comparison.

Quality wise there was nothing to chose between them except that the D80 prints were noticeably cooler than those from the D50. After I examined them all through a loupe I still couldn't find any major differences that I would deem significant.

The end result was that I kept my D50 and my ardour for a D80 cooled off quite a bit, however, I stll get a few twinges when I look at adverts for the D300.

Perhaps some day when I come into some money.

[kevin_smith23]

Great Answers all around. I bought my D50 a little over 2 and a half years ago. I started with the kit lens, stepped up to the Nikon 18-200 and have loved every minute of it. I've shot over 40,000 total pictures and have some really fantastic shots, especially of my little guy. With that said (and my collection of lenses expanded), I just took the jump for the D90.

 

Haven't had it very long, but my impressions are that its the D50, only faster, easier (although more complex), and more accurate exposure and WB. The ISO capabilities are awesome, good at 1600 and usable at 3200 for most applications. The live view is nice, but focusing is very slow. The movie mode may be a perk, but I expect to use it sparingly unless I really need video. Granted, it'll be better than haven't to carry another camera for video clips.

 

Be happy with the D50, and when you're ready to step up, get the lenses first. Then if you still have money left, the D90 will be waiting with more speed and a beautiful 3" LCD.

 

Kevin, Seattle

D50, D90, 18-200 VR, 70-300 VR, 50 f/1.8, 18-105 VR, 70-200 Tamron f/2.8

[markst33]

Thank you all for your responses. I was never unhappy with the D50 but you have all made sure that I am now very happy with the choice I made when I first decided to purchase it