AridzonaShooter: Ramblings
Nikon D50 mini review
I developed an avocational interest in photography back in my late teens. (No, we weren't still making colloidal prints in them days...) At a point in my 30's I decided to see if I could make a living at it, and it turned out that I could. But it wasn't any real fun, so I went on to other stuff, and sort of drifted away from picture making. Even sold off the last of the Nikons in the early 90's, and became camera-less, other than that we still had AridzonaQuilter's 80's era Pentax, which I hardly ever touched.
When we were starting to think about setting out on the road, I'd had the thought that it might be fun to document some of the sights, and that I might even get back into some photography as a bit of a hobby. I looked around and bought a used Nikon film camera. I looked into the technology of digital photography and decided that for my purposes it surely made a lot more sense than film: I'm unlikely to ever publish a coffee table book, become another Ansel Adams or do any of the other stuff for which film is superior to digital. So the nursing student became the new owner of a used Nikon and I went looking for a digital.
Back in late June or early July when we were in Idaho for a few days I spotted a newspaper ad for the Nikon D50 a local shop was selling, so we went down and talked with the guy, ended up buying one. If you've seen any of the photography linked here or from the RV page, or some of my wife's travel pix, they've been taken with this camera. Herewith is a brief description and overview of my experience so far with the D50.
Basically, the D50 is Nikon's entry level digital single lens reflex (DSLR). It is sold as a kit from most retailers, with the body, lens, battery, 120VAC charger, pc (USB2) cord and strap included in the package. The lens is a 18-55mm f1:3-4.5 ED-series AF Nikkor. A buyer will need memory card(s), sold separately. I picked up a couple of 512s, each of which will give me 277 exposures at the highest resolution. I also picked up an ED AF Nikkor 70-300mm f1:4-5.6. Just those two lenses give me a range of magnification from very wide to almost-impractical-without-a-tripod. For a person who thinks in 35mm terms, that's roughly the equivalent of 28-450mm. A bit closer focus for either or both of the lenses would be nice, so as to have almost macro capability, but that can be addressed later if I decide I really want or need it.
Images can be saved as RAW or JPEG. Resolution is 6.1 mega pixels. Metering is spot, center-weighted or Nikon's "matrix" metering. My experience with the matrix system, starting 20 years ago, is that it's almost impossible to out-think it, except under exceptional conditions. As well, metering and auto focus can be set to utilize different parts of the preview screen. It can also be set to follow a moving subject. It has built-in flash, which can be used manually or automatically. The flash, to the extent I've made use of it so far, works seamlessly with the auto focus. Manual focus is also available. The operator has the choice of several exposure modes: manual, aperture or shutter priority, "program" or automatic.
Program is the same as automatic, but...with a difference. In program mode the camera sets both the shutter and aperture, depending on what it thinks is best for conditions. But adjustment is available: the operator can adjust either the shutter or the aperture, the camera will adjust the other setting as appropriate. It doesn't use the flash unless the operator turns on the flash. In "automatic" mode, shutter and aperture are set automatically, flash will automatically be utilized if conditions warrant (or, at least, if the camera thinks so), and no operator input is possible. There are also several "special" automatic settings, each of which is optimized for specific situations: kids, sports/action, flowers, portraits, scenics. And something else, the icon for which I'm unable to interpret and the book isn't handy. It must be something I haven't figured out. There are several features that come under that heading, still...
Ergonomics are good to very good. It feels pretty much just like any of the old SLRs I've used over the years, with the exception of the Nikon F models, which are a bit clunkier. It is also considerably lighter than film SLRs. Plastics make it possible...
Two features I'd like, which the D-50 doesn't have, are multiple exposure capability (similar to "motor drive") and an LCD viewer useable as a viewfinder.
I've seen the D50 body only available from some of the mega outlets as low as the high $500s. Of course, you then need all the rest of the paraphernalia, unless you already have useable lenses and accessories. The kits I've seen advertised starting at about $800.
Nikon introduced the D70 at about the same time as the D50. I didn't get to do a good comparison between the two models when I bought my D50, as the dealer didn't have any D70s in stock. From what I read, if this is the general level of camera a person is interested in, it might make sense to give consideration to either the D70, or the functional equivalent from either Canon or Konica Minolta. A friend has the Minolta product, at close to the same price point as my D50, with several of the more desireable features. Canon also builds a solid product at any price point. I'll stick with the Nikons, 'cause that's the kind of person I am.
While this isn't intended to be a complete test report of the product, it may help give one an idea of what's available in the D50. I'll be happy to answer any questions, just use the "Send Mail to Paul" button on the blog. Some answers will be accurate, some might be made up, you'll have to decide.