Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)First of all, I must admit that this is only my third digital camera, and first digital SLR. But it isn't my first SLR ... I have used a Canon Elan IIE for a number of years, and trust me, that camera is no slouch.
But enough about me ... the D50 is the real star of the show! I have had the camera (along with the standard lens included with the kit) and so far I am extremely happy. I purchased it just in time to capture some photos of my new neice, and my family swears that the pictures that I was just casually snapping at the hospital look like they are professional portaits. Granted, some of my family members ... well, their necks are pretty tan, if you know what I mean, but you get the point. The camera has a slew of modes that are ideally suited to your subject (portraits, action, etc etc), and they do a great job of making all of the fine adjustments that improve the overall quality of the photo for the non-experts. But this camera has varying levels of automation to where you would practically require a photography degree to get your picture. My skills are somewhere in between, but trust me, if you are an absolutely beginner, in 5 minutes you can be taking photos that are 99% of the quality that a pro with a $5000 setup would take. Now you might need to snap a few dozen shots to get just one that is amazing, but that is what is just wonderful about digital cameras. And with a huge, super sharp LCD preview window, you can see in an instant if you have a decent shot, and if not, delete it and try again!
The camera takes the small "big-toenail" SD memory cards, which is a departure from what you will typically see in a digital SLR. I personally like the smaller size; otherwise, I don't believe there is a significant difference. If you pick up one major point from this review ... READ THIS !!!! I initially tried shooting with some SD memory that I had been using in my MP3 player. It worked fine, but if shooting a series of rapid shots, it would take the camera what seemed like a couple of seconds to write to the memory. That is typical with all of the digital SLRs that I have read about ... you get maybe a dozen high-speed shots, and then the camera sort of "bogs down". And most of the time that is fine. But this camera takes advantage of the slightly more expensive "pro" SD memory, which can be written to at extremely high speeds. Because of this, the camera can take an unprecendented number of shots (I believe 137 according to Nikon)!!! Folks, that is amazing, let me tell you. You can just hold the button down and fire away, and capture all of the high-speed action that you can imagine. No more excuses for missing that perfect action shot. Sure, you aren't going to require this feature very often, but it is nice to have, just in case. And even with normal shots, the high-speed memory seems to work much quicker than normal memory.
The camera can save files in three different size (resolution) levels, three different JPEG quality levels, and the complete uncompressed RAW format. I've been shooting using the medium resolution and medium JPEG quality, and the photos look sharper than my old Canon 35mm SLR. You could easily print out 8 x 10 photos and they would look perfect even at the medium quality setting; poster size would look fine at the high quality setting.
The rechargeable battery that is included is simply amazing - I believe they rate it for 2000 shots, and I believe it. It would be VERY diffult to drain this battery in a single day, even with numerous flashes and auto-focusing shots.
The fast auto-focus, very user-friendly menus, flexibility with all Nikon lenses, and near-pro quality at a price that the weekend-photo-warrior consumer can afford, I don't see how you can go wrong with this camera.
Happy photographing!
Click Here to see more reviews about: Nikon D50 6.1MP Digital SLR Camera with 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G ED AF-S DX Zoom Nikkor Lens
It s easy to take the Nikon D50 with you wherever you go. From its inviting body contours to its easily accessible controls, this compact, lightweight and easy-to-use camera makes picture taking satisfying and fun. The D50 delivers vivid color and sharp detail for great pictures and enlargements. The high-quality Nikkor optics in the compact and lightweight AF-S DX Zoom-Nikkor 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G ED lens deliver stunning, crisp images. The D50 offers seamless compatibility with Nikon s extensive family of high-performance AF Nikkor lenses, as well as the expanding family of DX Nikkor lenses, providing superb color reproduction, razor-sharp image clarity and fast and accurate autofocus performance. Features: 6.1 effective megapixel Nikon DX format CCD image sensor Nikkor AF-S 18-55mm 1:3.5 - 5.6G ED Lens (Kit Only) Compact, lightweight and easy to use 7 digital Vari-Programs Incredible battery performance with the EN-EL3 rechargeable battery Large, 2LCD 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) Kit Includes: Nikon D50 DSLR body, 18-55mm Nikkor lens (kit only), rechargeable Li-ion Battery EN-EL3, Quick Charger MH-18a, Video Cable, USB Cable UC-E4, Strap, Body cap, Eyepiece Cap DK-5, Rubber Eyecup DK-20, Accessory shoe cover, PictureProject CD-ROM
