Nikon D50 Digital SLR Camera Kit Black includes AF-S Zoom Nikon 18-55mm Lens [6MP]

5 Comments

1. Nathan Turnbull says:

   August 1, 2010 at 3:49 pm

   Review by Nathan Turnbull for Nikon D50 Digital SLR Camera Kit Black includes AF-S Zoom Nikon 18-55mm Lens [6MP]
   Rating:
   I’ve being using a compact digital camera for a few years and I love the convenience and instant availability of digital photographs. Although the compact camera took good photographs it lacked the abilities of the traditional 35mm SLR I’ve been using for over twenty years. After trying to justify buying a digital SLR for sometime the prices finally came down to an acceptable level and I opted to buy the Nikon D50, with the 18-55mm lens, mainly due to the reviews.

   I have to say the D50 is a great camera; I’ve already taken hundreds of photographs. The controls are easy to use and the battery life is excellent. My old 35mm SLR cameras are going into retirement. The D50 is a quality well built well-designed camera and the 18-55mm lens is excellent I’ve also bought the Nikon 28-200mm AF ED G lens and again the quality is excellent.

   This camera is good for the beginner and even those like myself that have been using 35mm SLR cameras for years. Don’t be put off with the fact the camera is made of plastic and not metal like the traditional 35mm SLR cameras, the build quality is very good and it’s easy to hold and well balanced.

   Overall I’ve yet to find fault with the D50. I strongly recommend it.
   
2. San says:

   August 1, 2010 at 4:02 pm

   Review by San for Nikon D50 Digital SLR Camera Kit Black includes AF-S Zoom Nikon 18-55mm Lens [6MP]
   Rating:
   I have splashed out on compact digital cameras from when they were just coming out to just last year and have been hugely disappointed with the results they produce compared to my old film SLRs. Compared to the 35mm film format, which is at its pinnacle with regards to picture quality, the digital camera is still catching up and this year in particular the pixel count for the compact digital has been climbing-per month!!

   So why did I decide to get the D50? I saw the pictures it produced and was amazed!! It was really a decision between the D50 and the D70 really (having had Nikon AF film SLRs already-most lenses are compatible!!). And you know what?For me, a keen but enthusiast-level photographer the D50 hits all the right buttons. Admittedly the D70 comes with a better lens in its kit but the 18-55mm lens included with the D50 isn’t to be laughed at.It’s compact and lightweight and gives images with more than enough punch.Plus it’s approximately £240 cheaper than the D70!!

   The layout of the functions couldn’t be simpler-there are dedicated buttons for bracketing, ISO settings, WB and play mode to view pictures. There is also the great option of deleting photos with a button rather than trawling through the menu.

   The D50 fits comfortably in your hand and is light without feeling cheap. If you can’t live without a depth of field preview button, a backlit display ( a bit of a pity but manageable), an LCD display cover (apply a protective sticker like I did) and of course the different lens, go for the D70.

   The D50 takes the smaller SD card for memory storage and I recommend amazon’s 1 GB 66x bytestar SD card which has proven reliable and takes more than 300 fine 6MP images.

   Outstanding points for the D50- Almost immediate point and shootability once switched on; lightweight but robust; simple menu; accessible buttons; amazing battery life; excellent picture quality; great set of preset modes ie portrait,child,landscape,night and sport; amazing range of continuous shoot mode and rapid card-writing time.

   Whilst the built-in flash is more than adequate for everyday shots, I do recommend the Sigma or Nikon external flashes especially for indoor shots with ‘bounced’ light-the results are amazing.

   And last but not least, being a D-SLR, you can really invest in some quality lenses in future. You really can’t go wrong with the D50!!–Oh and amazon’s price was the cheapest all round last month when Nikon.co.uk had its £50 cashback offer!

   Tip- I think the black kit looks much more professional…
3. David Mcgovern says:

   August 1, 2010 at 4:51 pm

   Review by David Mcgovern for Nikon D50 Digital SLR Camera Kit Black includes AF-S Zoom Nikon 18-55mm Lens [6MP]
   Rating:
   As someone taking the plunge from digital compact into digital SLR for the first time, this camera strikes a great balance between ease of use and more advanced functions, and at a pretty unbeatable price.I went round plenty of places (John Lewis, Jessops etc) to get different viewpoints on the packages available (especially Nikon D50 v Canon 350D), and everyone seemed in agreement that the Nikon represented best value for money. The only negative mentioned was that it takes SD rather than Compact Flash, but I haven’t found this an issue at all. I’ve bought 2 1GB cards at which will store over 600 photos in JPEG fine mode (the most memory-intensive format other than RAW).The battery life is excellent, have taken c.200 photos so far (about half with flash) and still showing full charge. Controls are well laid out and easy to use, and adapt very well to the skill of the photographer: from ‘point and shoot’, through pre-set modes, to setting ISO/shutter speed etc for the more advanced users. The photos I have taken in ‘auto’ mode have been great, and the camera allows you to grow with it as you learn more about using an SLR and need more of the available settings.Transferring and editing them is fine – the software provided does the job but more advanced users would probably want something a bit better (Photoshop etc). All in all, I did plenty of research and couldn’t find anything that I thought would represent a better DSLR package. I haven’t been disappointed.
4. P. Haynes says:

   August 1, 2010 at 5:13 pm

   Review by P. Haynes for Nikon D50 Digital SLR Camera Kit Black includes AF-S Zoom Nikon 18-55mm Lens [6MP]
   Rating:
   When I got my D50 I was initially very impressed as in auto mode it is every bit as easy to use as wife’s canon ixus point-and-shoot. In manual mode, however I became a bit disheartened as, unlike my pentax film SLR, there’s no aperture ring on the supplied kit lens and the controls are much more complicated to the unfamiliar user (me!). In addition the manual’s a bit small and it’s not easy to keep a page open while trying out a setting to see how it effects a shot. I also wasn’t sure about the plastic lens body as I’m more used to metal bodies on my older film SLR.

   So I suppose I should explain why I’ve given it 5 stars…

   Well in the months following my purchase I’ve mostly got to grips with the key controls that make the difference between a simple point-and-shoot snap, and a photo that shows the right depth of field, exposure, contrast, etc.

   Shooting in manual mode gets easier with practice and the lack of an aperture ring on the kit lens is no longer an issue for me (the plastic lens, dispite being the whipping boy on many discussion forums, is a really impressive piece of kit: very sharp, fast focussing, and very light-weight – something that many people forget until they take a heavy lens on a long hike).

   So to summarise, after nearly 12 months of owning a D50 I have no regrets, but I would offer the following tips:

   1. If you’re not keen on photography and just want a good camera to take sharp photos on the D50 will probably be wasted on you.

   2. If your SLR skills are rusty (or are based on older, manual focus, SLRs) don’t expect to find the first few weeks/months easy!

   3. Don’t believe what everyone tells says about the 18-55 kit lens. Most people who slate it’s performance on internet forums are the sort of people who spend hours mulling over photos of test-cards to see which lens is the sharpest or distorts the least at a fixed distance and aperture (all very well if you only intend to photograph test cards).

   4. Condiser buying a book along with the camera if you’ve not used an SLR for a while as the manual is very technical rather than practical (a few weeks after getting the D50 I bought “Understanding Exposure” which I found invaluable in understanding how to get the most out of “manual” mode).
5. Thomas Edwards says:

   August 1, 2010 at 6:03 pm

   Review by Thomas Edwards for Nikon D50 Digital SLR Camera Kit Black includes AF-S Zoom Nikon 18-55mm Lens [6MP]
   Rating:
   When the box arrived, I was over the moon. I’ve waited a while to get this camera, after careful consideration. I was going to review it on Amazon that day, with a wonderful 5 stars, but I decided to give some thought and now I wish I could give it six.Previously I’ve owned a very heavy Nikon F301, which is a 25-year old 35mm. It still works perfectly to this day and I’ve taken some amazing photos with it. Naturally, I followed the brand and it hasn’t let me down.The D50 is a perfect jump into the digital world from film SLRs and from compact digitals. I owned a Sony CyberShot, which while took amazing photos, lacked the power of an SLR.It does not have certain features that the big brother D70 has, but these are very specialist areas. Issues are taking photos at a maximum of 2.5fps, which is about the same speed as a film camera can load the film, so you’re not any worse off. Also, some people have mentioned that there is no backlight on the top LCD screen – but remember, all the important features you need you can set on the LCD screen on the back and you can see most of them in the viewfinder.So it lacks one or two features and it only takes 6.1 megapixel images – but that aside, it’s just over £400. You can not get this quality of photos from anything else for that price.The D50 is made from plastics, which make it very light compared to some competitors and to it’s older film cousins. But don’t think Nikon are skipping out on quality, things like the ring for the tripod to attach onto are metal, as is the hotshoe and the ring around the lens. Where quality is needed, metal is used; where it is not required, plastics are used to reduce the weight. As mentioned, this camera sits upright on a table without falling over – unlike older film SLRs! The main reason for this is probably the lens, as it weighs under half of some older versions for the same reasons.I could go on all day, so to sum up: yes, it lacks one or two features that you need to check if you’re a professional but for its amazing price, you can do a lot worse than buy the D50.