matthewporter
02-28-2007, 10:03 PM
Overall 9/10
About a year ago, I bought my first digital SLR. Prior to this I had experience with a variety of point-and-shoots, and had used some DSLRs at work.
I was interested in the D50 and the Canon 350D (Digital Rebel XT) and read many reviews before trying them out in a local shop. It was at this stage I discovered that, despite not having large hands, the Canon was far too small to get a sensible grip on. I believe that this is only the case for the 300D/350D/400D as I have since used a 30D and found it comfortable and great to use. I find that the Nikon D40, while smaller than the D50 is still a lot more usable than the low Canon models.
The build quality is good, the case is ‘just’ plastic but it feels solid and well-made. The memory card door could do with a slightly stronger catch as it is prone to opening accidentally. The battery life deserves a special mention here – it lasts for ages. It will easy last for a day of shooting, or several weeks of more occasional use. The supplied charger is fast, compact and suitable for use abroad.
The control set-up on the D50 is very easy to use and all the features are set out in a very logical manner. The operation is so intuitive that I have discovered the existence of some features, such as the flash compensation, without the need to look at the manual! Sadly, as a low-end SLR, it lacks the front control dial which requires the user to use multiple button combinations to make some adjustments.
Switching the camera on and off is instantaneous and the D50 is ready to shoot immediately. There is no noticeable shutter lag and it is easy to capture that fleeting moment. The continuous shooting mode offers up to 2.5fps which is fairly fast – I only say ‘fairly’ because I have used some of the professional Nikon digital SLRs and they are very fast!
I found the image quality to be amazing, photos are sharp and full of colour. Once I’d seen images from this camera, other digital images began to look noisy and lifeless. While I do use manual mode, I can thoroughly recommend the automatic portrait mode. It seems to take a perfect portrait every time.
Shooting in RAW offers many benefits over using conventional modes such as JPEG. Any mistakes made with white balance or exposure compensation can easily be corrected on your computer when you post-process your images. Unfortunately, Nikon have been a bit greedy and have elected not to bundle a copy of the Nikon Capture NX program that is required to manipulate these images. This is a real disappointment as RAW is one of the reasons to buy a high-quality camera and this feature is of little use without further investment in software.
I purchased the D50 in its kit form with the 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 lens. The lens is a great choice for the beginner and covers a wide range of shots. A cheap telephoto such as the sub-£100 Sigma or Nikon 70-300mm lens makes a good second lens. The kit lens is fairly good but does feel cheap in comparison to most other lenses. Focussing is fast and quiet though and the image quality is good.
Overall, I have been very pleased with the D50. While it lacks some of the features found on the more expensive models, it is a vast improvement on a point-and-shoot and a great DSLR for the beginner.
About a year ago, I bought my first digital SLR. Prior to this I had experience with a variety of point-and-shoots, and had used some DSLRs at work.
I was interested in the D50 and the Canon 350D (Digital Rebel XT) and read many reviews before trying them out in a local shop. It was at this stage I discovered that, despite not having large hands, the Canon was far too small to get a sensible grip on. I believe that this is only the case for the 300D/350D/400D as I have since used a 30D and found it comfortable and great to use. I find that the Nikon D40, while smaller than the D50 is still a lot more usable than the low Canon models.
The build quality is good, the case is ‘just’ plastic but it feels solid and well-made. The memory card door could do with a slightly stronger catch as it is prone to opening accidentally. The battery life deserves a special mention here – it lasts for ages. It will easy last for a day of shooting, or several weeks of more occasional use. The supplied charger is fast, compact and suitable for use abroad.
The control set-up on the D50 is very easy to use and all the features are set out in a very logical manner. The operation is so intuitive that I have discovered the existence of some features, such as the flash compensation, without the need to look at the manual! Sadly, as a low-end SLR, it lacks the front control dial which requires the user to use multiple button combinations to make some adjustments.
Switching the camera on and off is instantaneous and the D50 is ready to shoot immediately. There is no noticeable shutter lag and it is easy to capture that fleeting moment. The continuous shooting mode offers up to 2.5fps which is fairly fast – I only say ‘fairly’ because I have used some of the professional Nikon digital SLRs and they are very fast!
I found the image quality to be amazing, photos are sharp and full of colour. Once I’d seen images from this camera, other digital images began to look noisy and lifeless. While I do use manual mode, I can thoroughly recommend the automatic portrait mode. It seems to take a perfect portrait every time.
Shooting in RAW offers many benefits over using conventional modes such as JPEG. Any mistakes made with white balance or exposure compensation can easily be corrected on your computer when you post-process your images. Unfortunately, Nikon have been a bit greedy and have elected not to bundle a copy of the Nikon Capture NX program that is required to manipulate these images. This is a real disappointment as RAW is one of the reasons to buy a high-quality camera and this feature is of little use without further investment in software.
I purchased the D50 in its kit form with the 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 lens. The lens is a great choice for the beginner and covers a wide range of shots. A cheap telephoto such as the sub-£100 Sigma or Nikon 70-300mm lens makes a good second lens. The kit lens is fairly good but does feel cheap in comparison to most other lenses. Focussing is fast and quiet though and the image quality is good.
Overall, I have been very pleased with the D50. While it lacks some of the features found on the more expensive models, it is a vast improvement on a point-and-shoot and a great DSLR for the beginner.