D50: Poor man's treasure, (updated)

Author's Rating:

Pros: Perfect size, perfect weight, countless features, built like a tank

Cons: Top LCD not backlit but the same info's in the viewfinder

The Bottom Line: 
I forgot to mention that the battery life is out of this world. If you're in the market, don't let the term "consumer level DSLR" sway you. BUY IT!

Author's Review
I've had my D50 for less than a month so far and let me tell you this thing is more than I wanted.

Initially I was just looking for an affordable way to take great pictures and still have room to hone my photography skills until the day I decided to "upgrade." I did TONS of research on several forums and review sites but most prominently on dpreview.com - you will not find more in depth forum discussions on photography and equipment on the internet (well maybe Nikonians but you have to pay for that site).

I decided on the D50 because, like many of you, I wasn't willing to dish out a grand to take pictures. I just wanted the best bang for the buck. I shopped around EXTENSIVELY (I'm compulsively frugal) and based on reviews and buyer experiences, went with Cameta Cameras on eBay. Now you have to bid on the cameras but if you play it right you can get a great bargain. I got my D50 factory demo kit (technically refurbished but was never owned by a consumer, just used for shows and display) for less than $480 shipped!

When I got my camera it couldn't look any newer. Everything except for the camera and lens were designated new but there wasn't a scratch or piece of dust on the body and lens. So if you're in the market, SERIOUSLY consider Cameta Camera on eBay. Here's a hint, bid on auctions ending early in the morning. People are less willing to wake up and outbid you than stay snug in their beds. This will save you a bunch of money like it did me. Most of these Cameta D50 kit auctions were ending in the $500+ range.

Anyways the body is great and I still haven't found out how to use every feature on this camera. I've sort of gave up on that since it involves a lot of reading and I'm not down with that but if you're like me and a totally lazy bum, then this camera is for you. Straight out of the camera, without any post processing (PP), this beast gives you better photos than some of its $1000 older brothers. Don't believe me? Do the research yourself and you'll find hordes of users who'll tell you the same and show you photographic evidence. To be specific, this camera delivers more in the high ISO range than the D70s which can run $500 more.

Seriously consider this camera. I think this will be the last camera I'll own until it breaks, which doesn't seem so soon. The body is built like a tank. I've ran into walls with it around my neck, spilled some beer on it, and still the thing looks new.

The body also looks more sleek than its competitors, feels like a REAL camera compared to say, the Canon Digital Rebel series, and the size is perfect - small enough so that you don't look like a member of the paparazzi and substantial enough that your hands won't cramp when reaching for buttons.

By far, this is the cheapest DSLR camera out there that can gun it with the best of them. And when I say best of them I mean the Canon 20D's, the Nikon D70s's, and maybe even the Nikon D200 and higher echelon Canon's - all of which cost you 2 to 10 times more!

(update)

Ok seems that this review needs more than just praise so here it is.

First off let me mention the speed of this camera. When you turn it on it's ready to shoot faster than you can throw your face into the viewfinder so you're covered there. When it comes to shots per second in rapid mode (continuous shooting when you hold down the shutter button), it all depends on the resolution you want. There are 3 basic modes: JPEG, NEF (RAW which I'll get into detail later), and JPEG+RAW which is where the camera saves two files of the same exposure - one JPEG version and the other RAW. RAW is basically the "raw" data that the inboard processer gets when you take a shot. This is good because it preserves all the details of the exposure, of which would have been lost or depreciated had you chose to shoot in JPEG mode. However this comes as a cost as each RAW shot almost twice the file size of a JPEG. But then there's the level of detail you can choose in your JPEG - a feature that is absent in RAW because RAW is already the highest setting. In JPEG mode you can choose between fine, normal, and low. Remember this camera is 6.1 megapixels so keep that in mind when trying to figure out how many exposures you can get on your SD card.

Anyways back to rapid fire, you can get about 2-3 shots per second at first, but the processor slows down because the more you shoot the more you're filling the camera's buffer. This is true for most other DSLRs but the D50 is slower but not by much. Unless you're using this camera to photograph airborne flies, you won't be needing it to shoot so fast. Plus this camera has other features to help you compensate for that - there are manual modes that let you control the aperture and shutter size.

Oh yea forgot to mention that this camera take secure digital flash cards instead of the compact flash cards. So if you're making the move from point and shoot to DSLR, you can still use all of your old cards. With my 1GB SD card I can get about 135 shots in RAW.

Now let's talk about some of the features. This camera has most of the stuff the higher end cameras have as far as a beginner/intermediate photographer is concerned. But if you don't want to deal with the super detailed stuff then it doesn't matter anyways. However, for the professional photographers, well you should know enough about cameras to not need my 2 cents on this. This camera comes fully equipped with a 2 inch LCD monitor which displays each shot after you've taken it. Although it's not a 20" TV screen, it still gives you a decent view of the product and does its job. You can also view the histogram of each photo though I'm no expert in that.

You can also change the ISO manually but, unlike the D70s which goes by 1/3 intervals between 200 and 1600 ISO, the D50 goes by larger increments such as 200, 400, 800, etc. I'm still not an expert in this either so I'll save you the misinformation and just give you the numbers. All the specs you can find online, I'm just here to give you my take on the camera from my perspective.

The camera does everything a camera should plus it gives the quality of a true DSLR. I've toyed around with other DSLRs enough to know that the D50 does give better results than other more expensive cameras in certain areas. But it varies as all things do. I'll tell you this though, read the other reviews out there. All of these people aren't raving about the D50 because we all work for Nikon. I've yet to see ONE negative review on this camera. It's won many editor choice awards. I'll leave the rest for you to figure out.

(update on my update)

Ok I'm not done yet. This is my first true DSLR camera so keep that in mind. I have however had the chance to use other DSLRs, nameley the Canon Digital Rebels, although not as extensively as this one. When I make claims against the Nikon D200, D70s, and Canon 20D, I'm going by the photographic comparisons I've seen on the online forums. But I've seen enough comparisons (over 100) to make my own conclusions. But remember, these are just my opinions, you should go to these forums yourself and find out. The proof is in the pudding and the D50 is really good pudding.

I bought this camera mainly to use when I transfer to the university I'm headed to as a time killer and hobby. I'm dedicating my time before I leave to learning the ins and outs of this camera and I've already burnt myself out. To me, a picture can get only so good until all discrepancies are the fault of the photographer. I've reached that level and have taken to the method of continuous practice to increase my skill and eye for a good shot.

On that note, here's a tip. Although this camera takes great night pictures compared to the Digital Rebel (the D50 has, I'd say, 50-60% less noise at high ISO settings), the quality of the photo in low light is only as good as how steady your hand is (exposures are more receptive to blurring in low light situations) and how wide the aperture of your lens can go. But instead of investing a bunch of money in an expensive lens with a wider aperture (how big the lens can open its "eyes" to let more light in), invest in a decent tripod. Tripods will allow you to take an exposure with minimum camera shake so that your aperture doesn't have to be so big, but you can prolong the shutter speed (the length of time the "eye" is open to let light in) to let in the same amount of light.

So go ahead and keep your "cheap" 18-55mm lens. People bag on it but in all honesty it's still REALLY good. It's the only lens I've used so far and unless you're a parapalegic, you won't really need a wider range zoom. And the aperture range ain't so bad either.

Another thing, I bought this camera a little less than a month ago, didn't even charge the battery and put it in the camera, and haven't recharged it since. I've turned it on about 100 times so far and taken about 500 photos with it. I've only lost one bar out of three. Something to think about.