Nikon D50
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Nikon D50 | |
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| Type | Single-lens reflex |
| Sensor | CCD |
| Maximum resolution | 3,008 × 2,000 (6 million) |
| Lens type | Interchangeable Nikon F Mount |
| Shutter | Electromechanical vertical-travel focal-plane type |
| Shutter speed range | 1/4000 to 30 seconds, bulb, long time |
| Exposure Metering | TTL full-aperture exposure metering system |
| Exposure Modes | Automatic, Portrait, Landscape, Child, Sport, Closeup, Night Portrait, Manual, Aperture Priority, Shutter Priority, Programmed Auto |
| Metering modes | Spot, Center Weighted, Matrix |
| Focus areas | 5 zone selectable: single area, dynamic area, closest subject |
| Focus modes | Manual, Single shot AF, Continuous AF, Automatic AF Selection (AF operation subject to lens compatibility) |
| Continuous Shooting | 2.5 fps, up to 12 shots (JPEG) or 4 shots (NEF) |
| Viewfinder | Optical TTL |
| ASA/ISO range | ISO 200-1600 in 1 EV steps |
| Flash | Built-in TTL Speedlight with hotshoe |
| Flash bracketing | +1/-3 EV in 1/3 or 1/2 steps |
| Custom WB | Automatic, Incandescent, Fluorescent, Direct Sunlight, Flash, Cloudy, Shade, Preset (Custom) |
| Rear LCD monitor | 2.0 inch (50.8 mm), 130 kilopixel TFT |
| Storage | Secure Digital |
| Battery | Nikon EN-EL3 family |
| Weight | 544 g (1.2 lb) without battery; 616 g (1.4 lb) with EN-EL3 battery |
| Optional Battery Packs | Nikon EN-EL3a and EN-EL3e |
The D50 is Nikon's entry-level digital single-lens reflex camera model. It has a 23.7 mm by 15.6 mm DX format image sensor with 6.1 million effective pixels. It also has a two-inch (50 mm) polysilicon TFT LCD with 130,000 dots. The camera uses a through-the-lens full-aperture exposure metering system. It can simultaneously record NEF and JPEG data to a Secure Digital storage device. Like its newer, higher-end sibling (the D80), the D50 uses Secure Digital instead of Compact Flash cards found on previous Nikon digital SLRs. The camera is powered by a rechargeable lithium-ion battery which is claimed to be able to take up to 2,000 shots on a single charge. The camera is compatible with PictBridge printers and can shoot 2.5 frames per second in continuous mode. The camera's dimensions are 133 mm in width, 102 mm in height, and 76 mm in depth. It weighs 620 g with the battery (about 22 oz).
[edit] Market
The D50 was announced on April 20, 2005 and started appearing for sale around June 2005. The camera carried a suggested retail price of US$750 for the body only or $899 with a new 18-55 mm F3.5-5.6 G AF-S DX lens. Another variant of the D50 kit containing both the 18–55 mm and a 55–200 mm F4-5.6 G AF-S DX lens is available. Competitors of the D50 include the Canon EOS 350D, various incarnations of the Pentax *ist DS, the Konica Minolta Dynax 5D, and the Olympus E-300.
As was the case with the Nikon D70 (on which the D50 is largely based) and the Canon EOS 300D (predecessor of the 350D) the previous year, feelings run high between owners of the D50 and the Canon 350D competitor. Many fans of the D50 cite its "feel", build-quality and ergonomics as reasons for choosing it over the competing models, which many users felt did not give the same reassuring feel in the hand as the D50 did, or were too small (the Canon and Pentax models in particular). The Canon 350D/Rebel XT owners cite the slightly-higher resolution of the Rebel XT and defend its small size and build quality.
The popular digital photography-oriented website Digital Photography Review, whose owner often evaluates cameras by well-known companies, rates the D50 very highly and notes its improved noise performance over the D70s it is largely derived from, although it does sacrifice some hobbyist features to achieve its lower price as compared to the D70s.[1] It should be noted that the excellent noise performance of the D50 may be attributable not to the superiority of its sensor over that of the D70s, but to more aggressive noise reduction algorithms implemented in-camera. Possible trade-offs include loss of detail and lower contrast. The reader is encouraged to view actual photographs and draw his or her own conclusion.
The camera is sold as body only, "single kit", including the 18−55 mm lens, and "double kit" including the 18–55 mm and 55–200 mm lenses.
[edit] Notes and references
- ^ Nikon D50 Review, July 2005, Phil Askey, Digital Photography Review
[edit] External links
- Nikon USA page for D50
- Images at flickr taken with a D50
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| range | Q3 | Q4 | Q1 | Q2 | Q3 | Q4 | Q1 | Q2 | Q3 | Q4 | Q1 | Q2 | Q3 | Q4 | Q1 | Q2 | Q3 | Q4 | Q1 | Q2 | Q3 | Q4 | Q1 | Q2 | Q3 | Q4 | Q1 | Q2 | Q3 | Q4 |
| professional | D1, 1999-06-15 | D1X, 2001-02-05 | D2X, 2004-09-16 | D2Xs | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| high-speed | D1H, 2001-02-05 | D2H, 2003-07-22 | D2Hs, 2005-02-16 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| prosumer | D100, 2002-02-21 | D200, 2005-11-01 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| consumer | D70, 2004-01-28 | D70s, 2005-04-20 | D80 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| entry-level | D50, 2005-04-20 | D40 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
