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

Product Information

On the top of the camera to the left of the viewfinder is the mode dial, it's almost identical to that found on the D70 with the exception of the removal of night landscape and the addition of child scene modes. Exposure Mode Dial Icon The D50's fully automatic exposure mode configures the camera to make most of the decisions for you, for example you can't set exposure compensation, flash compensation, white balance, ISO (default to Auto), metering mode or image parameters. However you do still have control over some camera functions: In this mode you select the shutter speed and the camera will calculate the correct aperture for the exposure (based on the reading of the current metering mode). Shutter speed is displayed on the viewfinder status bar and on the top LCD, turn the command dial to select different shutter speeds. Available shutter speeds (1/3 EV steps):

Nikon D50 Review - Digital Photography Review Nikon D50 Review - Digital Photography Review

In this mode the camera automatically selects aperture and shutter speed based on the current metered exposure value, exposure compensation and selected ISO sensitivity. The Program AE on the D50 is flexible, which means that you can select one of a variety of equal exposures by turning the main command dial. Example: It has a 23.7mm by 15.6mm DX format image sensor with 6.1 million effective pixels. It also has a 2.0" (50mm) polysilicon TFT LCD with 130,000 pixels. 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 CompactFlash 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 133mm in width, 102mm in height, and 76mm in depth. [1] body only; 616g (1.358lb) with EN-EL3 battery; 826g (1.821lb) with battery and AF-S DX ZOOM - NIKKOR 1 8 - 5 5 mm f/3.5-5.6 GED kit lens

Command Dial

Manual, Single shot AF, Continuous AF, Automatic AF Selection (AF operation subject to lens compatibility) Another pleasant surprise awaits you when you lift the camera to your eye: the view is bright, crisply contrasty and looks neutral. This level of image would have done a professional camera proud a few years ago and is superb performance for any camera now. Bear in mind that the lens tested is a relatively slow f/3.5 maximum aperture at the wide end, yet even at the f/5.6 long setting, the viewfinder is a pleasure to use. Images from the camera are marked by two qualities: cleanliness from noise, and good dynamic compression. This means that the images are smooth, with gradations unbroken and changing evenly from midtone to darker tones. Good dynamic compression means that it handles wide ranges of luminance well, resulting in more details showing in highlights while shadow details are also retained. This does have the side effect of making the images look slightly soft or fl at in tone, though.

Nikon D50 Overview - Digital Photography Review Nikon D50 Overview - Digital Photography Review

In this mode you select the aperture and the camera will calculate the correct shutter speed depending on metered exposure, exposure compensation and ISO sensitivity. Aperture is displayed on the viewfinder status bar and on the top LCD, turn the command dial to select different apertures. The exact range of apertures depends on the lens used.It’s important that manufacturers also provide inspirational cameras at the top end for new photographers to dream about. The Nikon D2X and Nikon D2HS certainly fill that role well, and the Nikon D50 is one of the ways Nikon will be able to continue to fund development of the next generation bodies. Given all that, it’s not surprising there is a strong focus on this segment of the market.