A stunning camera from NIkon (Nikon D50)

Member Name: dajack36

Product:	Nikon D50
Date:	04/08/09 (25 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Great lenses avaiable and in the box, solid sensor, many features, relatively easy to use, light

Disadvantages: Not the flagship model anymore, but still compatible with the newest lenses anyway

Nikon have always been renowned for the quality of their cameras, in a compact form or in a larger SLR form. This camera falls into the latter category, as an SLR camera. It spent a long time, about two years, as the flagship model for Nikon, before being replaced by the Nikon D40. Still it offers a now cheaper alternative to the D40, and offers a similar picture for much less.

The D50 features a 6.1 megapixel sensor embedded, this may not compare to many of the compact cameras seen in the market today, but a far better picture still occurs, because of the quality of the sensor simply being much better. The lens that comes with the camera is an 18-55mm, a good range for a starter SLR camera, which you will find this camera definitely is. The lens itself is of a very good quality with a large arpeture, so a clear image will often be displayed by the camera. The lens supplied is also motorised, so this gives users the option for autofocus, which is exactly what starter SLR users want from a camera.

The camera also features a variety of more advanced features, for example sport and portrait, some of these modes require the user to manually focus the lens. I have so far enjoyed starting off with the camera in autofocus, and am now moving on into these more advanced modes, it is a great starter camera.

The flash on this particular model is pretty standard, a smallish light that pops up from the main body of the camera whenever it is needed. The camera cleverly detects when the flash is needed or not for a lens to absorb enough light for a good picture. It sometimes flashes when not needed though, this can become annoying, but can always be turned off.

The camera, as you would expect, is a chunky thing. But unlike many SLR cameras, it is actually quite light, which makes it reasonably easy to carry without too much fuss, the lens detaches easily so it is relatively quick to assemble and de-assemble from being packed away.

One huge advantage that this camera has is that it features the same lens slot as the more modern D40, this means that any new lenses that are introduced will still work on the D50, so in many ways it is not as old as some may make it out to be.

This particular camera uses standard SD memory cards, but also has the ability to allow for SDHC memory cards, allowing an impressive 32GB of memory to be used in the camera at any one time if the user really desires, which would offer a crazy 8000 photos at the highest quality, very helpful for someone going away for a while without any form of computer to upload their photos to who wants to take many pictures.

There is not much else that can be said about this camera, it is fantastic for those who which to enter the world of SLR photography. It is an excellent first SLR camera that I would highly recommend to anyone who is thinking about the purchase of an SLR, it also includes a 5 year warranty and 90 day return policy in the box, so you can't go wrong. Prices start from around £250 for the basic model, but if you require a better lens than the price will be around the £350 mark, an astounding camera.

Summary: Recommended for anyone yet to own an SLR camera

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