Nikon D50 6.1MP Digital-SLR Camera

There is no better time than the present to get into photography regardless of what your skill level is. Like others, the camera market is jam packed with choice. This is a great thing, but can lead to confusion. The D50 that we are looking at today is suited for those looking to get into the Digital SLR realm. In the Nikon scheme of things, the D50 is the only option if you are on a relative budget.

If you are unfamiliar with “Single-Lens Reflex”, you should check out the primer in the WikiPedia. Essentially, SLRs are unique in that they use movable mirror that’s placed between the lens and the CCD sensor. It sounds simple, but it’s a precise process as you can learn from that article.

Whether or not you care specifically about SLR, it’s the current and the future. It’s no surprise that it’s the only option in the high-end digital camera market. As mentioned, the D50 is primarily designed for novice and intermediate photographers. Though, this does not take away from any of the quality you would expect from a good SLR. The D50 is priced appropriately, so that you can get yourself set up with a very quality setup for under $1,000, which would of course include the lens and a speedlight.

If you are to purchase a D50, you will have a few different options available to you. You could purchase the camera without a lens, but you can also purchase it with one or two lenses as well. Yes… you heard me right. Nikon offers a D50 kit that includes two lenses, and that’s the kit I am taking a look at today. For indoor photography, especially with close-ups, it’s apparent how necessary a speedlight is. So, we are also going to be using the SB-600 for all of the shots that required it.

The first lens included is the 18 – 55mm f3.5-5.6G ED, which is for all-around use. It’s good for close-ups and also general photography. It’s 27-82.5mm 35mm equivalent, that has an optical zoom of 3.0x. This is the lens I have used for all of the recent product shots, close-ups of nature and most anything else in general.

The second lens is the 55 – 200mm f4-5.6/g ED which has greater zoom capabilities than the other. It’s equivalent to 82.5 – 300mm 35mm, and has a 3.6x zoom. While the 18 -55mm lens was appropriate for the majority of the pictures, this lens allows for a little more flexibility and distance. Whereas you could not really snap a photo of a license plate that’s driving by with the 18 – 55mm lens, you could with this.

Finally, we have the Speedlight SB-600, which is the “norm” Speedlight for anyone who owns a Nikon D-SLR. You could go with a lower model, but lack in the large array of lighting possibilities. The next step up is the SB-800, but that costs near 80% more, so it’s for people who really know what they are doing! The SB-600 takes advantage of the Creative Lighting System which allows it to co-exist with your camera seamlessly. It will recognize and analyze the situation so that you will get the best possible lighting.

Now that introductions are out of the way, let’s jump into the specs and technical aspects to see what the camera offers.