I have been asked for a long time to review the Nikon D50. Behind provided by camera Nikon D50 body many thanks to Denis K.
Nikon D50 body review
The Nikon D50 is a very old camera, released back in early 2005. The camera from this review is more than 8 years old, which is a whole era by the standards of digital technology. Nikon D50 is a very interesting historical milestone in camera industry - this is the first and last Amateur Nikon Camera (as opposed to advanced amateur cameras) with an additional monochrome display and focusing motor. In the future, the entire range of amateur cameras, starting with the successor Nikon D50 - Nikon D40 and ending Nikon D5200devoid of monochrome display and focus motor. It would be very nice if in Nikon D40 only the display was removed, but the focus motor was left, then the younger line of Nikon cameras would have full compatibility with all autofocus lenses.
Shadows in the forest. Example photo on the Nikon D50. White balance 'Shadow'
If you ask why the Nikon D50 is not advanced amateur camera, then everything is simple here - the camera is cut in terms of its functionality. First of all, Nikon D50 lacks an additional selector - a dial under the index finger, which is responsible for controlling the aperture. Also Nikon D50 has no depth of field preview buttons and FN buttons, no monochrome display backlight and no protective cover for the main display. Of course, the Nikon D50 doesn't have very useful flash modes - remote external flash control and regime high speed sync... In general, Nikon D50 is something in between Nikon D70 и Nikon D40.
Example photo at D50
Nikon D50 uses ISO from 200 to 1600. In Nikon D50 it is possible to use auto ISO functionin the camera menu maximum sensitivity cannot be set ISO for this function, and the most short shutter speedwhich can be set in the menu auto ISO is only 1/125 of a second. Manually set only 4 ISO values: 200, 400, 800, 1600. The old Nikon D50 does not show the best results at high ISO values. I'd like to add - it's very bad that Nikon D50 and Nikon D40who cannot use ISO 100 is set to a minimum excerpt shutter 1/4000 second. Because of this trifle, it is not always convenient to work with fast lenses in good light. But the minimum excerpt flash sync is 1 / 500s - a very good feature of Nikon D50 cameras, D40, D70, D70s.
Wild grapes. Example photo on Nikon D50
Nikon D50 uses a 6MP sensor, which makes it possible to take pictures up to 3008 * 2000 pixels. 'Large'' pixels of old Nikon cameras first generation have their own unique charm. In general, based on the matrix installed in the Nikon D50, Nikon has released several cameras: Nikon D70, D70s, D40 and D50. It should be noted that the software imaging on these cameras is different, because cameras can give slightly different images, even with identical settings in the menu. But, as my practice shows, the image quality from these cameras is almost the same. Now cameras from this five can be used. for a very modest price. Nikon D100 although it has the same 6MP, but it uses a slightly different sensor to form the image (details in the review Nikon D100).
Under cover. Example photo on Nikon D50
Nikon D50 and Nikon D40 Are Nikon's slowest DLCs, they can shoot at a maximum of 2.5 frames per second. This speed has never been a problem for me. And here frame buffer the camera is small:
- 4 RAW pictures with the shutdown function turned off, slow shutter noise reduction
- 3 RAW images with slow shutter noise reduction enabled
- 9 JPEG images with slow shutter noise reduction turned off
- 7 JPEG image with long exposure noise reduction enabled
- 4 RAW + JPEG shots with long exposure noise reduction turned off
- 3 RAW + JPEG shots with slow shutter noise reduction enabled
- 49 frames in format JPEG Basic s
- in demo mode (without a memory card) 40 photos are always placed, which is typical for many Nikon cameras (isn't it strange?).
Frame buffer Nikon D50 is almost no different from models D70, D70s, D100, D40. As a result, Nikon D50 has practically the lowest performance among all the CZK Nikon.
Example photo on the Nikon D50. Spider on the web.
The Nikon D50 was first installed with a 420 pixel RGB sensor for metering exposure. The same sensor was then installed on a huge number of Nikon cameras. The list can be found in the section on Nikon camera metering methods. Amateur Nikon D50 is not able to work in semi-automatic modes with the old unchipped (manual) optics, only in the 'M' mode. The focusing system is the same as that of Nikon D70, D70s, D100, built on the basis of the module Multi-cam 900. 5 point focusing system the Nikon D50 is much more convenient than the 3-point Nikon D40, D60 и D40x.
Autumn is not only weddings :) Sample photo on Nikon D50
Important notes on the Nikon D50:
- The Nikon D50 can use batteries from Nikon D100, D70, D70s, D80, D90, D200, D700, D300, D300sbut not vice versa.
- The camera has no image enhancement features such as A-Dlighting, aberration control, distortion control, vignetting control, HDR, etc. This is a problem for shooters in JPEG format. Of course, there is no video recording in such an old camera. I am writing about video shooting, since now many people are sure that if you have a SLR camera in your hands, then it should not just shoot video, but at least play guitar and download movies :)
- The central joystick of the camera does not have a central 'OK' button. The same inconvenience is observed in Nikon D80, D70, D70s.
- To switch between AF-S, AF-A и AF-C You need to pick your menu.
- The camera cannot shoot in RAW + JPEG Fine mode, but only RAW + JPEG Basic. Nikon D40, D70 have the same sore, D70s.
- Unlike Nikon D100, D70, D70s, the Nikon D50 has a Russian-language menu.
- Nikon D50 supports only cards SD up to 2 GB (SD 1.0). To write this review I had to buy a 2GB card :(
- The camera has a function bracketing exposure.
- RAW files do not have compression settings and only support 12-bit color depthwhile RAW is stored in compressed form.
- The camera can be controlled remotely using a simple remote control Nikon ML-L3.
- You can find the Nikon D50 in a silver case.
- In focus mode AF-C the camera is in focus priority and you can take a picture at any time only in manual focus mode.
- The Nikon D50 uses a 2-inch 130.000-pixel display, the same as the Nikon D70s. The display is really small and not suitable for viewing the footage.
- The camera from this view was made in Thailand. The build is not bad. First-generation cameras last a very long time and sometimes even 'unkillable'.
Color rendering. Example photo on Nikon D50
Sample Photos
Sample photos on Nikon D50
Sample photos on Nikon D50
Sample photos on Nikon D50
You can download the original photos. at this link.
More examples of photos on the Nikon D50 can be found in the lens overview:
- Nikon DX AF-S Nikkor 18-200mm 1: 3.5-5.6GII ED SWM VR IF Aspherical
- Nikon AF-S Nikkor 85mm 1: 1.8G IF SWM
Personal experience
The camera often has serious white balance misses. When I was looking for a simple travel camera that I was not sorry to use in any environment, I settled on the Nikon D40 because of its light weight, 'normal' display and support for SDHC memory cards. One 32GB SDHC with Nikon D40 was enough for more than 2 weeks of travel. The Nikon D50, on the other hand, does not support capacious memory cards, has a small display and is heavier than the Nikon D40. Still, the Nikon D50 is a very pretty camera. Now it can be bought for only 150-200 USD, and for another 100 USD. to take Nikon 50mm f / 1.8D AF Nikkor and shoot for your pleasure. Due to the fact that older cameras such as the Nikon D50 have very little functionality and few of the different 'mind-boggling settings' found in modern digital control centers, these cameras are very interesting to use. When shooting, you pay more attention to the shot itself than to the camera settings.
In the woods. Example photo on Nikon D50
Prices for modern Nikon cameras in popular stores can look at this link.
Conclusions:Nowadays, the Nikon D50 is a morally obsolete camera with very poor functionality. The camera attracts attention only focus motor and the presence of an additional display with quick setup of some parameters. A serious drawback is the small display and the small ISO sensitivity range. Well, there’s no reason to demand more from an old Nikon D50. In any case, even with the Nikon D50 you can get great pictures, because the main thing is to want to take pictures. I advise you to look at the page recommendations for choosing an amateur Nikon camera.
Material prepared Arkady Shapoval. Training/Consultations | Youtube | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Telegram
I have long wanted your review on the D50, thanks!
The main advantage of this camera, I believe, is the color rendition. CFA dense in bold pixels, did the trick. Color separation is excellent, but I think for artistic photography, and indeed for color photography, should be a priority.
The camera sometimes produces not quite correct skin colors, which is often noticeable when printing.
This is generally a problem, any Nikon
Arkady, not quite right “Nikon D50 only supports SD cards up to 2 GB (SD 1.0). To write this review, I had to buy a 2 GB card :( "
Nikon D50 supports SD 4 Gb, only it must be SD, not SDHC. Quite a rare option, it is difficult to find already on sale. I had two SD 4G 133x cards from different manufacturers - both worked. But the Nikon D50 cannot format such cards - if you need to delete all images, you need to use the delete function. If you try to format 4 GB by means of the device, then it will freeze. :)
That's why in the article I have 2 GB, with 4, the camera does not work normally.
Strange, it worked for me. In general, as I understand it, SD 4Gb appeared at a time when many devices were already being transferred to SDHC. Because of this, its support is not well implemented everywhere. In particular, on my Panasonic soap box, which is "friends" with SDHC, a 2 GB SD card is perceived normally, and it sees a 4 GB card as 1 GB, although it is formatted correctly, and the full volume was displayed on the Nikon D50.
+ Most likely, this factor also affects: if programmers used a 32-bit signed number, then the maximum value will be 2. But if unsigned, then 147 times more. who knows what math they used :)
Nostalgic memories are evoked by this device. :) I really like his picture. I changed it on the D80 not for megapixels, but because of the exposure and focus control buttons, which the D50 does not have. Otherwise, an excellent device, served me for 6 years faithfully. Unlike the D40, it has a 1500 mAh battery, which is similar only to older cameras of level D7000 and higher.
Great ... the pictures look better than the reviews of more modern and advanced cameras ..
minimum flash sync speed is 1 / 500s,
new amateur cameras such as d5100 have a minimum sync speed with a flash of 1 / 200s. QUESTION Is this related to the technical parameters of the camera or is it software locked ???
Thanks for the answer
Flash sync speed is the shutter speed at which the camera's curtain shutter opens fully. On newer cameras, the curtains move more slowly, which is why the minimum shutter speed is 1/200.
I thought that there is the same speed only a different gap between the curtains, then the question is what does it mean that it opens completely ??? , I'm an amateur and ask me to excuse me, but with this synchronization I don’t understand how the robot algorithm
everything is very simple .. "full synchronization" is achieved if at the moment of the flash the curtains are fully open, ie. the lower one has not yet begun to catch up with the upper one.
As you might guess, in order to achieve this at 1/500, the speed of the lower curtain mechanism must be noticeably higher than if “it was necessary to catch up after the full opening of the window” by 1/200.
In modern cameras, the shutter speed is lower (stupidly greater resource of the mechanism and cheaper), so a “completely open” frame can only be taken from 1/200. And at higher shutter speeds, “the lower curtain catches up with the upper one, forming a gap”.
By the way, an excellent joke of this camera, which not everyone knows about, is working with non-system flashes at shutter speeds shorter than 1 / 500s !!!! If the camera “ignites” the flash only through the central contact of the shoe or the studio through an adapter, then it works quietly without black fields in the frame up to 1 / 2000s and good copies (I had several 50s at different times) and up to 1 / 3200s !!! Try it yourself, you will be very surprised. Yes, and with the SB-800 it completely rolls the focus, if you glue the extra. contacts through which data is transmitted between the camera and the flash, and leave only the central one, and switch the flash to Manual or A mode (automatic from the built-in light sensor)
Short shutter speeds on the D70, D50, D40 work off the electronic shutter. It is this feature that allows you to work with flashes at such fast shutter speeds as 1/2000.
Many cameras of that generation have misses with white balance. Therefore, I always carry a folded sheet of white paper with me. So more reliable. Although putting balance in Nikon Capture is not such a difficult thing for those who shoot in RAW.
Hello, Arkady, I wanted to add from myself
The central joystick of the camera does not have a central 'OK' button. The same inconvenience is observed in the Nikon D80, D70, D70s.
here you can add the D60 and D200.
The camera cannot shoot in RAW + JPEG Fine mode, but only RAW + JPEG Basic. Nikon D40, D70, D70s have the same sore.
here also D60 can be added.
Thank you for your attention
D200 has a central button, to press it, you need to push the entire joystick. It is not very convenient, but it works. The same goes for the D300.
Arkady, thanks, about the D200, yes it is, but the D700 also has a separate button, which is much more convenient, because when you try to click on the D200, it chokes in one direction, honestly this is almost the only thing that infuriates the D200 and so the old man is very good
The d300 is the same.
Yes, I know, Arkady, I’m not going to change my D200 for it, although there were thoughts, I really liked the focus system on the D300, but still not, I'm collecting a denyuzhka on the D700
Now it can be bought for only 150-200 cu,
Searching for an excuse for.
thank you for the review.
fixed
Arkady You have a wonderful ability to write reviews, just before you want to know about a particular product.)))
Please tell me how, in your opinion, after D70 it will be convenient to use the D50m. And is there a big total difference between these cameras (in terms of image quality).
Hello. I don’t know anything about the D50m model. But in the review I made it pretty clear that there is no difference between the d70 and d50.
In terms of quality, most likely, there will be no difference due to the camera. But the quality is greatly influenced by lenses. Please note that the author uses a sharp fast lens in the review, most likely a prime lens. So if you are currently considering the issue of acquiring a D50 and are not ready to pay 30-40 thousand for a modern carcass, then it makes sense to invest fixed assets in lenses, and not the carcass. The fact that a d50 with good optics will allow you to get a better quality photo than a d200 with a mediocre one is unambiguous. Plus - Nikon lenses are compatible between almost all models, and the object will never become outdated or lose in price, at least not much.
In this review I used a “penny” Nikon 28-105 F / 3.5-4.5 (about $ 150-200), and only one photo in this review was taken with a fixed (oak leaf). Older cameras with low pixel counts produce sharp images even with mediocre optics, as they have “fat” pixels at the heart of their sensors.
Here is how? A good lens then, even if relatively inexpensive :) but in this case the photographer’s skill, composition and proper exposure obviously play an equally important role in the final result :)
Hello Arkady. Tell me, does it make sense to change Nikon d50 to Nikon d80?
If you take pictures for yourself and at your pleasure, then it makes no sense.
It depends on what goals you are pursuing. I have had D50 for a long time - since 2006. Until now, everything works like a clock. Several times I thought about making an upgrade, but I could not justify this desire logically - well, everything suits me, by and large. True, now there is a desire to try to shoot video with different good optics and take pictures with Soviet lenses, so I am thinking about a carcass with video and support for unchipped optics. But it’s like a “cherry on top”, and the “cake” itself in the form of a solid D50 camera is there, so there is no hurry with the upgrade.
I’m still shooting on the D50. I want to say in her defense that the battery lasts really long, here the battery costs from more advanced cameras, the simple menu has a small screen, plus everything is monochrome on top of which I change all the settings. And since I photograph not often, the batteries last for a month or two. The camera works quickly, shoots efficiently, the battery lasts for a long time, is compatible with all optics. I think I’m going to switch to D600 because I want a full frame, well, plus all my full-frame optics, I took it consciously with a view to the future.
In my opinion, the camera is not bad, there are errors with the white balance, especially in low light (indoor, sunset, dawn, with a flash), but the picture is still interesting, especially when using manual lenses. For example, the Kaleinar 5H 100 / 2.8 easily makes the Nikon 16-85 lens in terms of the detail of the image and the aperture of course. I put a focusing screen from a film Kiev-50 on my Nikon D17, cutting off the excess, since of course Kiev-17 under a full frame and now focusing on manual lenses is just a fairy tale - focus is guaranteed by wedges, before it turned out only by a green point, because to see nothing is possible in the viewfinder, it is simply too small (I compare it with film for a full frame).
Compared Nikon D50 (Helios 44m7 converted to infinity) and Canon 60D (fix 50 1.8), the subjective picture of Canon is certainly higher in detail when enlarged, but Nikon has a soulful color rendering in my opinion is better, there is no dropping in brownish-violet shades like 60D. The situation is the same on variosomes; zooms of the same class were taken for comparison. At first I sinned that the whole difference was due to the matrices (CCD vs CMOS), but I remembered SONY DSC-R1, it was on CMOS, and after all the picture it turned out to her was sometimes just a masterpiece.
Now I am faced with a choice and ask for advice on what to choose - Fuji S3, Nikon D200, Canon EOS 5D (first). Fuji likes how he conveys halftones, light, colors, but the steps on the inclined lines, Canon 5D is FF, i.e. full transition including optics, Nikon D200 will be much more interesting than D50?
Good afternoon! Tell me, please: I bought a used Nikon D50, plus the new Nikon 50mm f / 1.8D AF Nikkor. In autofocus mode, the shutter button is not pressed, it does not even begin to focus, and R07 is displayed on the frame counter screen. Is it a breakdown or is something wrong in the settings? Although I seem to have re-read everything, tried it, as a result, while photographing with manual focus, it’s not always convenient. A service center is not yet possible, because in another country. Thanks in advance.
Place the AF lever near the camera mount. r07 is normal, it is a buffer counter.
Nikon D50 camera, I have it since 2006. I shot on it 11000 thousand frames.
She constantly makes me happy. Detailing, color rendition, screwdriver, autofocus illumination, I am glad about it. What else does a poor peasant need?
The only drawback is the small main display and does not show ISO in the picture.
I wanted to somehow sell and change it to nikon d3100, d5100, d3200 and did not have a screwdriver.
And on the nikon d50 there is a screwdriver, and any lens from film nikon suits it.
This is a huge plus for a beginner and advanced photographer.
iso shows in the picture if you press the two joystick up while viewing a photo.
Pictures taken with the Nikon D50
http://fotki.yandex.ru/users/g-gostew2012/album/323660/
Yes, I also want to add that the D50 is a large pixel, with all that it implies - a beautiful transmission of light, the possibility of a stronger closing of the aperture without losing pixel sharpness (up to 13), for example, many multi-megapixel crop cameras allow you to do this only up to 7-8, which is not always applicable. Vladimir Medvedev has an excellent table on his website - http://vladimirmedvedev.com/dpi.htmlI recommend for study. If your camera is not in the list, you can easily calculate the parameters for your own using the applied algorithms.
Thanks for the wonderful review! My favorite color device. Shooting of course only in rav is recommended. They weigh only about 5 mb.
Hello everyone!
Maybe someone knows how to set up a Nikon D50 ISO camera,
so that it is printed in the frame file?
Thank you!
Disable auto iso, then the ISO value can be viewed by almost any appropriate program, for example, Lighroom, ViewNx, etc.
Hello! Please tell me if there is an alternative to
I was able to safely change the Nikon D50 to another, newer model from the Nikon line? Thank you for understanding!
See here for a list of advanced cameras. https://radojuva.com.ua/2013/01/what-camera-nikon-shoud-i-buy/
Thanks for the review, it's a pity that my silver D50 did not survive) this camera was the first DSLR and was remembered only from the best side .. sincere it) the main drawback as for me is memory cards up to 2 GB and a small screen, but there is a screwdriver and additional. screen! And the pictures from her, despite their age, can be excellent.
Now I choose between d90 and d200, sadly without a camera)
Hello. For personal reasons, I changed d90 to d50. The review mentions noise reduction, but I haven’t found it anywhere on the menu. Tell me how to find it
Thanks for the report !!! My first SLR and probably my favorite!
And she faithfully serves me for the 10th year.
I shot for 18-55 whales for a very long time, but when I put Nikkor 50 f 1: 1,8, I was stunned by the magnificent sharp picture! The large pixel of the matrix draws very beautifully!
I believe that this is one of the most successful models of Nikon!
At the moment, a rather miserable solution due to its modest functionality, there are more recent alternatives for the same money ...
Yes, but not for "the same money ..."
Excellent camera, in operation since 2005! Filmed in different weather conditions (rain, snow, for below -30, above +30)! For all the time I have never failed, it works like a clock. Somehow (in the year 2008) I even had to make out (I flooded the matrix when cleaning by inexperience, and the service center is far away) and nothing works! Of the minuses: support for an sd card with a capacity of no more than 2GB, there is no backlight for an additional display, sometimes autofocus misses. There are many more pluses, everyone has already listed above! Not so long ago, I thought about replacing and was surprised to find that cameras with such a price-quality ratio simply do not exist on the market! I decided not to change the camera until it breaks.
Yesterday I took this camera with 50 / 1,8 and 70-210, in principle out of curiosity (I use pentax k7) I wanted to buy an 18-200 sigma for a pentax, but I brought nikon d50 home. The point is that I just went nuts! “The old woman” really humiliated k7 in my eyes! I'm not even a photographer, rather a sympathetic))) aspiring, but it's hard to surprise me with anything! Nikon D50 did it! So far there was no time to talk, but I am waiting for this acquaintance with trepidation and excitement!
PS and from something, does not leave a feeling that they raped me)))