Nikon D50

Reviewed August 2005

Introduction

The Nikon D50 is designed as the company's entry-level digital SLR, yet many of its features and specifications are comparable to some of Nikon's very successful D70. The camera is sold body only, or with a variety of lenses. The D50 tested here was supplied with an AF-S DX Zoom-Nikkor 18-55mm f3.5-5.6G ED, an AF-S Nikkor 55-200mm f4-5.6G ED, and with an SB-600 Speedlight.

The first button on the left controls the Self-timer:

	Self-Timer and Remote control: the self-timer can have a delay of 2, 5, 10 or 20 seconds, as determined in Custom Setting 19; or the Remote Control (ML-L3), which is purchased as an option.
	Reset: In addition, the Self-timer button can be used in conjunction with another button () to Reset the camera.

The Control Panel occupies the rest on the space available on the top right side of the D50. The panel indicates all critical camera settings, including shutter speed and aperture, but is not backlit.

Worth noting, the Control Panel is always partially on, either displaying the number of photos that can be captured, or displaying (Empty) to indicate that there is no memory card.

The single Command dial of the D50 primarily serves to select settings such as aperture, shutter speed, or combinations of these when the camera is set to the Program Shift mode. But t is also used to adjust a number of other parameters such as white balance, sensitivity, exposure compensation, etc., and when the D50 is in Playback, the Command Dial can be used to move back and forth between images.

To its left is a small button to control the Auto Exposure Lock, and the Auto Focus Lock:

	Shutter Priority provides control over the shutter speed and therefore how movement is image, while the camera automatically selects the aperture. The D50 has a shutter speed range in this mode that covers from 30 seconds to 1/4,000 second.
	Aperture Priority makes it possible to control the depth of field by selecting the aperture while the camera controls shutter speed.
	Manual provides full control over the way the exposure is captured by adjusting both the aperture and the shutter speed. While the aperture range depends on the lens in use, the shutter speed range covers from 1/4,000 second to 30 seconds, and adds a Bulb mode that allows the shutter to remain open indefinitely.

After the Manual mode, the Mode dial continues into the Digital Vari-Programs. By default these programs adjust the CCD sensitivity automatically. However an option in the Custom Settings of the D50 can be used to give the user control over the sensitivity (see the Characteristics section of the review for more information about the Custom Settings of the D50).

A total of 6 Vari-Programs are available:

	Night Portrait is designed to balance the exposure so that both the subject in the foreground and the dimly lit background are captured. The flash automatically pops-up and is set to slow synch with red-eye reduction, but can be turned off if desired. Sensitivity is set to Auto and can increase up to 560 ISO.
	Close-up is intended to capture small subjects such as insects, flowers, etc. Reds and greens are enhanced so as to be more vivid and while the D50 automatically selects the centre focus area, the focus area selection can be changed, and CCD sensitivity is set to Auto and can increase up to 1600 ISO if necessary. A lens with macro capability is best but other lenses can be used at their minimum focus distance.
	Sport uses as high a shutter speed as possible to freeze motion. The auto focus is set to continuous while the shutter release button is pressed halfway which allows following the subject's movement through focus areas. A telephoto lens yields the best results and a tripod is recommended to prevent blurring when a telephoto lens is used. Both the pop-up flash and the AF illuminator are turned off automatically and will not fire even when lighting is poor. Sensitivity is automatically controlled and can increase up to 800 ISO.
	Child is a new program for a Nikon dSLR and is designed to capture natural skin tones using a wide aperture to make the subject stand out crisply against the background. Sensitivity is automatically controlled (up to 800 ISO) and the flash is automatically used.
	Landscape captures vivid landscape shots that enhance outlines, colours, and contrast for subjects such as sky and forests. The use of a wide-angle lens is best. The pop-up flash and the AF illuminator are turned off automatically and will not turn on even when lighting is poor. Sensitivity is automatically controlled and can increase up to 800 ISO.
	Portrait records the subject clearly while background details are softened through the use of a large aperture. The degree of softening depends on the amount of light available and a telephoto yields the best results. The flash can be used or cancelled, but sensitivity is automatically controlled and can increase up to 800 ISO.

The last mode on the dial is the Auto mode:

Auto is a point-and-shoot mode that lets the D50 handle all settings. The slowest shutter speed is 1 second, and the automatically controlled sensitivity can go as high as 800 ISO if necessary, while the flash remains under the control of the user.

A button is positioned immediately below the Mode dial:

Starting at the top, the first 2 buttons have only 1 function:

	Starts or stops the Playback mode when the camera is turned On, and simply touching the shutter release lightly returns the D50 to the capture mode.
	Menu displays the 4-part menu of the D50: the Playback menu, the Shooting menu, the Custom Settings menu and the Setup menu. (The first three of these are covered in the Characteristics section of the review, while the Setup menu is covered in the Interface and Software section.)

Unlike their Playback functions, when the D50 is set to a capture mode, the other 3 buttons below are in fact additional ways to set parameters that are also accessible in the menu. By simply rotating the Command dial while holding down the button, changes cane made to the settings by looking at the Control Panel without needing the LCD monitor:

	In the P/S/A/M modes the button serves to select the sensitivity when pressed and held as the Command dial is turned. ISO speeds of 200, 400, 800, and 1600 are available.
	With the camera in Playback mode, the button displays thumbnails of the images on the memory card, first 4 per screen when pressed once, then 9 per screen when pressed a second time. Worth noting, whatever display was selected last remains in effect until changed, even if the D50 is turned Off.
	White balance serves to select from: Auto, Incandescent, Fluorescent, Direct Sunlight, Flash, Cloudy, Shade, Preset (set on the spot for the ambient light, or using a photo that has already been saved to the memory card).

On the other side of the monitor, the D50 has the Multi-selector, a 4-direction control that is used to navigate the menu, select the focus point, and which also serves to select how what information is superimposed on the monitor when the camera is in Playback mode.

And directly below the Multi-selector is the Delete button , which is use to delete an image currently shown on the screen,, be it when the D50 is in Playback or immediately after capture if it is set to show the image.

The same button also serves to adjust Flash compensation with the Command dial when it is pressed along with the exposure compensation button:

Flash Compensation: provides a compensation range of -3EV to +1 EV in 1/3 or 1/2 EV increments.

The auto/manual pop-up flash of the D50 has a Guide number of 15/49 (m/ft) at 200 ISO, the camera's starting sensitivity which corresponds to 11/36 at 100 ISO. Furthermore, the D50 is also equipped with an accessory shoe that provides synchronization at up to 1/500 sec. and is compatible with SB-series Speedlights SB-800, 600 (shown at right), 80DX, 28DX, 28, 27, 23, 22S, and 29S. The accessory shoe is also equipped with a safety lock for Speedlights with a locking pin, such as the SB-600, SB-800.

The lens release button is next, below the flash release and flash mode button. And last, near the bottom is the AF/M switch which controls Auto Focus or Manual focus.

While offering some of the features one expects from a Nikon SLR, the viewfinder of the D50 is a bit less elaborate than others, and does not offer the possibility of displaying grid lines to aid in composition. Nevertheless, it offers a five-point selectable focus very similar to the one on the D70 and provides a dioptre adjustment (-1.6 to +0.5 m-¹) along with an 18mm eye point. 

The focus point is selected using the Multi-selector and when the focus is ready the focus point flashes red as does the Centre-weighted metering reference circle. Moreover, should the memory card be missing, or the battery weak, their indicators will appear on the focusing screen.

Below the live image, the information display provides the current settings for all critical elements: aperture and shutter speed, AF indication and AF point, exposure compensation and flash exposure compensation, Auto ISO, and the number of shots remaining and the flash ready symbol.