Nikon D50

Reviewed August 2005

Test Photos

STILL LIFE PHOTO

This subject is photographed in a room that has a mix of fluorescent and incandescent light, but which is not brightly lit. The camera's flash is used to add fill light. The backdrop is 1.95 m (6.5 ft) from the camera.

The wide angel shot has been captured using the 18-55mm f3.5-5.6G ED lens that is commonly included in the kit version of the D50. At its widest angle, the zoom's focal length of 18 mm converts to the 35mm equivalent of 27mm, yielding a wide field of view.

The image presented here has been captured using the RAW format, and is simply converted to TIFF using Nikon Capture.

The distance to the subject being just short of 2m (6.5 ft), only the D50's built in flash has been used, and it yields a very well and evenly lit image.

ZOOM PHOTO

Now we zoom in on a specific area. The intent is to test the sharpness of the image at the zoom's maximum setting. The camera remains at the same distance as with the preceding photo.

For the zoom shot, the AF-S Nikkor 55-200mm f4-5.6G ED lens was used. At 55mm its focal length range begins where the 18-55mm f3.5-5.6G ED ends, and the two lenses work well together to give the D50 a focal length range that covers from the 35mm equivalent of 27mm to 300mm.

The image shown here was also captured using the RAW mode and converted to TIFF without any alterations with the Trial version of Nikon Capture.

CLOSE-UP PHOTO

Neither of the lenses included with the D50 for review are rated for macro photography. But the lens that yields the best results for close-ups is the 18-55 when it is set at the telephoto end and can capture a minimum field of view of 7cm (2.73 in.).

A better example of the imaging capability of the D50 can be shown if a macro lens is used, and this photo is captured using a 60mm f2.8 AF Micro Nikkor.

The shot is hand held.

BUILDING PHOTO

This image is our outdoor test. The architecture of the building, in particular the angled girders, immediately show the presence of jaggies. The shadowed entrance can also often reveal the quality of the exposure.

Using the AF-S DX Zoom-Nikkor 18-55mm f3.5-5.6G ED at the widest angle, the D50 was able to capture a very wide view of the building and its adjoining wings. The lens yielded a crisp image, and the light barrel distortion that can sometimes be seen with indoor shots was not noticeable with this subject.

The photo was captured using the JPEG mode at the Fine setting, the highest quality JPEG of which the D50 is capable.

ZOOM PHOTO

Zooming in on the entrance of the building, the shadowed entrance takes on a greater importance for the metering and can cause an overexposure of sections that are directly lit.

The telephoto shot of the building was also captured using the AF-S DX Zoom-Nikkor 18-55mm f3.5-5.6G ED so as to give an idea of its maximum magnification. At the telephoto end the zoom has a focal length of 55mm, equivalent to a 82.5mm lens, which is a relatively short telephoto.

The Matrix metering produced an excellent image that shows details in both the highlights and shadows.

NIGHT PHOTO

Since this camera is capable of long exposures, a photo taken at night is included here.

With this subject and the D50's base sensitivity of 200 ISO, a well-lit and very detailed photo was obtained with a 10 second exposure at an aperture of f3.5 with the D50's Manual mode. But the D50 is also capable of capturing much darker subjects using its time-unlimited Bulb exposure mode, ideal for astronomical photography.

The D50 is equipped with a dark frame noise reduction system, but it must first be enabled in the Shooting menu.

The system is very efficient, and with the minimal amount of noise the D50 picks up, causes no noticeable loss of image quality.

The white balance for this shot was set to incandescent to try to lessen the impact of all the various sources of light in the subject, but the image still maintains a noticeably orange cast.

Overall the level of detail captured by the D50 is excellent, and even in this wide angle shot, distant metal balcony railings are discernible when the image is examined closely on a monitor