# Considering a D50



## Wiggly (Oct 30, 2006)

Well, I'm going to be buying my first SLR probably within the next 4-6 months and was considering the D50.  The only thing that worries me is the 6.1 MPs.  Would that be ok prints as large as 11x14 or even a little larger?  Also, I mean, can this camera be used for professional shots?  IE wedding photography?  I'm an associated partner for a wedding photographer and was just looking for a second opinion.  I'm still learning ALOT and mostly just follow orders and assist right now.  Things like keep files in order etc etc.  Untill I have enough experience to handle a full job alone anyway then I'll get equal cut wooo.  Anyway, just thought I would explain before the questions came.  Thanks! -kris


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## Big Mike (Oct 30, 2006)

The D50 is certainly a good camera and capable of producing files for 11x14 prints.  Making large prints is easier though, if you do have more pixels to work with.  I can't remember what the price difference is for the D80...but I'd give it serious considerations as well.  That's if you are only considering a Nikon.  Otherwise, I'd also consider the Canon Rebel XTi or 30D.


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## Wiggly (Oct 30, 2006)

I'm prob gonna stick with nikon just because I kinda have a comfort with them.  Everyone I know uses Nikon soooo, ya know.  The price difference is about 300-400 dollars with the d50 and d80 so it's pretty cosiderable.  I just don't want something that I'm going to "outgrow" to soon...  any thoughts?


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## fmw (Oct 30, 2006)

I use a D50 and every lens I own cost more than the camera body.  So at least I think it has enough resolution for professional results.  I print 8 1/2" X 11" on an ink jet printer.  I normally resize down to 400 dpi to print.  Any additional resolution would be fairly wasted on that printer and print size.  I have a growing collection of camera raw files on the hard drive.  I never use anywhere near all of the resolution they contain.

11X14?  Piece of cake.  16X20?  Probably OK but personally I've never tried it.  Is it enough to shoot weddings?  Of course.  The D80 is the sweet spot in the Nikon line, I think.  I would have bought one if it had been available when I bought mine.  But I have no nagging desire to trade mine up.


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## Wiggly (Oct 30, 2006)

^^ cool that makes me feel a lot more at ease getting the lower end model.  thsnk!


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## Orgnoi1 (Oct 30, 2006)

My girlfriend uses both a D100 and D70 (both are 6.1mp) and has no problems printing routinely at 8x10 (8.5x11), or 13x19... so you should be fine... good luck with your purchase!


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## Quok1mb0 (Oct 30, 2006)

i love my D50!!!!! and i really mean that, and it was my first DSLR camera and like stated before up there, I have no desire to trade mine up untill I know i am financially stable to. You can see some of my end results in my Deviant art in my sig, and to show you some of the colors that come offa this camera click here...

http://www.deviantart.com/deviation/38077148/

The only thing I did to this photo was sharpen it...that came strait out of the camera...I love my D50!! 

Also the price between the D50 and D80 is about 300-400 bucks or so...I saw a D80 advertised with a really nice lense (like 28-200) for like 1200 and the D50 with an ok lense(28-80 or so) is like 700-800 or so...


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## Wiggly (Oct 30, 2006)

Wow that looks GREAT. Oh and might I add... that is one hell of a site. So much great work I could spend hours there. I just spent one there already lol. Thanks, I'm really feeling the D50 after all this!


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## fmw (Oct 30, 2006)

I like the bug shot on the flower. Wiggly, here's another example for you. This is a simple architectural shot but it has plenty of detail. It is 8X12 in actual size and 80% of the data has been removed from the file from which I would print this on the printer. That should help you quit worrying when you add it to the bug shot.


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## Wiggly (Oct 30, 2006)

wow thats awesome^^

on another note, what do you guys think about this kit?

http://cgi.ebay.com/NIKON-D50-SLR-CAMERA-4500-SG-EXTREME-SHOOTER-PACKAGE_W0QQitemZ290044943796QQihZ019QQcategoryZ122616QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

I'm not 100% sure about the equipment so what do you guys think about those and the brands etc etc?


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## Orgnoi1 (Oct 30, 2006)

Personally I hate to steer people towards those kits... there are a few things in there you wont ever use... the price at $858 isnt terrible considering you are getting the two lenses... 

I just remember being new... and my GF got hosed on a deal... spent like $200 on a 1gig card because she wasnt aware of the prices...

I would say my advise would be... take your time... price out the camera elsewhere... and maybe a lens kit by Sigma or Tamron for the same focal lengths... and maybe a bag and cleaning kit... the rest you may or may not use... but I would bank on not... 

If your price comes up as more... then its a good deal... if it doesnt... then maybe the little frilly stuff they add to entice people really isnt worth it... I know for a fact that their claim of "$3000 in extras" is about $2500 false...


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## Wiggly (Oct 30, 2006)

Yeah you're right I prob wouldn't really need the case (I dont like their case), tripods (already have access to a few really damn good ones), aluminum case (can't see me using it at all), or the card reader (do they really make DL faster?).  I was also already knew that the extra's price was BS too, but doesn't make it a bad deal! lol.  besides...



The rebel XTi has caught my eye as well  .


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## Orgnoi1 (Oct 30, 2006)

Well the card reader isnt going to technically read the card faster... USB2.0 is USB2.0 is USB2.0..... but I use the card reader all the time since I dont want to use the cameras proprietary software... but a GOOD CF or SD card reader will only cost you about $9.95... not $40...


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## Wiggly (Oct 30, 2006)

yea I'm stickin to my guns and will prob stay with the D50... unless theres something thats better bang for the buck in 5 months when I buy lol


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## ravikiran (Oct 30, 2006)

Hai Kris,

Welcome to the forum. And congratulations on deciding to buy a new D50. I own one and it's damn good.
But I do have some words of caution. I am using my camera for the last 2 months and am very seriously experimenting with different lenses my friends own. I think the final point in SLR photography lies with the selection of the lens. I would therefore suggest you to buy the camera body and then select the lens basing on your need.
Regarding the kits don't get alluded to those. They definetely charge more than what is necessary to be afforded. You can buy each one individually with much less price than they quoted and definetely they will not provide you the best model and make (which you can select individually).
I would strongly suggest you to go for amazon.com or bhphotoandvideo.com site for the buy. Or else select the site which is most rated. Otherwise you were likely to get a refurbished one or some times a second hand piece.
Would like to see you shoot some pics and share them on this forum.
Happy shooting with your camera and happy learning on this forum,

amiably,
ravi.


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## fmw (Oct 31, 2006)

I'll chime in too on the lenses.  Lenses are still the image producing part of a camera.  The digital body records what the lens projects.  The architectural shot above was made with an expensive Nikkor 12-24 F4 wide angle zoom.  That's why it is so crisp across the frame of the photograph.  I'm not suggesting you should buy this lens.  I'm just agreeing with those who advise against the "kits" that include cheap third party lenses.

I used the lens that accompanied the D50 for several months for product photography.  It wasn't a great lens or a fast one, but it produced decent results.  Any other lenses you buy in the future should be at least as good as that one and certainly better than the cheapies the camera dealers use to improve their margins.


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## Mohain (Oct 31, 2006)

I know people who have had their D50 photos blown up to 30" x 20" and have been very happy with the result.


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## Wiggly (Oct 31, 2006)

so how do I know a good lense from a bad one?  by brand?  just doing research on individual lenses?  or just reading and eventually picking up on things?  is sigma not a good brand?


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## Tiberius (Oct 31, 2006)

Do research on the various lenses.  Sigma's a decent brand, and has a lot of great lenses at certain price points (Their 150mm Macro and 10-20mm are both good lenses, and the 50-500 "Bigma" is famous).  As a _general_ rule, Nikkor-brand and Canon-brand glass is usually superior to Sigma glass, but there are some poor camera-brand lenses and some spectacular Sigma lenses, so it's not a golden rule.

I'd start with the Nikon 18-55 or 18-70 lenses.  I own both and love them (I should get around to selling the 18-55, but I've been lazy).  If you get the 18-70, however, make sure you get it used - it's the kit lens with all of Nikon's higher-end bodies, and you can get them used for about $200 all the time - an absolute steal for the quality.  The 18-55 is decent quality and is dirt cheap, but the 18-70 is superior in every way.


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## Wiggly (Oct 31, 2006)

I was reading in another thread that the higher the zoom the more poor the performance.  Is this true?  Or is the difference small enough to not be a big deal?  So wouldn't the "Bigma" be bad?  I was looking at the 18-70 and it looks good.  I would also like a fisheye lense.  It seems like a kit would be so much cheaper than buying them individually...  Any good sites to buy lenses other than www.bhphoto.com ?

It just seems like that kit I posted earlier is a STEAL compared to buying everything individually.  Unless I'm just looking in all the wrong places?


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## fmw (Oct 31, 2006)

Wiggly said:
			
		

> I was reading in another thread that the higher the zoom the more poor the performance. Is this true? Or is the difference small enough to not be a big deal? So wouldn't the "Bigma" be bad? I was looking at the 18-70 and it looks good. I would also like a fisheye lense. It seems like a kit would be so much cheaper than buying them individually... Any good sites to buy lenses other than www.bhphoto.com ?
> 
> It just seems like that kit I posted earlier is a STEAL compared to buying everything individually. Unless I'm just looking in all the wrong places?


 
It is a steal.   The merchant is trying to steal more gross profit by selling you a junk lens or two.  It isn't that you are looking in the wrong place.  It is that you are looking at the wrong products.

I haven't seen or used "Bigma" but I can assure that, sight unseen, it will have worse  performance than a more modest zoom like 18-70.

In the equipment section somewhere I posted a short review of an inexpensive Tamron tele converter.  In that post you can see some images of newsprint that make a very graphic comparison of differences in image quality.  In the best case, the image is made with a prime telephoto lens designed for a 35mm camera and the poorer performing lens is an expensive 17-55 f2.8 Nikkor zoom which is only 3X.  As the zoom range grows things only become worse.  Take a look and tell me what you think.


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## Tiberius (Oct 31, 2006)

Wiggly said:
			
		

> I was reading in another thread that the higher the zoom the more poor the performance.  Is this true?  Or is the difference small enough to not be a big deal?


Both.  It's certainly true that if two lenses are of comparable build quality and price and one has a larger zoom range than optical comprimises would have have to been made.  But in a large number of cases, it's not too bad.  Several exceptions to the rule:

(1) Nikon's 80-400VR has a 5x zoom and is considerably better than a lot of Nikon's 'lesser' zoom range lenses like the 70-300, 70-210, 18-70, and so on.  On the other hand, it's in a higher price and build quality range.

(2) Nikon's 18-200VR - is it as good as Pro f/2.8 glass?  No.  But it's got an 11x zoom range and is incredible acros 99% of it.  A LOT of people love and use it, which is why you can never find one.

(3) The Bigma.  It may cost a thousand bucks, but optically it's rock solid.





> It seems like a kit would be so much cheaper than buying them individually...


Definitely not the "kits" you'll find on eBay.  Their lenses are crap.





> Any good sites to buy lenses other than www.bhphoto.com ?


Tons.  Just use www.resellerratings.com to check out the various companies.  I've used Beach Camera, KEH, Adorama, and Amazon myself.





> It just seems like that kit I posted earlier is a STEAL compared to buying everything individually.  Unless I'm just looking in all the wrong places?


It's only a steal in that they're stealing your money and giving you junk.


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## ravikiran (Oct 31, 2006)

I just aggree with Tiberius and FMW. THey are very correct in telling you oof the ebay products especially their kits.


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## Wiggly (Nov 1, 2006)

http://www.sigma4less.com/sess/utn;jsessionid=154548c8f07afad/shopdata/product_search.shopscript?query=NID50185555200K&pc=6

hows that look?  they are both nikkor lenses.  (nikon right?)


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## Tiberius (Nov 1, 2006)

Those lenses are decent, but not spectacular.  You'd still be better getting either the standard kit - Body + 18-55 - or, even better, the body alone and a lens like the 18-70.


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## Wiggly (Nov 1, 2006)

I know I'm beggining to sound redundant, but here goes anyway.  So if nikon has good lenses, and those are both nikkor lenses.  Why are they only decent and not as good as a single 18-70?


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## Arch (Nov 1, 2006)

Its because the 18-70 is notorious for being a pin sharp lens... it is just better built than the two kit lenses..... its your choice, i have both the kit lenses but i only ever use the 18-55 now because i have others that cover the range of the 55-200.
But given the choice now.... i'd get the body first.... then get the 18-70.


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## Wiggly (Nov 1, 2006)

ahhhh I see. wow I have learned so much in this thread! Thanks everyone for all the help, patience, and comments!

wellllp. 950 dollars for both from wolf camera bought individually. guess I'll start saving lol.  much cheaper at sigma for less though


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