your needs. And most professionals I know would not turn down the D50. As a matter of fact, on the cruise, I was approached by two of the shipboard photographers who noticed I was carrying the D50. Each said it was a quality camera that they could and would use in their work. I thought that was a pretty good endorsement. Regarding the speed of the camera overall: I was watching the glass enclosed external elevators used in the atrium. There were four of them. We were watching to see when all four of them stopped at the same floor at the same time. Kind of like a slot machine - waiting for the 7's to roll up. One of my party yelled "There they are!" I grabbed my camera, which was in the OFF position. As I raised the camera, I clicked the on switch and started rotating the barrel of the lense as the camera was coming up. As it came up to my eye, I got it at the right focal length, pressed the shutter release button halfway for it to focus, and snapped the picture just as one of the elevators started up. All this happened in what you might call a split second. The camera caught the scene with no blurr. It was like a quick draw. How much faster does anyone need for a camera to be? Buy it! You'll love it! Oh, yeah, it is instant on, too. No waiting. ________________________________________________________________

          
Absolutely awesome camera!!, April 16, 2006
Reviewer: Nikon Enthusiast
I'm a casual photographer and used a Canon AE-1 SLR for years, then for a short time had an auto-focus Pentax SLR. Then I went digital and bought a point-and-shoot Nikon Coolpix 2500 and really enjoyed being able to take a lot of photos and just delete the ones I didn't like. It was fun for awhile, but I began to miss the speed and versatility of an SLR.

I started reading product and user reviews about different brands and models of digital SLRs, including the Canon Rebel, and narrowed it down to either the Nikon D70 or D50. The D70 has a few more 'bells and whistles' but, for me, the differences didn't justify the extra cost. For instance, I never used the depth-of-field preview function on my old Canon so I knew I wouldn't miss that. The D50 also doesn't have a backlit LCD screen but I haven't had a problem with that, either.

I've used the D50 for a few months now and I couldn't be happier!! The day I got it I unpacked it, attached the lens and started taking photos and they turned out beautifully just using the auto setting. Since then, I've been using different modes, like aperature and shutter priority, and I'm totally blown away by the quality of the photos and what this camera is capable of.

I'm very happy with this 18-55mm DX lens. It focuses fast and the photos are very sharp. I wanted a longer lens, too, so I recently ordered the Nikkor 28-200mm G and I'm thrilled with it. Since it's not a "DX" lens, on a digital Nikon it's the equivalent of 42-300mm and I've gotten some great, sharp photos with it.

The more I use this camera, the more I love it and I'm having lots of fun with it. There's been a definite learning curve for me because it's capable of so much, but it's also easy to use on the auto setting.

Some recommendations...

- For the SD card, the SanDisk Ultra II Plus is handier than heck because you just take it out of your camera, fold it and plug it into your computer's USB port - no need for a card reader.

- The wireless remote is great to have instead of using the camera's timer.

- The Nikon CF-D50 case is very nice and I use it all the time when I take my camera with me.
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 An excellent introduction to Digital SLRs, April 16, 2006
Reviewer: ALQ
You will find plenty of detailed reviews of this camera on the net so instead of regurgitating them here I'll detail decision factors that made me choose this camera over the rest. Hopefully this will answer questions you have.

(1) Construction quality is good. The camera feels fairly solid despite being made out of plastic. The body is light and is well-balanced.

(2) It is bigger than the Canon Rebel XT (or 350D), which to me feels a bit too small. I usually prefer slim over bulky but in this case I feel that the Nikon's proportions are better. I have test-driven the Rebel for a week-end and I would say it's more geared towards smaller hands.

(3) The price is right as they say. With the lens kit you barely spend over 600 usd, a couple of hundred dollars cheaper than the competition at the time of this writing. It is unlikely that the premium is worth it, esp. if you're looking into entry-level DSLR. The next thing you'll want to upgrade is the lens (check out the Carl Zeiss lenses)

(4) It uses SD cards, which is what most point-and-shoot use (well, some at least). Going for a Compact flash-backed camera (such as the Canon) means spending another 50 usd for memory.

(5) Mega-pixel count plays a lesser role in the quality of the pictures than the metering logic of the camera, your ability to compose and the printing proces.
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I love this camera!, April 12, 2006
Reviewer: T. Hobson
I researched all the cameras available and read reviews. I went to a local store and they let me take photos with the different cameras there in their store. I chose the D50 and I am very happy with my choice.
I just got it and was able to take great pictures at the local race track. Standing in the center of the track, not 20 feet from the passing cars, I was able to freeze the car as if sitting still. Clear and Crisp. I absolutely love this camera.

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