If photographers needed a reminder of how quickly the digital SLR market is changing, the Nikon D50 sends a powerful message. Getting to the punch line, the D50 offers a hard to beat combination of excellent image quality, fine handling, and solid construction. Smaller, lighter and less responsive than the D70s we reviewed earlier this year, the D50 is Nikon’s entry level dSLR, positioned to compete with Canon’s Digital Rebel XT for consumers upgrading from consumer digicams and consumer film SLR’s.

Rick and Eric Walker of Nikonians.org have reviewed the D50 and said-

“Images from the D50 looked great. They were very D70-like, but with slightly lower noise levels at higher ISOs. In the default Mode IIIa color setting, D50 photos had a pleasing amount of color saturation and crispness. Unlike the very flat looking images produced by earlier DSLRs that required a bit of levels/curves adjustment in Photoshop to bring out their best, images from the D50 looked remarkably good right out of the camera. That’s an important thing because many new DSLR owners don’t want to fool around with a computer or learn Photoshop. They just want good quality prints that look like film. Nikon clearly heard the message from this group of photographers.”

Nikon D50 Features:
* 6.1-Megapixel CCD imager yielding 3008 x 2000 pixel images
* Compact and lightweight digital SLR camera
* Accepts Nikon F-mount lenses (with 1.5x FOV multiplier)
* Choice of three color modes ensures the best match for the shot
* Simultaneous recording of compressed NEF (RAW) and JPEG image files
* Seven Digital Vari-Program selections (Auto, Portrait, Landscape, Child, Sports, Close up, and Night Portrait)
* Program w/shift, Shutter priority, Aperture priority and Manual modes
* Near-instant 0.2-second power-up, and short shutter release lag (response) time
* Continuous snapping at 2.5fps for a continuous burst of up to 137 pictures (using JPEG NORMAL - Large settings, and a SanDisk Ultra II 256MB SD Card)
* Fast 5-area AF system with predictive focus tracking and Lock-on™
* Shutter speed range from 30 to 1/4,000 seconds
* Flash sync shutter speeds up to 1/500 sec. for great fill-effects under brighter light and back lighted conditions.
* Image enhancement options optimize sharpening, tone (contrast), color, saturation or hue
* Auto ISO sensitivity from ISO 200 to 1600; can also be set manually.
* Three TTL exposure modes: 3D Color Matrix Metering II with 420-pixel RGB Sensor, variable Center-Weighted, or Spot Metering
* Large 2.0-inch color LCD with 130,000 pixels and white LED backlight
* Onscreen menus for Playback, Snapping, Custom functions and Setup
* Review with zoomed-playback & pan, histogram and highlights
* Noise Reduction circuitry for long exposures
* 3D Multi-Sensor Balanced Fill-Flash with SB-600, SB-800 flashes
* Secure Digital memory card removable storage
* Selectable video output with NTSC or PAL format
* USB 2.0 high speed data and control interface
* Long-life rechargeable battery with power to snap up to 2,000 images
* Custom Settings for personalizing camera operation
* Wireless remote control with the optional ML-L3 remote control

Click here to read the complete NIKON D50 - Compact, but Solid and Capable review.