Need advise....considering purchasin the following!

[Elisha82]

Guys....i'm considering getting a DSLR.....a guy locally is selling his D50 and below is his ad.
Is it worth it?
Is that zoom lens any good?
Thoughts and comments are appreciated.

Nikon D50 with Lens Kit in Mint Condition Less than 4 months old


Included
Nikon 18-55mm DX Lens with Skylight filter (52mm)
All Manuals
All Cables
Power Charger and Batter
1 Gig SD Card
boxes and reciept

Plus
Nikon 70-300m AF F4 -5.6 G

asking price is $650CAD

[mikeC]

well, is it worth it to you.

depends on the condition really, I just (last week) bought one from an online store in the UK for £264 which is roughly 500 dollars at the current rate of exchange


it came with

camera (the black version)
18-55 kit lens
charger, battery
manuals cables etc
the box looked a little bit dirty in one corner, but apart from that the camera was imaculate

It was described as reconditioned, but came with a 1 year guarantee, and I had to do the "first time" set up when I turned it on.

I bought a sigma 70-300 lens from ebay for £60 ($120 ish)
and a 1 gig memmory card for less than £8 ($15)

so all together I have spent £350 (about 700 dollars) for the same set up but with a 1 year guarantee.

I have no idea what the rate is for CAD (is that canadian dollares ?)

[Elisha82]

i'm not too worried about warranties. electronics are disposable to me. if it breaks i will buy a new one.
i guess the question is that is it worth the price?
and is that particular zoom lens any good?

btw CAD is Canadian Dollars.

[coldrain]

The 70-300 G happens to be a bit of a bad lens. It lacks contrast ove rthe entire range, but especially towards 300mm. And at 300mm it gets to be very soft (not sharp) too.

I can not judge the price, I do not know how many photos have been made with the D50, nor what the price normally is in canada. So that is for you to find out (and maybe tell us).

But the 70-300 G, that is not a reason to go for that camera. Get a Sigma 70-300 APO DG Macro instead. If the D50 is not used a lot, and the price is ok anyway, you can just get rid of the 70-300 G.

[Elisha82]

how much does the Sigma cost?
i'm going to find out if he will split the package.

[coldrain]

The Sigma costs $220 at B&H in the US, no idea in Canada...

[Elisha82]

would i be better of with a Rebel XT?
looks like he doesn't want to part out the combo.
i'm gonna try more persuading.

[coldrain]

Elisha, how expensive is a new D40/D50 or XT/XTi in Canada? That is habdy to know to understand the value of this 2nd hand one.

If the D50 is not used a LOT (the shutter is rated to be able to make about 50000 photos), and the price is ok compared to new ones, it may well be a good deal even WITH the 70-300 G.

You can probably even trade in the 70-300 G when you would buy a Sigma 70-300 APO DG or Nikon 70-300 VR ($500 USD) or Nikon 55-200 VR ($250 USD).

So, it is up to you to determine the value... I can't since I still do not know the prices or the number of photos made with the D50.

If for instance he made 10000 photos or less, it may be well worth it (depending on new prices in Canada).

[Elisha82]

a new D50 can be had for slightly under $650CAD and an XT can be had for under $800CAD and both with kit lenses.

i'm trying to find out the amount of actuations on it yet but the fella is low to respond back.

[coldrain]

Since the 70-300 G is not a great lens, just go for a D50 new then... memory cards are cheap, and the filter you do not need.

Then you can look at a Sigma 70-300 APO DG Macro when funds allow.

Or you can look at the Pentax K100D which includes IS, or the XT. All 3 are good cameras.

[Elisha82]

only problem buying new is that its 14% tax plus the spouse can track the purchase :eek:
thats why i'm looking for used.
if i decide to buy a new cam...i would get the D80 or the 30D instead.

[swgod98]

only problem buying new is that its 14% tax plus the spouse can track the purchase :eek:

Are you not the woman of the house? I always thought the women made all the decisions :D

[Elisha82]

nah dude.....i'm a dude.....biblical name.
wife would castrate me if i bought another new toy.

[swgod98]

nah dude.....i'm a dude.....biblical name.
wife would castrate me if i bought another new toy.

Ahh, well in that case, you're screwed :p I promised myself I wouldn't get married until I bought all the toys I needed in life. Unfortunately, I think that means I will die single :D

The price you mentioned for the D50 seems ok (with the extra lens), but the "extra" lens isn't all that great. You might be satisfied with it. But, you might also be dissapointed. Once you realize what your camera "can" do with the right lens, it will definitely dissapoint.

Good luck in your search.