hows the d50

[firstdigital]

I am new to the DSLR scene and really wanted to get a D70, unfortunatly the company which i was going to order from no longer stocks the camera. I know that i can just order from other folks but this is the only company i know that offers a 6 month payment plan, so....now i am looking at the older model d50, how does this compare to the d70? i plan on using this camera for macro shots, sporting events, the occasional late night get togethers and eventually hook up some 300mm or even a 600 mm lense. I shop on eBay a lot a noticed that they have some really awesome packages with super low prices, I only shop with people that have a high feedback and offer some kind of warranty. I also believe in buyer beware, is there some reason why Ebay dealers are able to offer a whole package that still costs less if not the same as a camera and lense from other outside dealers? does Nikon make various D50 models that i am not aware about that could be considered the $hiity model? sorry for the ramblings i am just trying to make good decision. thanks guys

[jcon]

The D50 is a fine camera that compares very favorably to the D70. You will be pleased with the results you get from the D50. I am not a fan of the D80, but is that something you could consider? If not, the D50 will be just fine for you!

I am worried about where you plan on buying your equipment. eBay kits are cheap for a reason, the crap they toss into the kit are useless, like special filters, lenses, etc..

I really would stay clear of eBay when it comes to this stuff. Look into BHPhoto.com They are very reliable and hassle free. They also have a buy now pay later option, I have never used it but its available.

Now that you have found this site, I STRONGLY suggest you ask the fine folks here before you buy anything online. There are some very knowledgeable people here, and can tell you who is safe to buy from and who is not.

[achuang]

The D70 is actually an older camera than the D50. There was an update to the D70 which was the D70s, but the updates were very minor. They were slightly improved autofocus, better menu system and larger LCD....that's about it. The D50 was brought out around the same time as the D70s, if not a bit after.

If you can afford it, the D80 would be a better camera than the D50. Even if you decide to get the D50 it will still take great photos. Remember that lenses are more important than the camera body. If you have a set budget for body and lenses, you are better off buying the D50 and spending more on lenses rather than spending more on a higher end body (D80) and less on lenses.

The reason for lower costs on ebay is that they are not physical stores, so there are no overhead costs of running things like electricity, rent and other things. Just read Jcon's reply, and he stated something that I totally forgot about. He's totally right about some ebay packages being cheap because they throw in poor quality products along with the main camera.

[lightinsky]

Jcon is right about BH photo. I got my D80 from there recently... very pleased with the service...

and if you visit the store in NYC, you'll know that they are SERIOUS in doing business with you... no nonsense... so you can have peace of mind..

I was trying to hunt for a good deal online before... almost wanted to order one "good deal" online... until I found this thread somewhere in the dcrp forum

http://www.dcresource.com/forums/showthread.php?t=14677

Go read the thread and read some of the reviews on www.resellerrating.com listed there.. you'll be amazed how people do scams online...

Good thing you join this forum... I'm sure lotsa other people will chip in...

[firstdigital]

thanks guys i really appreciate the responses. i was talking to one of my friends who owns a D70, i asked him about the price differences in companies and he said that some of the cameras may be grey market or made in a foreign country. if so....hows the quality and the warranty on these cameras and is it something i should be concerned about. thanks

[firstdigital]

is the d50 going with the age of dinosaures? just checked the 3 top retailers that are highly reccomended from the link above and they dont have it in stock or dont have it listed at all. hopefully its just a fluke.

[jcon]

Grey markets do not have a manufacturer warranty and Nikon will refuse to service them. You dont want to buy a grey market.

I just checked on BHPhoto.com and it says the D50 is no longer available and has been discontinued.... caught me off guard!

[philwojo]

There is nothing wrong with the D50, but I am sure Nikon does not provide stock to dealers any more so it will be hard to come by. They are pushing the D40 and D80, but if you can find a D50, get that over a D40 any day (imho). If you have the extra cash look at the D80.

The D40 is a good camera, it just limits your lens choices.

Phil

[tcadwall]

Adorama has Nikon Refurbs for D50 and D70s.

http://www.adorama.com/catalog.tpl?op=itemlist&cat1=Cameras%20%26%20Lenses&cat2=Digital%20Cameras%20%26%20Accessories&cat3=Digital%20Cameras&feature4=Interchangeable%20Lens%20SLR's&feature1=Nikon&sf=Price

I don't see it specified, but you could (should) call and ask about the warranty. Typically a factory refurb (which is what these are) will carry a full US warranty. Sometimes a refurb. will come out better than new, because Nikon often does firmware/recall/other updates when they have a camera in for service.

You would have to purchase your lenses separately as they only have body-only kits.

Just thought I would put that option out there... Either one of these are much better than a D40 (IMO) and much less expensive than (but not as good as) a D80.

[Ray Schnoor]

Grey markets do not have a manufacturer warranty and Nikon will refuse to service them. You dont want to buy a grey market.
This is not completely true. All Nikon products come with a warranty by the manufacturer. The problem is that Nikon contracts with the local authorized importer/distributor to perform service/warranty work only on the items that the local authorized importer/distributor actually imported/distributed. "Grey Market" means that a reseller, such as B&H, bypassed the local importer/distributor by bringing the item into the US on their own. In this case, the local importer/distributor for the US, NikonUSA, will not service/warranty the item. It will, however, have a Nikon warranty through the country/location from wherever B&H acquired the camera, such as maybe Israel, although I am only guessing that this is the location.

In the case of B&H, they normally offer a service contract on any grey market item they sell.

Ray.

http://support.nikontech.com/cgi-bin/nikonusa.cfg/php/enduser/std_adp.php?p_faqid=331

[Camerajunkie]

I really like my d50. I had thought about going with the d80, but it was WAY too much camera for me. The d50 is almost too much, lol. So I opted to keep my camera cheaper and I will put the money into the other equpiment. So my take is, how good are you with the dslrs and is the d80 just going to be over your head? Because the D50 is a great camera and is in no way a dinosaur.

CJ

[firstdigital]

o.k. heres anothe stupid question......as far as the warranty goes, where is the nikon brands made that will be covered in the U.S.A.?

[britkev]

o.k. heres anothe stupid question......as far as the warranty goes, where is the nikon brands made that will be covered in the U.S.A.?

All D50 bodies are made in Thailand. Pretty much all Nikon consumer end products are made in either Thailand or China, some of the pro stuff is still made in Japan. The place of manufacture is not the issue: it is whether it was imported by the official Nikon distributor for the region or not. Nikon USA will not performa warranty repair on any item not imported by them - they will know by the serial number.

Unfortunately there is no 100% sure way for you to know until you have the box, find the official Nikon USA warranty form inside, and see the little NikonUSA sticker on the product - that said, all the reputable online dealers will tell you in advance if you are buying a USA or gray market import - many will list the USA and gray models with a modest price reduction on the gray import, and offer their own warranty on such items in place of the manufacturer warranty: B&H, Adorama, OneCall fall into that category... check resellerratings.com for others - and remember that if the price seems too good to be true it probably is.

[Honest Gaza]

A mate of mine has a D50 and has noted the following two limitations :

Minimum ISO of 200 (would like ISO 100)
No backlit LCD for camera settings (difficult for night photography)


Owners of other Nikon bodies can advise which models overcome this.

[britkev]

A mate of mine has a D50 and has noted the following two limitations :

Minimum ISO of 200 (would like ISO 100)
No backlit LCD for camera settings (difficult for night photography)


Owners of other Nikon bodies can advise which models overcome this.

Of current models, the D40 overcomes the lack of backlight by eliminating the LCD, and is still "limited" to ISO200.

The D80 does have a backlight and ISO100... but costs a lot more...

The lack of backlight can be easily overcome with a dollar store LED keychain flashlight for those odd occasions when you really need to see the control panel LCD in the dark.

I've never found lack of ISO 100 as a limitation - simply stop down one stop, or up the shutter speed a notch and you have the same thing... on the almost unthinkably rare occasions when 1/4000th is too slow and you need wide open aperture for depth of field you can always use a neutral density filter to achieve the same effect.

[Kellie]

Another "limitation" is that the D50 only has one command dial while the D80 and D70(s) have two. I find this extremely useful. I shoot in manual or aperture priority 99% of the time and like not having to hold down a button while turning the dial. Although, I'm sure that is something you could easily get used to.

Oh, I also really like the ability to fine tune the white balance and do that quite often. That isn't so important if you shoot raw, though.

[britkev]

Another "limitation" is that the D50 only has one command dial while the D80 and D70(s) have two. .

Possibly a valid point - Would probably be hard to adjust from a D70/D80 to a D50 if you got used to having two and then had to learn to live without it, but never having had a second wheel cant say I miss it... I spend most of my time in aperture priority so the wheel controls the aperture and the camera takes care of the shutter speed anyway.

[Kellie]

Would probably be hard to adjust from a D70/D80 to a D50 if you got used to having two and then had to learn to live without it, but never having had a second wheel cant say I miss it...

Yeah, it didn't bother me on the D40 so I agree that if you aren't used to it, it probably won't be a big deal.

[jterp7]

going back to a previous post here..i just went through a long return process with a d80 because it was grey market..but originally i wanted a d50 wayy back..playing with it in the store again..the biggest things i think that are noticeable are: viewfinder the d80's is big and bright as heck (95% vs the d50's 75%) and the lack of 2nd command dial and smaller lcd..those are the noticeable ones..there's also that depth of field button but i found i didn't need that too much.

personally i may end up picking up the d50 (and pocketing that extra 500 saved) and pick up the successor to the d80 down the road when im more experienced in the slr scene

so far in my area only ritz has a few left..and sears had one, the major stores are still trying to sell it at 700 for the kit package and ritz has it at 450 body only and 550 with lens..the lucky few got it back in December when they were going for around 400 with the kit (staples deal?)

[davew]

I have a d50 body only i am willing to let go
as I find more uses for my needs on my d80

it is usa not Grey market and a blank warranty card
475 for the D50 body only and 1 extra battery + shipping

shoot me a pm

[Honest Gaza]

This is not completely true. All Nikon products come with a warranty by the manufacturer. The problem is that Nikon contracts with the local authorized importer/distributor to perform service/warranty work only on the items that the local authorized importer/distributor actually imported/distributed. "Grey Market" means that a reseller, such as B&H, bypassed the local importer/distributor by bringing the item into the US on their own. In this case, the local importer/distributor for the US, NikonUSA, will not service/warranty the item. It will, however, have a Nikon warranty through the country/location from wherever B&H acquired the camera, such as maybe Israel, although I am only guessing that this is the location.

In the case of B&H, they normally offer a service contract on any grey market item they sell.

Ray.

http://support.nikontech.com/cgi-bin/nikonusa.cfg/php/enduser/std_adp.php?p_faqid=331

This is my understanding too.

I purchased a Canon camera from Honk Kong (while in Hong Kong), with the full knowledge that any warranty issues will need to be resolved by Hong Kong supplier, not Australian Canon repairer.

[Rooz]

this is the thing that surprises me aswell Gaz. we shy away from these "grey imports" like they were a disease but 99% of us would have no problem buying electronics, (especially cameras), from overseas when we are travelling. is it cos we buy from a "shop front" that we are more comfortable ? if you have a problem with your camera are you gonna fly back to Singapore to take it to the manager ?

where do we all think "grey" imports come from ? just a tip...there is no magical grey manufacturing facility with little grey men in grey suits making grey cameras. the grey import you refuse to pick up today will be the exact same camera as the one you pick up in HK/ Singapore/ Malaysia next week with the exact same warranty conditions.

it is something i have never fully understood.