Nikon D50 Full Review

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"deryck lant" <deryck@deryck.com> wrote:
> http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/nikond50/
>
> Very low image noise.

Incredibly low _green channel noise_. The red channel is problematic. (Which
is a tad worrisome, since low-light photography is often dependent on the
red channel (tungsten light is mostly red.) Hmm. Maybe it isn't worrisome:
when you white balance, you'll be boosting the better channels, so you won't
be amplifying the worst of the noise.)

http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/nikond50/page17.asp

Whatever, those images look _great_.

"Nikon has previously hinted that the sensor in the D50 is different than
that of the D70 but are tight lipped about the exact differences."

Whatever. Good work, Nikon!

> Only drawback seems to be use of SD cards.

Yuck. (Actually, I wonder. I hate the CF card connector and much prefer the
Sony MS connector. Maybe SD isn't so bad after all.)

> Destined to sell well over a million in coming 12 months.

As someone who likes the feel of the (black version of the) 300D, I found
the silver version of the D50 (which is all I saw at the local camera store
last week) to feel a tad cheap. Fortunately, it's available in black<g>. And
it's a much better size for my hands than the excessively miniature 350D.

The loss of the grid lines feature is unfortunate, but it's got a spot meter
and a slightly less inadequate AA filter.

Nikon's still in the game.

David J. Littleboy
Tokyo, Japan

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"deryck lant" <deryck@deryck.com> wrote in message
news:313030303138393542E259CF52@deryck.com...
> http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/nikond50/
>
> Very low image noise.
>
> Only drawback seems to be use of SD cards.
>
> Destined to sell well over a million in coming 12 months.

It will, but I was very disappointed with image quality when compared with
the Rebel XT. Yes, I know the XT is a little more money, but there seems to
be a significant gap in image quality that more than warrants the extra
money.

>
> Deryck

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"Pete D" <no@email.com> wrote in message
news:XdzEe.59979$oJ.57213@news-server.bigpond.net.au...
>
>> It will, but I was very disappointed with image quality when compared
>> with
>> the Rebel XT.
>
> Where the pictures you compared done under exactly the same conditions? If
> not then it's apples and oranges. you are comparing.
>
See dpreview's comparison photos. The XTs images are quite a bit clearer.
John

Archived from groups: rec.photo.digital (More info?)

Pete D wrote:

>>It will, but I was very disappointed with image quality when compared with
>>the Rebel XT.
>
>
> Where the pictures you compared done under exactly the same conditions? If
> not then it's apples and oranges. you are comparing.
>
>
They are similar conditions, but all JPEG.
If they shot raw, then:
The 10% or so difference in linear resolution would be imperceptable,
particularly so given the differences in AA filters.
You'd still see moire in the D70, but less in the D50.
Conjecture about whether the D50 and D70 have the same sensor would be
replaced by conjecture about whether they had the same AA filter.
The Pentax wouldn't appear as the total lemon it looks from those test
comparisons.
Canon's "Digic" processor would get the recognition it probably deserves
for good noise reduction / minimum resolution loss for out of camera jpegs.

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"David J Taylor"
<david-taylor@blueyonder.co.not-this-bit.nor-this-part.uk.invalid> wrote in
message news:l_HEe.76113$G8.969@text.news.blueyonder.co.uk...
> David J. Littleboy wrote:
>> "JohnR66" <nospam@att.net> wrote:
> []
>>> See dpreview's comparison photos. The XTs images are quite a bit
>>> clearer.
>>
>> http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/nikond50/page23.asp
>
> I'm surprised there is /that/ much difference. Any change there is a
> slight vertical camera shake on the Nikon image, or an slight
> out-of-focus?
>
> David
>
I noticed a bit of a vertical smear in some images from the D50, especially
the globe shot. It could be lens induced, but it is more likely camera
induced. If it were shake, it would show in the other shots as well.

Nikon tuned the D50 to have the lowest noise of any low cost DSLR, but it
may come at a price. The D50 also has reduced the moire problem that the D70
has.

The D50 is a good camera, but I think Canon has figured out how to get the
best possible image from the Bayer type sensor. Note the resolution charts a
couple pages back. In the vertical test, the D70 has a nasty mottling
pattern with strong color moire. Moire is nearly gone in the D50, but the
mottling remains. The 300D shows faint mottling and no moire. The Pentax
shows moire and poor resolution (The pentax 50mm should be one of the best,
so I don't suspect the lens is the problem here). The horizontal bars, the
Canon and Nikons show all about the same resolution with the 300D showing
the less artifacts. The Pentax shows moire and poor resolution.

Finally, in the 5 degree bands, the D50 and Pentax *ist DS show a stepping
pattern, the 300D and D70 do not. Interesting, Id expect the sharpness tuned
D70 to have the most problem with the stepping.

John

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Brian Baird wrote:
[]
> David... TWO EXTRA MEGAPIXELS!
>
> It isn't exactly comparing apples to apples. More like a nice apple
> to a big, fancy apple.

http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/nikond50/page23.asp

8MP versus 6Mp is ust 15% increase in linear resolution - to my eye there
is more difference than that in those shots. But is could be the
combination of fewer megapixels, a stronger anti-alias filter, and
different image processing firmware, I suppose.

David

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"Brian Baird" <no@no.thank.u> wrote in message
news:MPG.1d4d8e9728c5678a9896c2@news.verizon.net...
> In article <toPEe.76332$G8.46613@text.news.blueyonder.co.uk>, david-
> taylor@blueyonder.co.not-this-bit.nor-this-part.uk.invalid says...
> > 8MP versus 6Mp is ust 15% increase in linear resolution - to my eye
there
> > is more difference than that in those shots. But is could be the
> > combination of fewer megapixels, a stronger anti-alias filter, and
> > different image processing firmware, I suppose.
>
> 15% is 15%.
>
> I saw about what I'd expect from the comparison of the two.
> --
> http://www.pbase.com/bcbaird

....Then compare the 300D to the 350D. They are much closer. It is one reason
I'm not upgrading to the 350D. There was little to be gained. If the 300D
performed as the D50 image quality wise, I would consider the upgrade to the
350D. For now, I'm going to wait for 10+ MP before my next upgrade.
-S