If you are looking to buy your first digital SLR this holiday season, chances are you've already taken a close look at the new Nikon D80. Although this camera is Nikon's newest entry-level dSLR (and is currently receiving the most attention), it isn't necessarily the best choice for everyone.

Nikon's D50 dSLR, the predecessor to the D80, offers great photo quality and many of the features found on the significantly more expensive D80. The price difference is certainly a factor for consumers on a budget. The brand-new D80 currently retails for about $1300, while the slightly older D50 sells for about half that much, or around $675 (both with standard lenses). If you would like a complete feature comparison between the D80 and D50, please visit our D50-D80 comparison table.

The Nikon D50 has a 6.1-megapixel Nikon DX Format CCD image sensor and an advanced digital processor capable of producing surprisingly natural and true-to-life photographs. Although the resolution is less than what is found among the newest digital SLRs (the D80 has 10.2 effective megapixels), it is more than enough to produce very high quality print-sized photographs. In most cases, only those who regularly print poster-sized photographs need to be concerned with the D50's resolution.
The Nikon D50 is also surprisingly fast and responsive; it powers up in only 0.2-seconds, so its always ready by the time you compose your shot. The D50's continuous shooting mode can also capture images at 2.5 frames per second for up to 137 images. The camera's shutter speed ranges from 30 to 1/4,000 sec. under standard conditions, and up to 1/500 sec. when the flash is used.

The Nikon D50 has a 5-area autofocus system, which is nearly average for a camera in this price range. Although many new SLRs incorporate 9 or even 11-area AF systems, the 5-area AF on the D50 seems to be more than enough to get the desired focus. According to Nikon, the camera's AF system, "features speed, precision, broad frame coverage, and class-leading low-light detection that makes it easy to take great pictures in low light situations." A built-in speedlight and Nikon's own creative lighting system further improves low-light photography.

The Nikon D50 also has a standard 2.0-inch LCD color display, several preset shooting modes (auto, portrait, landscape, child, close up, sports, night portrait), Nikkor lens compatibility, a light and compact body for easy transport, and a 420-pixel RGB 3D Color Matrix Metering II system for optimum lighting effects.

Overall, the Nikon D50 offers a lot of value for the money, and should be at least considered side-by-side with the newer D80 and other entry-level dSLR models.

Key Features

• 6.1-megapixel sensor captures enough detail for photo-quality 14 x 19-inch prints
• Compatible with AF and DX Nikkor lenses; kit includes 18-55mm f3.5-5.6G ED AF-S DX Zoom Nikkor lens
• Continuous shooting at 2.5 frames per second for bursts of up to 137 pictures
• 2.0-inch LCD display; 7 scene modes, including new Child mode
• Stores images on SD cards; powered by Lithium-ion battery