Nikon D50 SLR Review

On the grip side is the monochrome data LCD which displays all of the most important camera settings at a glance. On the front is the shutter release with the main power switch.  The button is for selecting the self-timer or remote control mode, the button is for setting the exposure compensation.

The data LCD shows: (1) shutter speed, (2) sensitivity, (3) battery level, (4) flash mode, (5) image quality, (6) image size, (7) white balance, (8) # of shots remaining, (9) "k" appears when memory remains for over 1000 shots, (10) "beep" indicator, (11) aperture.

(12) flash compensation, (13) exposure compensation, (14) flexible program, (15) focus area, (16) AF mode, (17) metering mode, (18) self-timer/remote, (19) bracketing progress indicator, (20) bracketing indicator, (21) clock battery, (22) shooting mode.

The mode dial has the usual positions for "P"rogram AE, "S"hutter speed priority, "A"perture priority and "M"anual exposure modes as well as the Digital Vari-Program modes for Auto, Portrait, Landscape, Child, Sports, Closeup and Night Portrait.

Digital Vari-Program mode automatically optimizes white balance, sharpening, tone (contrast), color, saturation and hue for optimal results according to the type of picture you’re taking. For example, select Portrait mode and the camera will automatically enhance the image with beautiful skin tones, complimentary edge sharpening and soft background focus that highlights your subject.

On the back is a 2.0-inch, 130,000-dot, low-temp polysilicon TFT color LCD with brightness adjustment. The graphical menus use a large typeface for easy navigation.

Controls on the Rear

	Select Shooting Mode: Single frame or Continuous Burst (2.5fps)
	Auto Exposure / Auto Focus Lock
	Main Command Dial, changes settings when used with other buttons, selects shutter speed (its function can be swapped with the sub command dial by changing a Custom setting)
	Monitor button turns color LCD on/off, displays last image captured, works like the Play/Review button on other cameras
	Calls up and dismisses the camera's onscreen menu system
	In review mode display 4 or 9 thumbnail images, is also used to change zoom ratio when in zoom review, in record mode it is used to change ISO speed in conjunction with command dial
	Help in Custom menu mode, Protect/unprotect images in review mode and changes the White Balance setting in record mode.
	ENTER button accepts menu selections, in playback it enables the zoomed (magnified) playback option and changes image Quality in record mode.
	4-way selector is used to select images and display image data in review mode and change the active focus area in capture mode
	Delete current image when in review mode

SD Card Storage

The D50 is equipped with approx. 12MB of internal memory and is the first Nikon dSLR to use Secure Digital memory cards rather than the larger CF type cards. The D50 is compatible with any SD card up to 2GB in capacity and was tested with the fast and spacious Sandisk Ultra II 2GB SD card shown here.

Approx. Storage 256MB SD Card

I/O Interfaces

The I/O ports are on the left side, on top is the USB 2.0 hi-speed port for transferring image data to the host computer. Can also be connected to any PictBridge compatible photo printer. In the center is the VIDEO OUT port which is user-selectable (NTSC or PAL) for output to a TV monitor. On the bottom is the DC-IN port for the optional EH-5 AC Adapter.

Power Source

The D50 comes with the Nikon EN-EL3 7.4V 1400mAh Li-ion rechargeable battery pack and MH-18a Quick Charger. Nikon claims the battery life is sufficient for capturing up to 2,000 frames (continuous frame mode, 1/250 sec, JPEG Medium Basic quality) per charge. The MH-18a requires two hours to replenish a fully depleted battery pack.