First Impressions: Nikon D50 DSLR

Nikon D50: The Ideal Choice for Infrared Photography

Introduced in 2005, the Nikon D50 was a more affordable and easier to use version of the D70. Although some of the features were omitted, there were significant performance enhancements, most notably in its autofocus operation which then offered motion tracking. Also, the LCD display size increased from 1.8" to 2", metering had been upgraded to second generation 3D Matrix Metering, USB had been upgraded to version 2.0, and it now accepts Secure Digital cards instead of Compact Flash.

In its heyday, the D50 was an all-around good, basic camera. Pretty much everything you needed was there, but with improved highlight rendition over the D70, and a new autofocus mode that automatically switched between single and continuous. But what the D50 didn’t improve upon is just as important; IR Filtering.

The unique thing about the D50 is that it’s the ideal balance between quality, compatibility, infrared sensitivity and IR convertibility, which is why it’s one of the most popular cameras for infrared photography. This was confirmed with a few test shots; indeed, out of the box, the D50 is much more sensitive to IR than the D90; so sensitive in fact, that the built-in flash can be used when existing light is insufficient. With enough natural light, it was possible to create a preset white balance by metering off green foliage or a white card, something that I didn’t find possible with the D90. With the proper white balance, infrared images emerged that require little or no post processing, unlike those taken with the D90.

The viewfinder is considerably smaller than the D90, and the tiny 2", 130,000 pixel LCD not nearly as refined, but otherwise the camera is just as enjoyable to use. The fact that its resolution is 6.1MP (3008 x 2000) is of no consequence to me; The D90’s 12.3MP is only 1.425x higher, and as such the image quality between the two is quite similar.

With the AF-S DX NIKKOR 35mm f/1.8G mounted, the camera had no problem focusing through a Hoya R72 infrared filter under normal to bright lighting conditions. In fact, the IR performance is so good, I may decide not to convert it permanently by replacing the hot filter. However, if I do I will most likely do the conversion myself, since the D50 is one of the easiest cameras to convert.

Some more nice things about the D50 are its compatibility with my existing D90 accessories, such as the DR-6 Right Angle Viewfinder, SB-900 Speedlight, ML-L3 IR remote release and SD cards. I can even swap batteries with the D90, since the EN-EL3a and EN-EL3e are interchangeable. Speaking of the SB-900 speedlight, it’s now entirely feasible to do infrared flash photography, or to use it as fill-flash with existing light exposures.

There are a few down sides. No live view to stand in for the blacked-out finder. However, an external shoe-mounted finder would solve that problem.

A Kelvin WB setting would also have been nice, but it’s not a deal-breaker.

It only accepts standard SD cards, which top out at 2GB.

The image quality is excellent; surprisingly good at ISO 1600. I can easily see myself reaching for this in a pinch due to its light weight and pleasing ergonomics.