Yeow, David Pogue, the NYT's tech guy, has gone monkey-crazy for the new Nikon D50 digital SLR camera, which offers "the same spectacular photos as the bestselling D70S--at a list-price of $750 (or as we call it around here, 1.03 Bugaboos).
It doesn't come with a lens, but Pogue gives equal praise to the D50's "starter lens"--a compact 18-55mm with 3x zoom, which lists for about $150--and the 55-200mm telephoto lens, which is around $250. It's all moot until July 6, though, when the camera actually hits the stores.
When he's not going on about the new compactness or the new menus or whatnot, he's raving about the professional-quality images the camera takes and how many it can store. He helpfully includes a slideshow of some water-soaked, Cheerio-pounding, suburban urchins--presumably, the Poguelettes--to prove it.
What he doesn't mention, of course, is that your images'll be so good, no one will print them for you because of their inane corporate copyright liability fears. So good luck.
A Pro Camera That Amateurs Can Afford [nyt]
Pre-order a Nikon D50 with an 18-55mm zoom lens for $900, or wait until after July 6th to see if the discounting starts [amazon]
OR go all out and pre-order the D50 with the 18-55mm AND the 55-200mm Nikkor lenses for $1,150 [amazon]
Related: Wal-Mart won't print digital photos that 'look professional' [sandiego, via boingboing]
Cool...I may have to look into this. I've been eyeing the Canon 20D for a while now. Baby is due in September. I'm hoping the price will drop to the $1000 range before then.
on your related link, we wanted copies of old family Olan Mills shots for a scrap book, and uploaded them to Sam's to see what would happen. they were very nice about it, and handed us a pamphlet with Olan's contact number on it. after a phone call, $10 for processing, and a fax, we now have unlimited rights to reproduce our Olan shots (that are over 2 years old).
Been thinking about the D70s. Baby due July 1. Anyone with a new baby care to comment on the ease of carrying baby gear around with a full size SLR? I've got a tiny Pentax S4 right now that fits in my pocket. The D70s is nice, but would it just be too big?
- Kirk.
Slinging an SLR around your neck can be tiring but you need to decide is it the pictures that are more important or convenience. I opted for the former.I bought the D70S, in anticipation of my new baby due 2 days ago, but no here...argh! The reason was to take great photos with fast response time from the camera. You just won't get that with the small ones. The D50 is nice but it lacks a few features of its big brother, namely depth of field preview and the ability to use wireless flash. The D70s takes compact flash and the D50 something smaller.
The size difference between the two is modest and you will barely notice a difference between the 70 and the 50 vs the 50 and say a Casio Optio. Also, there is little difference between the D70s and the original D70 cameras. The originals are going for bargain prices that rival the D50! These are minor quibbles and no matter whether you buy the D50, D70, or D70s you will be happy. On a final note, my wife and I will probably buy a compact in the future for parties and events where we just cant use the big camera but we would like a few photos for the occasion.
The D70 with the kit lens is a big camera by point and shoot standards. It isn't as convenient as my Canon S50, which fits in my pocket, but I get more and better pictures out of it because of its much faster focus and shutter response.
I sling mine over my shoulder just about everywhere and I've bonked both my kids in the head with it on more than one occasion. Put your arm and neck through the strap and it sits pretty snug against your back while you wrestle sleeping kids out of car seats.