Konica Minolta 5D or Nikon D50

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LunchboX3904

[H]ard|Gawd
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Apr 13, 2005
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Hey guys, I'm really in the market for a low-end digital SLR and I've got it down to these two. I like the 5D because of the functional anti-shake, but I like the Nikon because of the way it handles digital noise. I hate noise with a passion so I'm leaning towards the Nikon. Also, if anyone could post some pics from either camera, I'd appreciate it.

Thanks!
 
I prob would get the D50. But reading reviews the 5d is not a bad option. Just because you can shoot a few stops more with their antishake. I really enjoy the antishake built into the camera. Pretty inpressive on the pics that I have seen with it on or off. So it really depends on if you plan to buy extra lens. The Rebel XT is not a bad option also, and it handles noise real good.
 
Well if you went with the D50 I would actually strongly encourage you to just spend a bit more for the D70s. It adds many features that you probably dont need now but may need once you grow into the DSLR hobby. Such as dual command dials, can be a master for a remote speedlight (granted you can buy a SB800 to act as a master but then have to buy two speedlights). Also the D50 uses SD memory vs. Compact Flash. I have found that Compact Flash memory is a bit more durable and has cheaper per GB price.

With Nikon if you really new the extra stops while hand holding you can always but a VR lens however they are a bit more cost.

Either way you go think of the company as a whole cause once you start buying lenses and flashes etc. for the body you will most likely want to keep those lenses for the next body you buy. I know nothing about Minolta customer support, however I know Nikon has handled customer support better than any company I have ever dealt with and never think twice about buying their product.

Look at the upper level bodies that you may one day upgrade to and accessories, which looks better.
 
I would say the D70s over the D50 but it does cost more. The lens I recommend for the D50-D70 is the Nikon DX VR 18-200 mm F3.5-5.6G Zoom, just because it has Vibration Reduction (VR II), and it covers a good range....Unfortunely it cost $750-800...
 
darktiger said:
I would say the D70s over the D50 but it does cost more. The lens I recommend for the D50-D70 is the Nikon DX VR 18-200 mm F3.5-5.6G Zoom, just because it has Vibration Reduction (VR II), and it covers a good range....Unfortunely it cost $750-800...
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That is a pricey lens for someone just getting into SLR. You can buy the 18-70 kit lens, a 50mm prime and a low-end zoom for a total less than it. Maybe even get a good flash too.
 
Like I said, it covers a good range. 18mm-200mm. 200mm on a 1.5crop factor camera = 300mm. Plus it has VRII, which is a life savior in itself. Like I said if he had the $$, and wanted a good 1 lens solution it is a good general lens. But you are right, it is a $$ solution for someone getting into photography. Sort of like those people that buy a Canon 350D or 20D and getting the 17-85IS instead of the 18-55 right. They really do not need the 17-85IS right? I love IS...
 
I'm sure it's one of these two cameras that i'm gonna get. im sure the lens that they come with will be just fine. I've used my dad's digital rebel EOS and the stock lens on that isn't the greatest, but I love having an actual manual focus, so i loved it (aside from poor build quality). Anyway, so it's really down to these two cameras. Circuitcity has a really good deal on the maxxum 5D, so that's the more tempting offer at the moment, because to be honest, I'm betting I'll be more than happy with either of these cameras. Maybe some full reviews would help. Thanks for the replies gentlemen!

 
I would prob choose the Konica Minolta Maxxum 5D over the d50, just because of a real good image stability system built in...
 
Well my striaght vote would be the D50.

Because of Nikon's customer support and I feel Nikon has a better overall product line for future growth. No point having to rebuy lenses.
 
I vote on the Nikon D50 or the Canon rebel XT. Konicas tech support is not that great don't wanna blow over $700 have some problem a few month ahead n then have no replacement. I would get an XT
 
Well here are some pics from my D50.
My work toy on the I-40 bridge in Flagstaff.
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Pic of a berry bush near Sycamore Canyon.
52381326-L.jpg

Prickly Pear Cactus and, they were ripe and, yummy.
52381331-L.jpg

Sunrise a low light shot.
52381346-L.jpg

Sycamore Canyon on a real hazy day. Didnt have a polarizer yet.
52382821-L.jpg

None of these have been adjusted. And most are from when I first got the camera.
 
ellover009 said:
I vote on the Nikon D50 or the Canon rebel XT. Konicas tech support is not that great don't wanna blow over $700 have some problem a few month ahead n then have no replacement. I would get an XT
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I agree, I would get a Rebel XT hands down...
 
Another vote for the XT.. However, he already said he didn't want one because of "poor build quality"... I'm getting my second rebel on tuesday and it doesn't feel that cheap like I've heard others say (the first one wouldn't turn on after 4 hours of use, from what I've heard it was an isolated incident and amazon was glad to take it back though). It's probably just me but the black version feels sturdier than the silver one. If you order by the 15th (today) they have double or triple rebates so you can skip the kit lens and go with the 28-135 IS which is a much better lens for not a lot more money.. I got mine from B&H.
 
I got a d70 for about 500 from a display model that bestbuy was getting rid of a week or two back. might be able to find something similar.
 
talley said:
I got a d70 for about 500 from a display model that bestbuy was getting rid of a week or two back. might be able to find something similar.
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that would be awesome if I could find something like that. I think i'm going with the D50 from newegg for 650. The Rebel XT is too much for me to spend atm.....and the poor build quality I mentioned was about the lens. I could wiggle the end part of it and could see it move through the viewfinder.....probably not good. I won't be buying for a little bit so I have time to look around, but it seems the Nikon is the best buy for me. Thanks everyone for your suggestions. Feel free to chime in if you have any more comments on the matter.



 
D50 - it's almost the same camera as the D70/D70s...almost. You do miss some things such as 2nd command dial, DOF preview button, 1/4000 vs. 1/8000 shutter speed, but you still get great Nikon matrix metering. I also think it's missing the viewfinder grid option, but you gotta make tradeoffs to keep costs down I guess.

Of course, I'm slightly biased more towards the Nikon than the K-M, since I shoot with a D70.

One thing to consider is if you have to buy new media for your camera though. If you have a stack of CF cards from older cameras or something else, but no SD memory, you could go up to a D70, as you will, since you'd be saving money by not having to buy media. If you do have to buy media regardless, then that will be an additional cost.

In terms of actual pictures however, the D50 produces some very good images - they can even be better than the D70/D70s in terms of noise and color reproduction.

Oh, and if you get a D50, might want to get an LCD protector as well - it doesn't ship with the plastic LCD protector like its big brothers do.
 
BillLeeLee said:
D50 - it's almost the same camera as the D70/D70s...almost. You do miss some things such as 2nd command dial, DOF preview button, 1/4000 vs. 1/8000 shutter speed, but you still get great Nikon matrix metering. I also think it's missing the viewfinder grid option, but you gotta make tradeoffs to keep costs down I guess.

Of course, I'm slightly biased more towards the Nikon than the K-M, since I shoot with a D70.

One thing to consider is if you have to buy new media for your camera though. If you have a stack of CF cards from older cameras or something else, but no SD memory, you could go up to a D70, as you will, since you'd be saving money by not having to buy media. If you do have to buy media regardless, then that will be an additional cost.

In terms of actual pictures however, the D50 produces some very good images - they can even be better than the D70/D70s in terms of noise and color reproduction.

Oh, and if you get a D50, might want to get an LCD protector as well - it doesn't ship with the plastic LCD protector like its big brothers do.
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ok that's good to know. I actually have a 512mb CF card right now, that's one reason this is kind of a tough choice because that's what the 5D uses. i don't need anymore than 512 though so it's cheap media anyway.

 
Joves said:
The D50 uses an SD card but, they are cheap too.
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that's what i was thinking.

K, i'm absolutely sure I'm going with the D50, but there seems to be two lens options for it. There is an 28-80mm f/3.3-5.6G or a 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G stock lens (descriptions for lens's are at the bottom of the product spec page). Which one would be best? I really enjoy using a depth of field when I can and I love shooting macro shots. Also, why would the 28-80 lens be so much less money than the 18-55?

 
The 28-80/3.3-5.6 is just a cheap lens, it retails for maybe $90-100. The 18-55 kit lens has stuff like semi-AF-S and one ED lens element (Nikon's top glass, though they just slap a single ED element in to a bunch of lenses now to jack up the price ;) ). The 18-55 is also wider on the wide end, but you do lose out on the long end. For anything less than a couple hundred bucks, the 18-55 will probably be the widest you can get.

These lenses won't do macro - you will need to either buy a macro lens or get a close-up filter. Both of them will probably give you the same DOF, since their F-stop range is basically the same. The 18-55 kit lens is probably the better choice.
 
a close-up filter is probably your most cost effective way to get macro.

I use a 5T close-up on a Nikon 70-300 AF ED lens and it works rather well.

Here is an example using the above lens combo on a D70.

WARNING BELOW IS A LINK TO AN UNCROPPED 6.1MP 3MB JPEG.
http://www.thetank.org/white_daisy.jpg
 
So if I understand you guys correctly, the 18-55mm lens with maybe a close-up kit such as this should give me some pretty good macro shots. I don't exactly want anything extreme, but just a nice pleasent DOF I can play with when I need it. wouldn't the 28-80mm lens be better for more portrait shots though? cause that's what I think I'm gonna be using much more often.

 
LunchboX3904 said:
So if I understand you guys correctly, the 18-55mm lens with maybe a close-up kit such as this should give me some pretty good macro shots. I don't exactly want anything extreme, but just a nice pleasent DOF I can play with when I need it. wouldn't the 28-80mm lens be better for more portrait shots though? cause that's what I think I'm gonna be using much more often.

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Remember your crop factor of 1.5x on a D50 or D70 (not sure what it is on the K M).

So a 70mm lens is 105mm in 35 equiv. A 105mm is a very good potrait lens.
 
Well mine has the 18-55 and, I have gotten used to it. It focuses very fast and, the close focusing distance is about 8 to 10 inches. Also the camera has a close-up mode, that I have yet to try. I should try that now that I think of it. I do mostly nature and, work shots so, I move around to get what I want.
 
Joves said:
Well mine has the 18-55 and, I have gotten used to it. It focuses very fast and, the close focusing distance is about 8 to 10 inches. Also the camera has a close-up mode, that I have yet to try. I should try that now that I think of it. I do mostly nature and, work shots so, I move around to get what I want.
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Does the camera have a close-up mode or the lens? On an SLR that would be more a function of the lens.
 
Well it is a close up mode for the auto settings. I magine waht it does is open the f/stop for best depth of field. Much like the portrait mode does an auto adjustment or, the sports mode for the shutter speed. Which I find the sports mode works well for windy days, when I shoot trees. Here is a pic of a quarter in close-up with the 18-55.
52843839-M.jpg

The flash is too bright but, in manual mode it adjustable down to 1/16 of its power.
 
Oh the preset modes, I forgot all about those. I never even touch them, usually keep my in Aperture priotity mode.

Yea that just plays with how it does the exposure settings. Does not magically allow your lens to focus closer or anything. To do that you need a closeup filter or a macro lens.
 
so I guess the 18mm-55mm lens is the best chioce mainly because of quality. I seriously can't find any reviews on this thing with the 28-80mm lens. is it an old package or something?

 
The 18-55 is not bad, however if you can spring for the 18-70 Nikon lens you will be much more happy with it.
 
i really have a limited budget so it's really between these two kits. I think, just because of the quality difference, I'm gonna stick with the 18mm-55mm. I'm sure I'll get some other lens eventually, but i'm pretty pressed for cash right now, but i really really want my own camera. Also, my dad has a really old Nikon SLR film camera and he has a 50mm f1.8 lens on there now. would that lens work on the D50? It has a manual ring-controlled apeture even. that would be pretty cool if it worked. anyway, thanks everyone for your input. I'll probably make a thread with my first pics i've taken. can't wait!!

 
If your dad's Nikon SLR was F-mount (likely) and the lens is an autofocus Nikkor, it'll work fine. The aperture control ring won't do anything on a D50, you set aperture electronically instead.
 
Question - what's up with the general concensus that the 300D/350D have poor build quality? Is it just the fact that they're plastic rather than metal? I'm just wondering - we own two 300D's (one for ~3 years one for a year) and both have been rock solid mechanically and otherwise. We use the three year old one specifically for rock concert photography (http://rockpaperpixels.com) and have probably shot ~500+ shows with it, it's been dropped, spilled on, you name it. Over 16,000 shots so far. I'm not trying to promote it over the 5D or 50D (both great cameras), just wondering if the "poor build quality" feeling comes from the plastic body only.

Thanks.
 
Personally my 350D is rock solid - it may well be made out of plastic, but nothing is loose, there's no creaks, and has a good grippy texture.
I think the "poor build quality" relating to purely the body is a myth - Though coming from a 4 year old, well-used Fuji 2800 digicam i think most cameras are going to feel pretty solid.
Overall I prefer the lighter weight and smaller size of the 350D to what it would be if it had a metal casing to it - being lighter makes it really very easy to handle considering the size, especially with a larger lens attached.

If i was in a situation where i had a limited amount of cash then i would have probably gone for the cheaper D50, and with the saved money i would have spent it on some better lenses, as the lenses is what'll make good pictures, and although they do the job, the kit-lenses do let the potential of both of these cameras down.
 
JackieO said:
Question - what's up with the general concensus that the 300D/350D have poor build quality? Is it just the fact that they're plastic rather than metal? I'm just wondering - we own two 300D's (one for ~3 years one for a year) and both have been rock solid mechanically and otherwise. We use the three year old one specifically for rock concert photography (http://rockpaperpixels.com) and have probably shot ~500+ shows with it, it's been dropped, spilled on, you name it. Over 16,000 shots so far. I'm not trying to promote it over the 5D or 50D (both great cameras), just wondering if the "poor build quality" feeling comes from the plastic body only.

Thanks.
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Honestly I dont know. I am a D70 owner and while I checked out the 300D at the time of my purchase I did feel the D70 felt more solid in my hand. However I would not say the build quality was less than the D70. I just prefer the button layout and the overall fit to MY hand. Maybe they are confusing the two. FYI both the D70 and D50 have plastic bodies.
 
I could wiggle the focusing portion of the lens on my dad's 300D and the movement would show up on the screen. that's all i'm saying. It may not really affect anything, but that's the only thing that felt cheap with it.

 
Wouldn't that be attributed to the lens then? I have felt some "cheap feeling" Canon lenses, mostly the inexpensive kit ones. Actually our 50mm F1.8 (the one everyone has), that costs $50 feels pretty light too, but it's $50. Then again our 100-400 feels like it could withstand a bomb blast.

Anyway I was just wondering, thanks for the responses. Back on topic I believe I would choose the D50. I've always liked Nikons image quality.
 
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