D50 is that bad?

I read a lot of stuff about D50 and D70 but the most mayor issue is that the D50 have only one control for shutter speed and you have to press some button for aperture... so regarding this, is this really a lower camera than D70 or D70s? casue i understand are very simillar cameras, even D50 have an AF improval over D70? I really want to make a decision, because in ebay I find D50 with 18-55mm for 500$ new and D70 is over 800$, so the way I figure it I can get a D50 with 18-55mm and with the 300 saved I can buy a good macro or WA lens.

I figure it I can get a D50 with 18-55mm and with the 300 saved I can buy a good macro or WA lens.

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Yeah, but remember that housing and strobes cost just as much for the two cameras, and this will be alteast in the order of 2000$. So ask yourself if it is worth it saving a few houndred on a less competent camera when you will end up spending this much money anyway...

/Jonas

That´s what i try to figure it out, why is less competent? just for the A&S controls? or are any others issues? this is really what i want to know....

Alot of items on e-bay on grey market. This effects the warranty (or possible lack of). As your finding out, everything associated with DSLR is much more costly than P&S cameras. Especially good quality lenses. Make sure you buy lenses that can be housed. This basically means that you need to pick out your housing, then purchase components that are compatible with it (like lens/port combination). I assume you have a platinum card??

I've been using a D70 for 1+ yr, & have been very satisfied with it. You might still be able to find new D70 vs D70s. Very little difference & the D70 is now cheaper.

Check here for camera reviews

http://www.dpreview.com/

I agree that the cost differential between the D70 and D50 is really small given the total you are likely to spend on housings, lenses and more. With the D50 kit you are buying a less capable lens than you get with the D70 kit as well.

Check out this link to see the differences between the D70 and D50

dpreview

In my mind the seperate aperture/shutter speed buttons are really nice to have. I also like the CF card capability. I think that SD cards have some limitation past 4GB (which is big) but CF cards seem to be more common and flexible. You can also use low cost microdrives if you want.

Here are the main advantages to the D70 (not all are UW related)

1/8000 shutter speed 1/4000 on the D50.

continious speed: 3 vs 2.5 frames/sec

DOF preview button none on D50

+ lots of other little conveniences

But to answer your question, no the D50 isn't really a bad camera. It will get you great shots. But in the cost benifit equation I think the D70 is a better value as it offers more of the standard features you expect from a DSLR.

Ok so far this is what i figured, D50 have only one control for A&S and that can be a pain in the a... if you has become familiar with two controls and that I understand (but really don`t care too much).

D70s have slightly differences with D50 and cost 300$ more and if money was no an issue I should get a D200 or D2X or anything more expensive and better. But what I think is if you take the same picture, with the same values and conditions, with the same photographer, with the three different cameras (D70, D70s and D50), there is nothing that make one of them different from another or not a contest winner. (this is what i think based in the opinion of people who knows of cameras and owns it, so if anybody think different please correct me, is what i`m looking for...), and I`m really going to need this additional things (and use it often) that D70 have over D50???

Yes, in all likelihood, you will be able to get the same photo with any of the cameras mentioned. You're paying for additional features and better build quality as you move up the line. I doubt that many of us have ever regretted buying up. More frequently, we regret that we didn't. If working with a single A&S control is only a minor inconvenience, then you'll be happy with the D50 ... for now. Really, the quality of the photos has much more to do with the photographer than the camera.

But definitely check out and decide on a housing before you buy the camera. You may find fewer housings offered for the D50 than for the D70. And you may prefer one that is not available for the D50, but is for the D70. Also, different housings have different port systems that accept different lenses. So figure out first which lenses you prefer, then find a housing that offers compatible ports. Then buy a camera and the lenses to fit that housing. Good luck.

That`s another issue.... housing I think Ikelite, and for now I can afford only one lens (maybe for christmas I can afford another), so while I get used to the new rig, I think in a medium angle lens (I understand that this is a lens that doesn`t do the best of anything), but as I said in the meantime what can i get? 18-55? 18-70? 28-80? this are cheapest lens, what is the opinion on general public wich medium angle is the best? or maybe I forget about medium angle and kit lenses and get something else? a 60mm maybe and forget WA and portrait? anything good under 250$?

$300 saved is $300. And the D50 is supposed to have slightly better image quality at high ISO, slightly better focus speed, and is slightly smaller and lighter than the D70s.

In terms of lenses, look for a used 18-70 at $200-225.

Thanks all, you been very helpfull, I think I´m going with D50 and 18-70mm, in an ike housing

If you can only afford one lens, buy a macro lens (I choosed the 60mm for my canon 350d)

I midrange zoom is pretty useless underwater if visibility is limited, it atleast does not offer you the same flexibility as it does topside.

With a macro lens and only one strobe you can still get some pretty decent shots.

If you're new.. try the 105mm. to give you some space between you and the subject..

I have a D50 with the 18-55 as well as the 60 micro in a Sea & Sea housing. I would prefer to have seperate control wheels for both aperture and speed as on the D70 but I still chose the D50 as the Sea & Sea housing for it was a lot newer, more compact and better specified. In use, in manual mode I use the +/- button locked down so that I can use the rear contol wheel as the aperture control. It is not ideal and does compromise handling but I can live with it.

Image quality wise I could see no factors making the D70 preferable over a D50.

I bought the D50 with the 18-55 kit lens. It has a min focus of 28cm as opposed to 38cm on the 18-70 making it perhaps preferable for macro.

In my opinion the separate aperture/shutter speed buttons are really important, not a 'nice to have' feature but 'must to have', I can't see myself using a camera without this option since all (almost) of my shots are done manually.

All the advances that mention here for the DS50 are very small, this advance to the D70 is very big so the answer is obvious for me.