Another choice...Nikon D50

[Snibs]

Hi again all.
I see now that the D50 has been reduced to $1000. Reviews I have read on this one favour it over the 350D, espeicialy with noise at 800 and 1600 any comments on it? Nikon has a big name as well as the others.
Thanks again from Mick.

[davidpretorius]

PC Authority from last year did a non astro review (straight camera review) and the 350d is the winner over the nikon d50 from memory, ie it was 2nd and then pentax's etc.

Purely from the guys comments here and the results I have seen I would still buy the 350d.

[ving]

wasnt houghy a pentax nut before he went cannon?
tho thats irrelevant.

for what i gather a nikkon will take astro pics, but the 350 is better (?)

[Jonathan]

G'day Mick,
I reckon for $959 delivered the Nikon is a bargain. http://www.digitalcity.net.au/store/product.asp?idProduct=1923

The Canon is a more popular choice for astrophotography. I'm yet to see any astro photos taken with a D50 so there's no true comparison there, but I doubt there's a big difference between the 2 cameras, just that the Nikon is a few hundred $'s cheaper.

The Nikon D50 is said to have better noise performance at ISO 1600 than a Canon 5D which is apparently the benchmark for low noise at high ISO. This is according to Dec 2005 Popular Photography magazine. It sounds too good to be true (and possibly is?), but we can still assume the D50 has pretty low noise. I've used neither one of them so I can't offer you any first hand experience.

If you're on a strict budget the Nikon is a clear choice to me, but if you want to spend an extra $300-$400 the Canon is also a very good camera. I'm sure either one will take pictures that you'll be happy with.

[h0ughy]

I am still a Pentax Nut thank you. I just happen to also own a Canon:P

[h0ughy]

Also note the new Pentax is out, the *istDS2. more features etc, not sure how it rates but?

[acropolite]

It would be interesting to see if the better noise claims are in raw or processed modes. I seem to remember that noise can be suppressed easily at the expense of sharpness during in camera processing. It's also worth noting that the extra 2mp of the 350D is handy if only for cropping purposes.

[CometGuy]

I have just been through the same exercise myself. It wasn't an easy decision especially because the D50 is $200 cheaper.

The level of noise in the D50 is reduced over the D70 and this is real - i.e as ISO is increase detail is maintained. Because the pixels are large compared to the Canon and noise is now very low so I believe that the D50 may actually be more sensitive than the 350D.

However, for astrophotography the D50 has several disadvantages (enough for me to choose the 350D over the D50 despite the cost advantage of the Nikon):

1. The D50 has the trademark Nikon 'star eating' filter (as Michael Covington calls it) is applied to all long exposure images even in raw mode. It seems to be more a problem with very sharp optics. It can be worked around in Noise reduction mode, by switching off the power when the dark frame is made. But what a pain!
2. The dark point is set to near 0 in images, this means the dark frames are damaged since many pixel values will be below 0 and are clipped.
3. There is no wired remote. With the 350D a simple stereo plug wired to a switch will activate the shutter. The IR release to me is inconvenient, especially for doing automated exposures.
4. D50 doesn't have mirror lockup, unlike the 350D.
5. Lenses I. I already have a canon 300D and some EF lenses.
6. Lenses II. Canon IMO has an unrivalled range of Canon telephotos - the 200 f2.8 comes to mind as a superb performer that is very sharp and well corrected. Nikon's rival is both more expensive and not as well corrected. You can also use Nikon, Zeiss lenses with the Canon with appropriate adapter, but not the other way.

The above factors may matter less to you and you might chooses the D50 for other reasons. There is no reason you can't take astrophoto's at least as good as the 350D but be aware of the points I have given above.

My biggest gripe with the 350D is due to some poor ergonomic design choices (compromises to make the camera as small as possible). The worst part being the cramped handgrip (some people purchase the battery grip).

Terry

[Gama]

Heres a site that modified a D70, it has frequency response and spectral results. Plus a bit more information.
http://astrosurf.com/buil/d70/ircut.htm

hers is a good spread about the D50 over the D70 http://terrychay.com/blog/article/d50-or-d70.shtml

[CometGuy]

As an interesting development Duncan Munro in the US has designed an intervalometer that can automate 'mode 3' in the D50. 'Mode 3' is the unofficial mode that disables the 'star eating filter '. I am not sure when he is planning to market it yet..

Terry