Nikon D50 6.1MP Digital SLR Camera with 28-80mm f3.3-5.6G AF Nikkor Zoom Lens

December 31, 2007 | By Doug In Digital Cameras |

How to take Great Photos of Your Pet

We all love our animals. They do such funny, adorable, and cute things. But somehow when that camera comes out they run and hide or they just seem to always be pointed away from the camera when you push the button. Well here are some tips to help you have a better chance at getting great photos of your pet.

1. Don’t wake your pet out of deep sleep and attempt to coerce him into performing for the camera. It won’t happen. Try to take photos of your pet during their routine playtime.

2. If there is enough daylight to take photos then turn the flash off. My cat has learned to close his eyes just before the flash goes off. He learned that little trick quick too! Many times a camera flash is just too bright for them, that’s why they point away from you when they know that you’re taking photos.

3. Don’t try to get them looking into the camera. If there is someone around who can play with your pet just get a shot of them playing with someone else. You can have the photo with the person and the pet or get close to crop the person out of the shot.

4. If your pet always runs away from you every time you pull the camera out try leaving the camera sit out where it can be seen. Take photos of other things in the home and try turning the flash off.

5. Be prepared to grab your camera and take photos when your pet is ready, read “doing something cute.” I’ve been able to get some of the best photos of my cat when he’s just doing something on his own.

Remember don’t put pressure on your animal to perform for the camera. Think more on the lines of catch them in their natural habitat. Our pets want to make us happy and you can easily confuse them by pressuring them to look good for the camera. Also be prepared to take a whole lot of bad photos for that one really good one.

About The Author

Kelly Paal is a Freelance Nature and Landscape Photographer, exhibiting nationally and internationally. Recently she started her own business Kelly Paal Photography (www.kellypaalphotography.com). She has an educational background in photography, business, and commercial art. She enjoys applying graphic design and photography principles to her web design.

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The Nikon D50 is easy to take with you anywhere you go! From its inviting body contours to its easily accessible controls, this is a camera that makes picture taking satisfying and fun! 2 Inch Color LCD screen Self-Timer - Electronically controlled timer with 2 to 20 seconds duration Storage (Number of frames per 256MB SD Memory Card, image size L) - RAW approx. 33, FINE approx. 70NORMAL approx. 137BASIC approx. 258, RAW&BASIC approx. 29 **We suggest getting a 512MB memory card or larger for more flexible use.** Video Output - Can be selected from NTSC and PAL Interface - USB 2.0 (Hi-Speed) Shutter - Combined mechanical and CCD electronic shutter,30 to 1/4000 sec. in steps of 1/3 or 1/2 EV, bulb Flash Control - 1) TTL - TTL flash control by 420-pixel RGB sensorBuilt-in Speedlight - i-TTL Balanced Fill-Flash or standard i-TTL flash (spot metering) SB-800 or 600 - i-TTL Balanced Fill-Flash or standard i-TTL flash (spot metering)) Auto aperture - Available with SB-800 with CPU lens) Non-TTL Auto - Available with Speedlights such as SB-800, 80DX, 28DX, 28, 27, and 22s4) Distance-priority manual available with SB-800 Unit Dimension (WxHxD) - Approx. 5.2 x 4.0 x 3.0 inches / Weight - About 1 pound without battery or lens Tripod socket
Used Price: $600.00
Customer Review: Wonderful Camera
I don’t know why this is considered a beginners DSLR — sure it has a few less features, but it is capable of wonderful results with a minimum of work. I wish I had bought this first instead of the Olympus E510 I used to own. The D50 simply gets the job done! I bought the camera used but in good shape. I use the 70-300mm VR zoom lens with it and get great results. The images come out true to life with few anomolies or distortions. The shutter release is positive and professional feeling. Focus is accurate and fast (of course the lens is important here). The D50 fills an important gap between old world DSLR and modern: It has an iternal focus motor so older style lenses work perfectly. It uses an SD card instead of the clunky old CF. And while the D70 is considered more professional, the D50 corrects for sensor anomilies the D70 doesn’t. Some things you may want consider: The LCD is only 2″, compared to 2.5″ on most newer models. It is somewhat slower in processing, formating, direct downloads, etc. The number of sensor pixels is low (6.1MP) compared with newer models (8-10MP). The viewfinder doesn’t see the entire frame. However, the viewfinder is bright enough for manual focusing, and a green light indicates optimum focus in the viewfinder when manual focusing. The lowest ISO is 200 (instead of 100 on most models). However, noise at higher ISOs is low compared with many cameras, and I regularly use 400 and even 800. The D50 feels solid! I can’t imagine a better feeling body. Compared with pro models it is a bit smaller, however it is full-sized and fits any hand well. With a good lens it’s hard to imagine anyone being disapointed with this camera. Even with the many features newer cameras offer, none will produce better pictures (bigger, but not better).
Customer Review: Very nearly perfect camera!
My first digital camera was the Nikon 4300. Switching to the Nikon D50 was like going from a horse and buggy to a Ferrari! There are cameras now with higher pixel resolution, but I have found the 6.1 still is plenty for my purposes. The interface is very nice, with quick access buttons around the camera. The battery lasts a long time, compared to my old 4300. The quality of the images is wonderful!! The only down-side is the plastic lens, otherwise I would give this camera a 5 out of 5. While I enjoy the light-weight aspect of the lens, I felt from the beginning that it seemed cheap, even fragile? Good thing I got the extended warranty because the lens broke after exactly 2 years of much use. Over all this is a fantastic camera, but make sure to get the extended warranty!
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