[mustangdriver]

Hey guys, there are a lot of you here that take some really great shots, and know a godd deal about cameras. I was hoping someone might help me out. I am looking at a Nikon D50 digital camera with a 70-300mm lense as well as a standard 18-55mm lense. I was wondering if yo uall thought that it would be a good camera for museums and airshows. I also was going to get the flash to go on top of it as well for museums. Thanks in advance.

[PappyB]

Originally Posted by mustangdriver

Hey guys, there are a lot of you here that take some really great shots, and know a godd deal about cameras. I was hoping someone might help me out. I am looking at a Nikon D50 digital camera with a 70-300mm lense as well as a standard 18-55mm lense. I was wondering if yo uall thought that it would be a good camera for museums and airshows. I also was going to get the flash to go on top of it as well for museums. Thanks in advance.

Hey Mustang, that's the camera I'm using for my photography for the site and for air shows -- it's an awesome camera for the money. The stock lens really aren't great, (I have the 18-55, and have used the 70-300) and even the 70-300 is underpowered for air shows. I shot with a 400mm equivalent (Sigma 110-300 35mm lens) at a few shows this past year, and did okay with some shots.

You can see a lot of what I've taken with the D50 here... the camera is capable of taking great all around pics, it's just a matter of figuring it all out, which I'm still trying to do :-)

http://www.klett.phanfare.com/


I'd probably opt for the D80 if it's in your $ grasp, or the Canon Rebel -- having 8 or 10 MP of resolution is handy with airshow photography as you'll typically want to do a fair amount of cropping.

That said, you won't do better than the D50 IMHO for the $. Unfortunately, the glass (lens) my photo bud told me would be ideal for airshows runs about $1,100 Not sure if I want to venture into that territory -- that's a lot of diecast !!

[mustangdriver]

Thanks. I am between the D80, or the D50 with all of the toys that go with it. I am leaning toward the D50. Thanks for your help. You have some great pics there.

[mhackl]

The Nikon D80 is the camera that I've picked. I think that both are great cameras though. As far as the capabilities of the cameras both will do the job and do it well. I think it just a matter of how much are you going use it. If you are an avid photographer you may appreciate the difference enough between these two cameras to spend an extra 400 ducats.

Basic differences:
approx 800px at Max resolution
about 4 Mega Pixels
broader ISO range
better flash range
twice the continuous burst length at .5fps speed difference
SDHC memory capability (Memory cards over 2GB)
1/2" in display size.
Image Processor (save speed)

I chose the D80 largely because of the MegaPixels, Memory size, Continuous burst, and Save speed. This purchase also has to last me a while so I wanted to get the most camera possible. The D50 is about a year older than the D80, so you might be able to find a little better deal on it.

The truth be told, I take a lot of pictures, but both of these would probably be more camera than I'd ever need. If these are the two you are choosing from you won't be let down, Nikon makes a great camera. If you are looking for another comparable camera check out the Canon Digital Rebel XTI, it's very comparable to the D80 but about $100 cheaper.

The 70-300mm Lens should serve you well for airshows. Good luck!
Let us know what you get.

[mustangdriver]

hanks guys. I am going with the D-50 with the big lense. I will post my pics as soon as I take some.

[mhackl]

Sweet, It's a good camera. Can't wait to see pics!

[mustangdriver]

I can't wait to take them. I am ready for air show season, but I am going to be touring some museums, so we will try out my additional flash.