Whoever took my camera from my house, you suck

July 14, 2007 9:33 AM

My Nikon D50 was stolen, I need to replace it, but I don't want to pay $800 for a new camera.

I still have one lens, the 55-200mm, so I need the 18-55mm. I notice Circuit City has the D40 with the 18-55mm lens for around $550. Are the D50 lenses interchangeable with the D40? Will my 55-200mm lens work with ANY Nikon dSLR?

Also, I noticed that no camera stores are selling the D50 any more. Why is that?

posted by generic230 to Sports, Hobbies, & Recreation (8 answers total)

While I can't comment about the thread on the D50 vs. the D40, I believe the D50 and D70 have been supplanted by the D40 and D80. I feel like Nikon did this because the D50 was SUCH a great camera there was not much incentive to follow the upsell to the D70. The differences between the D40 and D80 are greater via further crippling of the 40.
posted by datacenter refugee at 9:39 AM on July 14, 2007

I'm very interested in purchasing a D40 in the near future, and I've done an assload of research. The big loss from the D40 to the D50 is the D40 does not include a focusing motor on the body, so this limits which lenses it will autofocus with. I'm assuming your 55-200mm is the AF-S version, which has it's own motor, so it will work just fine with the D40 and with pretty much any Nikon DSLR.

The D40 uses the same sensor as the D50, but all reviews say that it's processing is superior, so picture quality is improved.

To reiterate the answer to your question, if you have the AF-S lens, you will be OK.
posted by AaRdVarK at 9:42 AM on July 14, 2007

All lenses that will fit the D50 will also fit the D40, but only "AF-S" lenses will autofocus.

Your 55-200mm probably says "AF-S" on it, which means it will autofocus on the D40, and yes, it will fit and work on ANY Nikon (and Fuji) DSLR.

The D50 was discontinued and the D40 took its place. The D80 is very similar, but is really a replacement for the D70.
posted by bshort at 9:45 AM on July 14, 2007

Oddly, the D80 isn't really a replacement for the D70 or a real replacement for the D50. It's kind of in the middle. There are some missing features relative to the D80 (slower flash sync is the one that pops immediately to mind), but it uses SD like the D40 and D50 and is a step up from those cameras, with the extra command wheel, backlit top LCD, and commander mode on the built-in flash.

Others have already answered your question about your remaining lens.
posted by wierdo at 10:24 AM on July 14, 2007

If you're still set on the D50 there are some D50 refurbs still out there that people seem happy with.
posted by stratastar at 1:39 PM on July 14, 2007

Looks like you can get a D50 body for like $400 on ebay.
posted by delmoi at 4:12 PM on July 14, 2007

$400 is about par for a refurbished D50 body. As a D50 owner, I've tried the D40 and found it awkward, so I'd definitely suggest giving it a test-drive first.

If you look at the body end of your lens, do you see what looks like a small flathead screw? If so, your lens won't work with a D40. If it's AF-S, it will be missing the little screw and will work.

(The little screw is a mechanical connection with a motor in the camera body for autofocusing. The D40 is missing this motor for size/cost reasons, so it will only work with lenses that have their own motor internally.)
posted by neckro23 at 7:31 PM on July 14, 2007

Lens compatibility chart.
posted by matildaben at 11:57 AM on July 16, 2007