The landscape of the DSLR market is changing with the introduction of more and more entry-level models. One of Nikon’s staple cameras is the 6.1-megapixel D50, which currently fits between the D80 and the newer D40. The Nikon D50 is meant to be easy and affordable for casual photographers, but still provides the manual control and the features more serious photographers require. The body retails for $579 and costs $699 when included with a 3x kit lens.

The D50's retail price is far above the top point-and-shoot prices that hover around $500. The $399 Nikon P5000 is the company's top point-and-shoot model. Canon's high-end compact, the G9, retails for $499. The biggest advantage of a DSLR is the flexibility to switch lenses. Shooting a basketball game? Grab a long zoom lens. Shooting bugs in the backyard? Twist on a macro lens.

If you have a Nikon film camera and you want to transition to digital with your current lens collection, the D50 is fully functional with Nikkor AF-S, DX, VR, D, and G-type lenses. Some other Nikkor lenses may fit on the D50’s F-mount but won’t be fully compatible. This compatibility is a step up from the entry-level Nikon D40 that excludes several Nikkor lenses.

The Nikon D50 is smaller than the D70 but not as small as the D40 with its 5.2 x 3 x 4-inch measurements. The D50 has a solid body with a wide hand grip and base that is comfortable to hold. Handling while shooting is fairly easy, but some photographers may prefer two control dials – the D50 has only one.

Catering to point-and-shooters, Nikon chose to use SD memory for the D50 rather than the traditional CompactFlash media used in other DSLRs. This way, consumers buying their first DSLR can use the same memory cards they used for their point-and-shoot cameras.

As for its performance, the Nikon D50, as expected, is somewhere between compacts and DSLRs. It has sufficient resolution and great noise control. The pictures may be detailed and clean, but their colors aren’t very accurate. The Nikon D50 took great pictures in low light using its 200-1600 ISO range. It can snap 2.5 frames per second, which is decent but not impressively quick, especially when compared to other DSLRs. The Nikon D70s and Canon Rebel XT, for example, snap 3 frames per second.

The Nikon D50 has a 5-area auto focus system, which seems to perform well. It didn’t take many blurry pictures and the average shutter lag was barely there at 0.02 seconds. This autofocus system outdoes the $599 D40, which reacts slower and has only 3 autofocus points.

The camera’s viewing components include an optical viewfinder that is 95 percent accurate and a 2-inch LCD screen with 130,000 pixels. This resolution isn’t enough to check the focus, and the screen is too small to show pictures off to friends. The less expensive D40 has a more impressive 2.5-inch screen with 230,000 pixels. On the Nikon D50, there is a control display panel on the top of the camera that shows up to 27 adjustable settings. This might look daunting to point-and-shooters, but a brief session with the user manual should clear things up.

The Nikon D50 has Manual, Priority, and 6 basic Scene modes to appeal to a wide range of expertise. The camera will also appeal to a large audience in other ways, too, such as image optimization settings that allow in-camera editing and easy direct printing. The D50 is a great camera and affordable as far as DSLRs go, but the falling prices of DSLRs will keep the D50 on its toes.