What's the sensible upgrade from a very old Nikon D50?

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Soldato
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As thread title. I'm all in a muddle. My SLR really does not get used much anymore. I am a fairly decent photographer but in recent times have just got fed up of making a day trip out on holiday be all about what gear I am carrying, whether to take my camera bag etc. Probably like a lot of people I find that unless I'm going somewhere with the specific intent of photography I'm perfectly happy using my phone.

Having said that, I am still in love with my 50mm prime and that cannot be beaten.

We're off to Cuba for two weeks to explore the whole island and I really feel that now might be the time to either upgrade my D50 to another SLR, or move to a mirrorless setup. I only have the 50mm (which gets used 99% of the time), a Sigma 70-300 and the kit lens with a cheapo wide-angle adapter.

I love the idea of strolling round Havana with my 50mm on my Blackrapid strip (as intended when I bought it!). Let's face it that is easy, but once you get into carting other lenses around it gets a bit tedious. Hmn. I'm sure I'm not the first person to say so. Also there would be plenty of opportunity for wildlife snaps so it's probably worth taking the Sigma.

So, I'm totally out of the loop but the D3500 looks like the 'sensible' SLR upgrade. But then again should I just be looking at mirrorless.. is that a viable route for, say under £500?
 
I'm assuming you mean the D5300 (although the D3300 and any other D5x00 & D3x00 cameras will have the same issue).

One thing to bare in mind is that if your 50mm lens is the older AF-D it won't auto focus with these entry level cameras. You would need the newer AF-s version.
 
You haven't really said what you like to shoot and what problems you have with the D50.

Anyway, you have lots of options to get superior image quality to your D50 setup in a smaller package.
 
K.C. Leblanc said:
I'm assuming you mean the D5300 (although the D3300 and any other D5x00 & D3x00 cameras will have the same issue).

One thing to bare in mind is that if your 50mm lens is the older AF-D it won't auto focus with these entry level cameras. You would need the newer AF-s version.
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If it is the AF-D lens then TBH I would ditch it. I used to have it but it is really soft wide open and lacks any contract until at least f/2.8 but doesbn'treally shine uniutl f/4.0. Yeah, at f/5.6 it is stupidly sharp and sharper than the modern updates but it kind of makes the lens a bit stupid because even the kit lens is sharp and contrasty at f/5.6. The Bokeh is also not very nice. At the time of the D50 there weren't many alternatives but I would get the 3mm f/1.8 DX in a heart beat over the old 50mm
 
your biggest gripe seems to be the size and weight of the body and lenses.
is another SLR a good idea in that case?
maybe you should be looking at something smaller, that you are likely to get more use out of long term.
 
Thanks for the pointers guys. I'll admit I don't know if it's the AF-D 50mm, I'll have to check! I've been out of the loop for a while, career taken priority etc. Feels like I know nothing about cameras nowadays :o

MrWhippy said:
your biggest gripe seems to be the size and weight of the body and lenses.
is another SLR a good idea in that case?
maybe you should be looking at something smaller, that you are likely to get more use out of long term.
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This is it. But to be perfectly honest I think going down to a compact would be a bit pointless. I'm sure I'm wrong but in my mind I may as well just use my phone.. :o With that in mind going for another SLR (or maybe a mirrorless) keeps the separation of snaps when out and about (phone) -- and the times where I want the quality of picture from a decent camera.

If the Nikon SLRs I posted are deemed entry-level, what should I be looking at? I'm happy with my lenses, I'm never going to be a semi-pro so I'm not going to be splashing thousands on new professional lenses. Most likely in the long term would be just to buy a faster kit/walkaround lens.

Oh, and I think my issue is I like taking photos of everything. I like the landscapes, but I also like getting great portraits of people/sports etc. Cuba is bound to have some good wildlife too.. I've never specialised in any one area :)
 
I would like to suggest the Fuji X-E2 or XE-2S with the 35mm F/2.0 lens, it's a superb setup for a lot of normal situations. If you need something for sports/wildlife or other specialist photography then you might want to look else where. :)
 
I've been doing some thinking and I reckon getting an updated SLR is the way forward. If I'm out and about and don't fancy carrying anything then phone is fine. No point getting a smaller camera. So therefore an SLR for proper shooting is a good bet. That's was after all, the idea of getting an SLR so I can update the body etc.

So, looking at my kit as follows;
- AF Nikkor 50mm 1:1.8 D
- Sigma 70-300mm APO DG
- Nissin Di622 flash
- AF-S Nikkor 18-55 ED kit lens

Bearing those in mind, what body could I be looking at for under £500? Preferably £400ish. I'm guessing the nifty is out for a D5x00 or D3x00 range? :confused: What about the others? If the kit lens and nifty are out of the question then perhaps I should look at a walkabout lens of better quality to replace them both? Unsure what that would be though. Tamron 17-55? No idea what the quality is like for those.

EDIT: Happy to look at trade-in/eBay to make up some of the money but I'd rather not rely on it.

Cheers.
 
Scam said:
KC above said it wouldn't on a D5x00 or D3x00 series? What am I looking for in the specs that tell me either way?

EDIT: Will my batteries also work?
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D5X00 series only autofocus with AF-S lenses, D7x000 and above will work with all legacy lenses such as AF-D.



The batteries wont work form a D50, there were some legally required safety changes to remove the exposed contacts.
 
If you got cash to burn the D500 is probably the best crop sensor DSLR ever made.

If you are looking for bang for your buck the D7x00 series are great as mentioned above. Having held and used friends 3000 and 5000 series cameras they feel really cheap and toy like compared to the previously mentioned models.

You gotta ask yourself some questions as to what you want to do with your camera, if you struggle with size and weight and that restricts you taking photos then look into either a mirrorless system, a micro 4/3 or some of the cameras popular with vloggers, the RX100 III-V series are great, as are the canon g7x I and II, they are small and user friendly and very compact (my gf has a g7x I) but still take great pictures for your average uses.
 
As mentioned above a used D7100 would be the best considering your budget and existing lenses. I wouldn't go for the D7000 considering the price difference the D7100 is a drastically better camera with almost legendary sensor.
 
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