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Photo Forum / Digital Photography / DSLR Cameras / June 2005How good is the D50 18-55 kit lens, really?
I have seen several test shots where the 18-55 kit lens looks a bit soft, almost like the Canon kit lens. So far only this site has samples that look sharp enough: http://www.digitalreview.ca/cams/NikonD50vsD70SvsXT_images.shtml Compare this pic from a Nikon D50 with the 18-70: http://dc.watch.impress.co.jp/cda/parts/image_for_link/23998-1651-24-1.html with this D50 using the 18-55: http://dc.watch.impress.co.jp/cda/parts/image_for_link/24005-1651-29-1.html The 18-55 just does not cut it here, or what do you think? /per >I have seen several test shots where the 18-55 kit lens looks a bit soft, > almost like the Canon kit lens. [quoted text clipped - 8 lines] > > /per The lens that comes with the D70 gets better reviews, but there are a lot of things that can effect what you are seeing. Nikon has a portrait mode that can soften the picture a bit, and a fill flash can sharpen things up a lot. I have no idea how these shots were taken. >I have seen several test shots where the 18-55 kit lens looks a bit soft, > almost like the Canon kit lens. Compare these images on dcresource.com: D70s with 18-70mm lens: http://www.dcresource.com/reviews/nikon/d70s-review/DSC_0072.JPG D50 with 18-55mm lens: http://www.dcresource.com/reviews/nikon/d50-review/DSC_0155.JPG Look particularly at the archway on the right, with the brightly lit background. I think there's quite a difference. I also think the two cameras use the same sensor, so that's not the reason for the difference. >>I have seen several test shots where the 18-55 kit lens looks a bit soft, >> almost like the Canon kit lens. [quoted text clipped - 11 lines] >I think there's quite a difference. I also think the two cameras use the >same sensor, so that's not the reason for the difference. Well ... one difference is that they were taken at different times. Look how far the sunlit area comes in from the arches. If the cameras both had their clocks properly set, we have the D70s image taken at: Shooting Date/Time : 2005:05:11 15:43:14 and the D50 taken at: Shooting Date/Time : 2005:06:22 16:25:10 so the illumination was different. Also, one difference between the ewo is the "Exposure Compensation:" field Exposure Compensation : 0 D70s Exposure Compensation : -1/3 D50 Not much. Just 1/3 of a stop, if I read that right -- but the quality of the light was different at the two different times. For a proper comparison, they should have both been taken at the same instant -- or at least within say five minutes (if we don't have clouds moving in front of the sun). Enjoy, DoN.  SignatureEmail: <dnichols@d-and-d.com> | Voice (all times): (703) 938-4564 (too) near Washington D.C. | http://www.d-and-d.com/dnichols/DoN.html --- Black Holes are where God is dividing by zero --- > Compare these images on dcresource.com: > [quoted text clipped - 8 lines] > I think there's quite a difference. I also think the two cameras use the > same sensor, so that's not the reason for the difference. Thanks for the link, It's a case of severe purple fringing versus virtually no purple fringing, I don't think a different hour will change that very much. The thread "Some 350D - D70 photos to compare ;-)", also tells me the 18-70 is a great lens. Also, most test pics show warmer color tones from D50 than from D70/70s. More in line with the Canon Digital Rebel XT color tones, which I like more than the colder color tones of the D70. I lean towards buying a D50 with an 18-70 lens. /per >>Compare these images on dcresource.com: >> [quoted text clipped - 19 lines] > I lean towards buying a D50 with an 18-70 lens. > /per I don't disagree but you should consider: You can very easily change the white balance setting on the D70 to give warmer / cooler results. (Press WB button and rotate front command dial) The 18-70 is a great lens - with some drawbacks: It does vignette when shooting wide at full aperture. It does not focus very close at all - 38cm minimum. The zoom action is not very linear - and not very nice to use. The supplied bayonet mounted hood is useless with a polarising filter fitted. I have read that it can be a bit soft at the wide end of it's range. If so, then I haven't seen that - but I don't have anything to directly compare it with. I have no idea what the 18-55 is really like, but it is a lot less expensive, smaller, focuses closer, and apparently the zoom action is linear. Negatives are a rotating front element (a complete pain in the backside when using a polarising filter), and apparently not a proper Silent Wave Motor mechanism (ie - you can't override AF by rotating the focus ring), and has a tiny focusing ring. >Look particularly at the archway on the right, with the brightly lit >background. > >I think there's quite a difference. I also think the two cameras use the >same sensor, so that's not the reason for the difference. I wonder why they weren't taken at the same time. Judging by the shadows on the pillars the second one was probably taken 2 or 3 hours after the first picture. Also the D-70 picture has a palm tree blocking much of the glare in the first arch. That could really affect the exposure and account for a lot of the differences. Scott Peterson -- You are validating my inherent mistrust of strangers. 148/619 >>Look particularly at the archway on the right, with the brightly lit >>background. [quoted text clipped - 7 lines] >blocking much of the glare in the first arch. That could really >affect the exposure and account for a lot of the differences. Looking more closely at the exif info in the two images, I discover that not only were they taken at different times, but also different *months*. D70s Shooting Date/Time : 2005:05:11 15:43:14 D50 Shooting Date/Time : 2005:06:22 16:25:10 That difference of 1-1/3 months could account for differences in the illumination as well. Of course -- this presumes that the clocks in the cameras were both properly set, and if these were on loan for testing, we have no certainty of that. I suspect that only someone who *owns* the camera will bother to set the clock properly. Enjoy, DoN. SignatureEmail: <dnichols@d-and-d.com> | Voice (all times): (703) 938-4564 (too) near Washington D.C. | http://www.d-and-d.com/dnichols/DoN.html --- Black Holes are where God is dividing by zero --- |
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