My friend bought a d70s and i played around with it for over a year now and have set my sights on a DSLR. Now I am a complete novice but a fast learner and also a college student :(.
Working at staples I have come across an opportunity to get a d50 with a DX 18 - 55 mm lense for just under $500 (including a sd card and tax). Since I have big hands and the d70 just felt so good in them the D50 seems a good fit, the D50 is almost identical in size and weight to the d70. Smaller cameras i toyed with such as rebel xt and xti feel awkward. I also like to have a status lcd instead of it being integrated into the screen. The reviews of both cameras show that the d40 is generally better in image quality with less artifacts and clarity but I ponder would I ever need that much detail. It seems the d50 seems perfect but i really wouldn’t mind saving a bit longer for the d40. I just don’t want to drop money and regret not getting the right camera.

That’s why I come to people who know what their talking about. Your opinions would be greatly appreciated and happy holidays.

ps i plan on taking lots of pictures of things I see around New York city, concerts, family events and emo myspace pics (JK)

My friend bought a d70s and i played around with it for over a year now and have set my sights on a DSLR. Now I am a complete novice but a fast learner and also a college student :(.
Working at staples I have come across an opportunity to get a d50 with a DX 18 - 55 mm lense for just under $500 (including a sd card and tax). Since I have big hands and the d70 just felt so good in them the D50 seems a good fit, the D50 is almost identical in size and weight to the d70. Smaller cameras i toyed with such as rebel xt and xti feel awkward. I also like to have a status lcd instead of it being integrated into the screen. The reviews of both cameras show that the d40 is generally better in image quality with less artifacts and clarity but I ponder would I ever need that much detail. It seems the d50 seems perfect but i really wouldn’t mind saving a bit longer for the d40. I just don’t want to drop money and regret not getting the right camera.

That’s why I come to people who know what their talking about. Your opinions would be greatly appreciated and happy holidays.

ps i plan on taking lots of pictures of things I see around New York city, concerts, family events and emo myspace pics (JK)

You'll just have to take the D40 in your hands and see how it feels. Only you can do that.

Reading the first tests it looks like the D40 has a big advantage in low light/high ISO. The new image processor is working wonders with what is basically the same sensor as the D50/D70. A magazine review I saw yesterday said it had about as much noise at 3200 ISO as the Rebel XTi at 1600 ISO. That's really impressive and it might be useful for concerts and family events.

Charles

I personally chose the D50 for a couple of reasons, mainly the ability to use older AF lenses and still have functioning AF. That said, if you are starting out from nothing and don't mind the extra $$$ for the newer AF-S lenses the D40 is an excellent choice. On the other hand, the D50 is VERY attractively priced now and there are loads of places to get used/reconditioned/demo lenses etc at very reasonable prices. This helps to offset the cost of better glass. Remember the old saying that you are buying into the "system". You can always upgrade the body but the lenses are usually something you keep.