Is a used Nikon d50 worth $300 for a beginner?

It would come with 28-80mm and 70-300mm lenses. I tested it out and it works fine, so would it be a good deal?

One more question: Do you think the lenses that come with the d50 would work on a newer model if I eventually upgrade to a modern version.

With the two lenses, probably not a bad price. However, the value in this package is with the lenses, not the camera. And depending on the lenses, their value may exceed $300 by themselves or may not be worth much. Thing is, Nikon has made many versions of each lens - so it's hard to say without knowing the specific model.

Here is a good webpage that catalogs a lot of Nikon lenses with reviews. They are not all listed, but most of the recent lenses are. This webpage might be helpful in identifying the lenses and their worth:

http://www.kenrockwell.com/...nikkor.htm

One thing about the D50; it is the only entry level Nikon having an internal focus motor in the camera. That means it can autofocus both of the lenses you have, regardless of whether they are AF-S or AF.

But if the lenses are not AF-S, they won't autofocus with the older Nikon entry level DSLRs, such as the D40, D60, or the newer Nikon entry level DSLRs; D3xxx, or D5xxx cameras. So depending on the lens model and camera model, they may or may not be able to autofocus.

That's a reasonable price for that model and lenses, but it is quite low resolution by today's standards. If you could afford the extra for a D3100 with 18-55mm VR lens you would be getting a MUCH better camera. Http://snapsort.com/compare/Nikon_D3100-vs-Nikon_D50

You say it works fine - did you try taking a picture of a blank piece of paper and then zooming in to check that there are no dust problems on the sensor? The earlier DSLR cameras did not have sensor cleaning technology and it is worth checking that the sensor hadn't been exposed to too much dust.

If you upgraded later to a D90 or D7000 or D7100 the lenses would work fine.

Wow great price, in the uk at least.

easily $200-$220 for the lens alone in uk pricing.

yes lens would work on new models, in fact they will work on the fx camera the ultimate upgrade.

the 28-100 would not be very wide angle o nthe dx d50 though you would need to upgrade to
an 18-55 or 18-70mm at some point if you found it restricting.

i own a d50 from a beginner and the i learned a lot form this camera and i would never sell it,
ignore megapixel nonsense, the picture quality out of this camera is amazing.

like i say to eveyone though the screen on the d50 is not the best but its good enough to
make sure all ok with picture.

as martin says take a picture of the sky at f22 and check photos on the computer screen to check
for dust or sensor scratches.

The package is well worth it but you are losing out on wide angle. It would be best if you started hunting for an 18-55mm at once. Try to get a used VR version for sharper photos.

There's no beginner dSLR. All dSLR's are basically the same. The D50's lenses can be used with other Nikon dSLR's. The D50 has it's own autofocus motor so you will AF with any Nikon digital lens. Some other Nikon models don't so there will be some compatibility issues on that area. See here.

http://www.kenrockwell.com/...s.htm#dslr

Here's one huge advantage of the D50 in case you haven't noticed it yet. Flash sync speed is at 1/500s! That's truly fast for flash photography.

I say skip it. The lenses are just OK. The D50 was released back in 2005 so that camera is ancient. And if you try to resell it say a year or two from now, you will get almost nothing for it.

The image sensors in dSLR back in 2005 are primitive compared to newer models. The image quality will be very good when light is plentiful at low ISO, but forget low light work at high ISO, it's going to be noisy and dirty as heck.

For 300 dollars, you can get a much newer dSLR with a basic kit lens. Check ebay or craigslist for a Nikon D60, or D3100. An old Canon XSi, T1i, or T2i. Maybe a Sony A55.