Is it only me that miss the front command dial on D50??

I looked through the review of the D50.

The camera has several good points to it and some bad (SD card support only).

But the most striking odd thing about it is the placement of the command dial. Shouldn't it be on the front?

I am mostly taking pictures i Aperture Priority mode. And so I use the command dial a lot. My camera (Canon EOS 300D) has only one and it is placed right under my index finger, as on all modern SLR cameras.

Now Nikon are doing this "budget" model where they are going from the two command dials on D70 down to one command dial on D50. But why did they place the command dial in the back? Doesn't this seem a little awkward?

Anyone having any thoughts about this?

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Bruno H
Gothenburg, Sweden

Seems perfectly natural to me.
dpc
http://www.bytephoto.com/photopost/showgallery.php?ppuser=2233

I have both on my D70 and i find adjusting the back one a bit easier than the front one. The thumb has more dexterity than the index finger in the position that you hold the camera (in my opinion) so that's probably why nikon kept the back one instead of the front one..can't comment on the canons, as i haven't used them

I had an F828 with only a back command dial.
At first it was aqward, but you soon get used to it.

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Of all things i've lost, i miss my mind the most.

I shoot aperture priority and always use the front sub command dial. This leaves my right thumb to operate the AE/AF button which I have assigned to AF instead of the shutter.

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Just my nickels worth.
Happy Snappin'!



Ron
----------------------------------------------------
http://www.pbase.com/recalcitrantron
FCAS Member No. 68
pbase supporter
D Seventy

BrunoH said:

But the most striking odd thing about it is the placement of the
command dial. Shouldn't it be on the front?

Click to expand...

I don't know. It seems to me that by putting the one command dial on the back, Nikon made it possible to keep your finger on the shutter button even when you're adjusting a setting, which might make it a bit faster to shoot after changing a setting. I also find that the thumb dial is a bit easier to use than the finger dial, so I'd probably pick the thumb dial if I had to choose one or the other. That may be because the finger dial is laid out differently on the D70 than it is on Cannon's cameras; it's horizontal and distinctly below the shutter button rather than vertical and very close to the shutter button.

we welcome d50 users to the evil Canon world of "depress-button-turn-dial'.. muhahahahahah.

the D50 will show that compalints of "ergonomics" are highly subjective and it's all what you are used to.. no camera is inherently better than the other.. it's whichever you're comfortable with.

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* * * * * * * * * * * * * *
3 0 0 D + 1 8 - 5 5 m m
5 0 m m f / 1 . 4 U S M
7 5 - 3 0 0 m m U S M I S

* * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Don' t forgett hey are all market tested at home first and the Japanese have smaller hands than the big Americans do.
Jules

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Should I buy the Nikon or the Canon???? Doh.

Actually more like two fingers and a thumb. My thumb works the AF button and rear command dial when needed (usually not), my forefinger is on the shutter and middle finger works the sub-command dial to set the aperture.

All a matter of personal preference.

--
Just my nickels worth.
Happy Snappin'!



Ron
----------------------------------------------------
http://www.pbase.com/recalcitrantron
FCAS Member No. 68
pbase supporter
D Seventy

i hate to use the front dial.....

my finger is always ready on the shutter release while i can change aperature with thumb.... perfect for me.
i need to add, i use A mode too, almost exclusivly unless i use flash

about SD, nothing wrong with this.... it's smaller yet faster. since most "prosumer" camera usually use SD... and they'r potential buyer of D50, making D50 to use SD makes their "upgrade" cost lower. ok...if they want to upgrade.... uhm....that's another issue....they look for quality, not lowest upgrade cost... and they've invested in nikon already... they'r forced to get CF cards.

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WW

I too find the back dial easier to use. At first I was thinking the D50 would be awkward in M mode, but then the exposure compensation button (which switches the dial from shutter to aperture setting) is right under your right finger, so it might be even an improvement over the D70 (maybe they can offer that choice in the D70 firmware upgrade!).