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Nikon D50 and exclusive preview

Original Article:

Excerpt courtesy of "Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)" RSS feed.

Wed Apr 20 12:00:05 PDT 2005

Nikon D50 and exclusive preview
Nikon has today announced their new affordable and easier to use D50 digital SLR. The D50 has the appearance and control layout of the D70, the major physical differences are size, weight and control layout. Under the skin the D50 has the same six megapixel CCD sensor as the D70 (and the D70s announced today). The D50 will be available in black and silver bodies and as a kit with the new AF-S DX 18-55 mm lens. The D50 Kit (including the 18-55 mm lens) will cost around US$899 when it's available in June. We...

While reading about the Nikon D50, I couldn't help but noticed how similar the individual attachment components are to the Canon EOS cameras . . . the battery, the 18-55mm lens, the 55-200mm lens . . .

I have to wonder if a third party OEM made these pieces for Canon and Nikon. Or if Nikon bought off Canon's designs. Or Canon bought off Nikon's designs.

Chieh Cheng
Wed Apr 20 12:09:51 PDT 2005

Here is a picture of the Canon BP-511 Lithium-Ion Battery. It has four connectors. Only the longer two are really used (see Canon DC Coupler DR-400 Pinout).

Attached Image:

Canon BP-511 Lithium-Ion Battery.jpg

Chieh Cheng
Sun Apr 24 15:52:41 PDT 2005

This is the picture of Nikon EN-EL3 Lithium-Ion Battery. As you can see, it looks virtually identical to the Canon BP-511 battery pack. The two contacts look like they are in the same position.

Attached Image:

Nikon EN-EL3 Lithium-Ion Battery.jpg

Chieh Cheng
Sun Apr 24 15:57:05 PDT 2005

This is a picture of the Canon EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 lens. This lens was originally developed for the Digital Rebel camera.

Attached Image:

Canon EF-S 18-55mm 3.5-5.6.jpg

Chieh Cheng
Sun Apr 24 16:08:36 PDT 2005

Here is a picture of the Nikon AF-S Nikkor 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G ED lens. The name of the lens seems to indicate that they are identical. The focal length range is exactly the same. The wide-open aperture is also exactly the same.

Attached Image:

Nikon AF-S Nikkor 18-55mm 3.5-5.6G ED Lens.jpg

Chieh Cheng
Sun Apr 24 16:12:49 PDT 2005

After doing some digging, I came up with a list of similarities and differences.

Same:
18-55mm
f/3.5-5.6
0.28 meter closest focusing distance

Difference (Canon vs. Nikon):
11 elements in 9 groups vs. 7 elements in 5 groups
58mm vs. 52mm filter thread
f/22-36 vs. f/22-32 minimum aperture
190g vs. 210g in weight

So it turns out the designs are not the same, but the results are the same. From this study, I would say Nikon spent a lot of time designing a lens that matches the Canon version exactly in performance. But no one bought off anyone else's lens designs.

Chieh Cheng
Sun Apr 24 16:27:47 PDT 2005

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