Well I don't want to get into that old and pointless Canon v Nikon debate as to me it's a matter of which suits you best but we must agree to differ on the relative merits of the 350D and D50! I have to admit I have'nt used a 350D but, as I said previously, I have used other Canon models and the 350D controls etc look much the same. Nothing about the D50 limits my picture taking in any way -and here I am talking basic SLR photography. It has every manual mode and even though a couple things like metering modes and AF are in the menu the menus are so fast to access it's hardly a problem. In fact the whole camera is a real speed machine to use for a basic amateur model. Yes you have to use manual exposure with old lenses - but you can't use FD lenses with Canon DSLRs at all or some of the older Sigmas so the use of old Nikkors at all is a bonus. Ooh and did I mention spot metering?! Comparing image quality looking at lots of photos taken with both cameras the differences are often due to the quality of the lens and the quality of the photographer - I usually find if noise appears in my correctly exposed shots it's after my rubbish PC processing. I believe dpreview put the D50 a tad above the 350D in respect of high ISO noise. Again, look at the user reviews on dpreview - both cameras are highly rated. On another forum that I frequent 'which budget DSLR shall i buy' is one of the most asked questions -the reply is always 'try them all and see which handles best'. At the moment the D50 is winning hands down and there are no follow ups on the lines of 'I've bought a D50 and it restricts my photo taking because....' - quite the reverse.
So in my opinion, either camera, or system will fill the needs of most photographers and the new Nikon priced between the D50 and D200 would be a tempting buy for many and a real competitor for the 30D. That does'nt mean that for another section of the camera buying public, the 30D will remain the best affordable model on the market. Most of us will never get to the lofty heights of pro cameras and £5000 lenses!
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