Nikon introduced a smaller, lighter and cheaper ($899/kit) version of the excellent D70. Notable changes include a 18-55mm kit lense with a silent motor, 2 inch LCD in the back, USB 2.0, available in Silver/Black AND a switch to SD! Why?? All in all, sounds like a great camera and DPReview has a hands on preview. Nifty features include a "Child Mode" that optimizes camera settings to take pictures of children.
The D50, makes a great alternative to offerings from Canon - particularly with its solid rugged feel. The Rebel XT
is still a smaller camera, but with a 2 inch LCD and image processing tweaked for general photo use. Nikon is aiming
straight for the mainstream camera market.
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In related news, Nikon also updated the D70 for battle with Canon and others. Now called the D70s, with a 2 inch LCD, better AF and wider flash and image processing algorithms - still at 6 Megapixel. Current D70 owners can get some of the goodies via a firmware update next month. Link to brochure.







