The F50 is a 35mm film

135 film

The term 135 was introduced by Kodak in 1934 as a designation for cartridge film wide, specifically for still photography. It quickly grew in popularity, surpassing 120 film by the late 1960s to become the most popular photographic film format...

 SLR

Single-lens reflex camera

A single-lens reflex camera is a camera that typically uses a semi-automatic moving mirror system that permits the photographer to see exactly what will be captured by the film or digital imaging system, as opposed to pre-SLR cameras where the view through the viewfinder could be significantly...

 camera which was introduced by Nikon

Nikon

, also known as just Nikon, is a multinational corporation headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, specializing in optics and imaging. Its products include cameras, binoculars, microscopes, measurement instruments, and the steppers used in the photolithography steps of semiconductor fabrication, of which...

 in 1994. It was aimed at the lower-end of the amateur autofocus

Autofocus

An autofocus optical system uses a sensor, a control system and a motor to focus fully automatic or on a manually selected point or area. An electronic rangefinder has a display instead of the motor; the adjustment of the optical system has to be done manually until indication...

 SLR market.

The F50 features autofocus, TTL light metering

Through-the-lens

Through-the-lens metering is a photographic term describing a feature of cameras capable of measuring light levels in a scene through their taking lenses, as opposed to a separate metering window...

 and various "programs" (ranging from manual operation to a highly-automated point and shoot

Point and shoot camera

A point-and-shoot camera, also called a compact camera, is a still camera designed primarily for simple operation. Most use focus free lenses or autofocus for focusing, automatic systems for setting the exposure options, and have flash units built in....

 mode).

It was replaced by the similarly-priced F60

Nikon F60

The F60 is a 35mm film SLR camera which was sold by Nikon between 1998 and 2001. It replaced the F50 and was aimed at the lower-end of the amateur autofocus SLR market....

 (also known as the N60) in 1998.

History

A variant known as the F50D or N50D, which added a date/time-imprinting facility and also panoramic mode.

Design

The F50 body was made from polycarbonate

Polycarbonate

PolycarbonatePhysical PropertiesDensity 1.20–1.22 g/cm3Abbe number 34.0Refractive index 1.584–1.586FlammabilityV0-V2Limiting oxygen index25–27%Water absorption – Equilibrium0.16–0.35%Water absorption – over 24 hours0.1%...

and metal, and available in both "champagne silver" and black.

Notable omissions include depth-of-field preview and any form of remote shutter release.