Pictures with the sun in the background can often look great, but as I am using a D50 without live view I can't preview the pictures before I take them. Could I get a filter or some glasses to look the viewfinder in the sun? I know I could take a picture; look on LCD & adjust, take a picture; look on LCD & adjust but I was hoping there was a better way. Any tips?

You can get the Cokin filter system for very little money, they have a graduated neutral density filter (dark at one, fading toward clear at the other end) to reduce the light from a too bright sky while keeping the rest of the picture ok.

http://www.cokin-f...eative/filters/nd/

They are often found in the bargain-bin of photography supply shop.

Don't go too nuts; the IR can damage the shutter and sensor if too intense and/or prolonged.
Remember you can see IR light ie heat rays.

I wouldn't be too worried about damaging the image sensor of your camera. Unless you're in live view mode (which like you said, you can't do) you're only going to be exposing the sensor to the sun for a small amount of time. If you're doing something dumb like low aperture and a really long shutter time without a filter you might be able to damage the sensor. But you'd know that, your photos will be all white.

You do have to be careful about looking through the viewfinder, especially with a high zoom lens. Its like looking at the sun with a telescope.

This is for a DSLR camera. If you're using a point and shoot, mirrorless, or a DSLR in live view mode where the sensor is exposed all the time, don't point it at the sun.

With the recent eclipse there should be some good articles about shooting the sun. I'd take a look at those.

If it's safe to look at, it's safe to shoot.