Investing in a professional camera. Any suggestions

[kevincao]

I've been looking around a lot lately and got a few good ideas from reviewers and just a numerous amount of websites. Right now I'm leaning towards a Nikon D50. What cameras have yall seen do wonders (especially when it comes to car photos)?

[95Blue240sx]

I have a canon 10D and im very happy with it. Does what i want and pics are ok with the lens im using. I want to get a new lens but they go for like 300+. If you are just going to take pics of cars, get a 10D and a awsome lens. The lens is what will make the photos clear. Many "professionals" use the 20D or the nikon d70. Those 2 are the mainstream guys.

[S13SilviaGirl]

You want what the pros use?
Get one of these (http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/specs/Canon/canon_eos1dsmkii.asp)
A D50 pales in comparison to it.
In fact MOST stock photo websites (places that sell stock photography commercially) won't take anything that comes from anything less than a Canon 20D. I recommend it, simply because Kevin has one and loves it - it takes awesome pics and we can share lenses between that and my Rebel XT.
They sell the 30D (http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/specs/Canon/canon_eos30d.asp) now, which is a slightly upgraded version of the 20D.
The 5D (http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/specs/Canon/canon_eos5d.asp) is an awesome compromise between the ultra-high-end of the 1DsMkII. What's nice is that it's full frame and over 12MP.

Basically the camera you picked is not nearly on a professional level. With pro photography you have to REALLY pay to play.
Blue's suggestion of a 10D is a good one. They're great and can be had for just a bit more than you're looking to pay for that D50.
At 6.3MP though, don't expect to be able to sell your shots.

~Lisa

[Maeda]

Canon > Nikon

I hate hate hate the interface of Nikons. I've used Rebels, D50, and D70s.
Canon's are so much friendlier to take photos and get setup quickly...

[lucky7]

thats what ive heard. the canon's are much more user friendly. if and when i get this damn car running, i think im going to pick up a rebel xt. seems like the best bang for the buck IMO.

[TheSquidd]

lol. ok ok. Time for an ACTUAL PROFESSIONAL to chime in. Sorry for the writing crappy, I'm fucking hammered.

http://www.squidd.org/imagevue/upload/content/Events/2005%20-%20AMA%20Fontana/01-I%20Heart%20Nikon.jpg

Nikon baby.

My thoughts. I've shot with a 20D, 300D, d50, D70, D200, D100, D2x.

10D, good camera. Fully functional, solid body. Get them cheap as hell used. If you can live with a used camera.

20D, great camera, I just couldn't deal with the interface, I want to shoot with a camera, not an Ipod.

Digital rebel. (sorry Canon guys) Utter crap. I've never held such a CRAPPY camera. I have nothing against Canon, but the Digital Rebel series is terrible. I feel like I'm holding a toy. The 300d Rebel is basically a 10d with a plastic crap body, and all of the features turned off. Why? Why does Canon turn features off on cameras? Retarded. I haven't shot with the XT , but I've held one and that was about all I needed to sway me from that purchase. Oh and the 18-55mm lens they give you is gay sauce.

D50. I know I sound biased, and I am. This is a good entry level camera. Solid, like everything Nikon makes, practically the same camera as a D70S but cheaper. Great AF, good metering. Good times.

D70, D70S. Same cameras just the S has some "better" AF, a bigger screen. I own one of these personally. Great , semi-pro camera. You can get a D70 for like 700$ new with a 18-70DX lens (FANTASTICLY sharp. I've shot 2 page features with this lens.) Batteries last for a MONTH if you don't use onboard flash. Combine this camera with an SB-800 flash, it's just amazing.

D100. "Pro". Much older than the D70 so it is actually not really as good as the D70. The D70 is faster, has an easier to use interface. I used the D100 for a studio camera for a long time. It has a mirror lockup feature which is nice. You can probably get these cheap, and still get almost the same performance as the D70/S.

D2x. The king. Nothing else to be said.



1. Don't listen to Megapixel counts. You can pring a 2 page picture with a D50. Has been done. It's nothing special.

2. You should be thinking more about which SYSTEM you want to invest in. The body does only a small percentage of the work. The lenses, flashes etc. do so much.

3. Pick up the cameras you're looking at and hold them in your hands, try and change settings, see which body works for you. In my business, where I'm shooting 24 hour endurance races, I need something that's easy to use and comfortable. I also like a heavy camera because it's easier to keep steady for motion shots where I have a slow shutter speed.

4. Check out sites like www.keh.com and www.bhphotovideo.com for used lenses, you can also check Ebay. I love Nikon because I can use lenses from like the 70's on my modern body. The mount is the same. I have a 50mm f2 lens from like 1972 that cost me 70$ at keh, it's one of the sharpest lenses I've ever used.

5. "In fact MOST stock photo websites (places that sell stock photography commercially) won't take anything that comes from anything less than a Canon 20D."

that's ridiculous. Don't even enter that quote into your mind when shopping. I've never heard of that, nor should it even affect your purchase. A 20D takes the SAME picture as a D50 as a Digital Rebel as a D2x. It's the photographer that takes the picture, not the camera.

6. "Basically the camera you picked is not nearly on a professional level. With pro photography you have to REALLY pay to play."

That's BS too. Same reason as above. The body has very little to do with the picture. Hell. The lenses aren't even THAT important. I've shot for magazines with a "not nearly pro level" D50, and a 70-300mm G lens that cost me like 120$, Funny. GET WHAT WORKS FOR YOU. Don't listen to all this mumbo jumbo about Megapixels, pro level, semi pro, blah blah. It's all just letters on a page. When it REALLY comes down it, a disposable film camera can do the same job as anything else. I DO THIS FOR A LIVING, I think I know what I'm talking about.

7. "Canon's are so much friendlier to take photos and get setup quickly..."

...? Whaaaaat? Baseless claims are funny. What I really find funny is the startup times on Canon Rebels, something like 1 or 2 seconds, while every Nikon is nearly instantaneous.

Both systems are equally "easy to setup and take photos". You turn them on, set your settings, take pictures, take the card out and put it in the card reader.



Go either way, I love Nikon because every camera they make feels like they made it the best they could, not "just good enough but not so good they don't compete with our higher end camera". They let me use old lenses, they have an interface I love, and they just really seem to be more of a "Photographers camera".

I just hope you don't let crazy claims like "easier to setup and take photos" or "D50 is not nearly pro level enough" sway you away from a camera you could potentially love.

And I'm spent. And drunk.

[kevincao]

Appreciate it squidd. I now have some confidence in my purchase.

[Eternal_240Sx]

I have Canon Digital Rebel XT and i love it. im not a professional, but i do like taking pictures. Best camera ive owned so far.