BT

I want to buy a good camera, and cant make up my mind i like taking portraits and would like to realy take it to the next level.please help.

TTKBJR Loc: Kansas

What type of camera do you have now would be my first question to you?

notnoBuddha

Not to be rude - but what the heck?
Are you on a budget, have certian needs as to options. What are your skill levels at present. As worded my best guesss that anyting from the most basis point & shoot for $39.99 to a camera with several lenes that could well run you over $7,987.37. I would sugggest you narrow your choices, develop your eye, skill and techniques. Ask you friends, look into camera clubs, go to a camera store, read, research and learn - remenber the camera only records images, it is the person that sees where they are. Rely more on you then on your equipment.

Mr.Ed Loc: Houston, Texas

Obviously, for portraits, get the Nikon D3x with 4 SB800 flash units and the fastest 50 85 and 135mm lenses.

JKF159 Loc: Arkansas

BT, I went back and looked at your photos that you have uploaded. A few are pretty good and the rest only suffer from minor focus and composition issues. You are well on your way already.

Proper focus, exposure and composition can be achieved with any camera.

As already stated, without knowing what you have now it would be hard to suggest an upgrade. Without knowing, I would assume that you have a point & shoot and would like to move into a dslr. If this is the case then any entry level dslr by the major names would be an upgrade. For instance a Canon Rebel kit can be had for under $600 at Wal Mart. For the portraits that you have uploaded it would be fine. It has all of the control modes that you would need, it will be able to shoot with studio strobes and can be upgraded with any of the best Canon lens available if or when you want to.

Without knowing anything else about what you have or what you want to do, this is about the best info I can give.

Oh yes, I think Nikon makes a decent camera or two but I'm not sure. :lol: :lol: :lol:

BT

I just want a good camera,someone told me to get a nikon d90,and someone else told me to get a nikon d5100 i was wondering what to get. I am a stay home mom with 3 kids so i dont get out much. thankyou,and godbless..

BT

thankyou,jkf159,i am just starting, and i realy do love it,all i got is a fujifilm finepix s700 with 10xoptical zoom lens.

TTKBJR Loc: Kansas

BT, I am a Canon user and love the canons! I don't know much about the Nikon's only that I don't think you can go wrong with either. I think what you get next depends on money really. How much are you willing to spend? JKF..made a good point about the Canon Rebel series. They are very good cameras for an avid user and I have seen some amazing photos come from them. I had a Canon Rebel xti but have since gone to a Canon 60D. I have heard the Canon 40 and 50D's are very good investments as well. Canon offers great glass (lenses) for their cameras. The 40D's you would have to get second hand from a good source as I don't think they are producing that one anymore or it might be the 50D I am not sure. Those camera's are $1000 plus but as an investment will last and give you great results and you can add to your collection of lenses as you go.
Not sure if that helps since I don't know what type of camera you are starting with.

JKF159 Loc: Arkansas

BT, I think you are doing very well for someone who is just starting out as you say. I can see by your photos that you have studied other portraits and that you have an image in mind. That is good.

I stand by my recommendation of the Canon Rebel but only because I am familiar with Canon. Nikon, arguably, makes some of the best cameras on the market but I am not familiar with their specific models. Whichever brand that you choose I would recommend buying an entry level kit.

dongrant Loc: Earth, I think!

The D5100 is good to start, but if you are not looking for more than a step or two about a point and shot look at the Nikon D3100. It is light and very easy to use. The D90, though still in production, is supper-ceded by the D7000. According to some the D7000 is the best DX- DSLR camera available (and could be more camera than you need). I tend to think the matter has more to do with personal fit. FYI, I am a Nikon user and have shot with the D7000. It is excellent but so are a number of Canons, Sonys, and Pentaxs, among others.

Bill1967 Loc: Castle Rock, Colorado now Wilmington NC

It seems that most of these forms recommended Canon or Nikon because the are so successfully marketed and promoted.

I use a Pentax istD and K-7 because the are smaller and lighter then the Canon and Nikon, capable of using any lens ever made by Pentax. Pentax anti shake system is in the camera and not the lens. This makes lens when compared smaller and lighter and less costly.

The first photos were taken with my K-7 and a Sigma 170-500mm lens at 500mm hand held. The 3rd photo was take with my istD.

Air show


Air show


Grandson

Sensei

Not knowing what you have it may be that even a new point and shoot would be a step up. Both cameras you mentioned are pretty good at the DSLR entry level. I suggest you go onto a site like BH photo or Adorama and compare the specifications for both. Then get them in your hand. Consider things like how much they weigh, and if you wil be carrying it around or expect to be in a studio of some kind.

Most of us are pretty biased in terms of our own preferences and asking what camera is best end up with "you need a 30,000 dollar camera , and a full studio and several lights , and back drops to get a decent portrait" Another persons perfect camera probably isn't the one that is right for you.

jokescache1 Loc: SW Utah

hi,,everyone touts particular[yes,I'm a pentax user]..
my 2 cents..get a camera with the ability[MP's count] to
produce quality prints of whatever size you plan to sell.. I would say,6megapixel are the absolute min. but more is some better, someone is bound to want a 20x30 print,sometime..
if your ONLY going to shoot portraits get an interchagable lens camera,and good quality 50mm and 85mm prime lenses,good tripod,and do whatever is needed for lighting..
best of luck..hope this helped..--joe

notnoBuddha

I agree 100% percent - Nikon and Canons are the king of marketing and that the vast bulk {99.3%} could never tell the difference of a picture taken of the same subject by photographers at the same skill levels. Way too much time is spent on fretting about the right equipment, instead of learning the skills and techniques. For those who are brand loyal and must have the "best" and the latest; the marketing departments love you dearly, for tomorrow they will have something better, faster, and even more whistles and bells.

les_stockton Loc: Eastern Oklahoma

Go to a camera store (not Best Buy, but a store that specializes in photography equipment), and look at the options. Talk to the people there about the kinds of photography you plan on doing, and the budget you have. They'll help narrow it down.
You can hold each camera in your hands, and try them out there in the store. You'll get a good feel for which ones you like for the amount of money you're planning on spending, and where your upward growth (upgrade) plans will be.

I will mention that if I were only interested in portraits, I'd choose a Fujifilm dslr. They are manufactured by Nikon, and take all Nikon lenses. They are virtually the same as the standard Nikons with the exception of the sensor.
The sensors are made by Fuji to actually take 2 RAW exposures for every shot you take. A tone mapping operation goes on to give you a much nicer tonal range, which is great for portraits.
The downside is that the frames per second isn't as good as some of the other dslrs; which is what you'd want with sports or action-type of photography. But for glamour, portraits, etc, the fuji dslr is a prime choice.