 Bobbi S. Tomes |
thinking of a new camera for better portraits I have the panasonic lumix, I think fz20, it is 5 megapixal, 12x zoom, auto and manual settings. What I dont like about it is the quality of indoor pics, they are grainy without flash and the flash is way too harsh. I have lost many good shots because of this. My budget is limited. I was considering the nikon coolpix 8700 which is 8 megapixel and 8x zoom. I mostly shoot portraits. Any oppinions will be usefull!
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Jon Close |
I don't think it's the megapixels and lens so much as it is the lighting. So long as you use the built-in flash you will get harsh light. Without flash you're bumping up the ISO (giving you grain/noise) to keep a shutter speed fast enough to not blur your subject. I think investing in a good, high powered accessory flash that can be bounced (tilt/swivel head), or studio lights would be more productive than swaping one camera with crappy built-in flash for another.
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Devon McCarroll |
An accessory flash is a must for portrait photos, although I work with natural light and window light as much as possible. When I take digital portraits I use a Nikon D70. The new Nikon D50 is getting good reviews and is not much more money than my Panasonic FZ20 was (I have one as well). If you can swing it, I would highly recommend the D70. The prices are coming down since the D70s came out.
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robert G. Fately |
I too have the Lumix FZ20, and Jon is right when he says that a separate flash is absolutely necessary to get decent lighting. One of the nice features of the FZ20 is its ability to use an external flash. I use either my Nikon SB28 or Vivitar 283 (the latter being pretty old). In either case, I put the flash in self-contained automatic mode, set the flash to f2.8 or f4, and set the lens as well to the same f-stop. Not only are these flash units much more powerful, the fact that their light tubes sit inches higher than the FZ's built-in flash means that redeye is reduced or eliminated altogether. In addition, I highly recommend getting some kind of flash diffuser - these are variously shaped and sized plastic attachments whose function it is to "soften" the light, making it much more appropriate for portraits. I've used Sto-Fen and LumiQuest before, but now really like the PJII from Gary Fong (a wedding phoographer in LA who sells some gear). It's really quite good, IMHO. So, for the biggest bang for your buck, invest in an external flash (and a diffuser, too). If you can jump to a DSLR (the Nikon D70 or D50, or another brand, whatever) then you can make use of faster lenses - meaning less depth of field - meaning getting the subject to "pop" against a blurred background. The 8MP chips in P&S cameras (even the fancy P&S' like the Nikon or Lumix) probably will not help - they are prone to noise due to the extremely small individual sensors on the chip.
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Bobbi S. Tomes |
Yes, I see what you all are saying. What about lighting kits, like those you see on ebay? I looked at them but am now only more confused because it seems ALL of them no matter if they were 300.00 or 3000.00 said "all you need to start your studio!" I agree My problem with grain/noise is in lighting. If I got one of those studio kits would I still need the accessory flash, and what about a deffuser? Wow, with each answere there is a hundred more questions!
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Devon McCarroll |
Bobbi, The best advice I can give you is to read everything you can get your hands on about lighting! There are some great books out there and tons of info on the web. I would recommend "The Master Lighting Guide For Portrait Photographers" by Christopher Grey (Amherst Media). You can actually do a portrait with multiple accessory flashes, or if you use studio lighting there are "hot" lights (stay on all the time and generate a lot of heat) and strobes (flash when photo is taken). There are many types of diffusers (i.e. umbrella, softbox, etc.) for studio lights, depending on the effect you are trying to achieve. You get the idea--there's a lot to learn. Before you buy, take the time to educate yourself so that you can understand what the different types of lighting are, and what will best suit your needs. You don't need to spend a fortune to start out lighting portraits, especially if you're not going to be doing it for a living! Hope this helps! Devon
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