 BetterPhoto Member |
Buying a camera for a Pro I want to buy my boyfriend a camera so he can turn Pro Photographer. My budget is about $1500 US. Any ideas - I am totally a non-camera person? thanks very much Georgie
|
|
|
|
||
|
Pete H |
This is an easy one. Find the most expensive camera on the market. $1,500 is not enough. Next, get some really big, big lenses. You know; like the ones you see on the sidelines at NFL games. Oh, don't forget the photographers vest that can hold all the doo-dads. Make sure the doo-dads stick out where everyone can see them. Have names like Nikon, Canon, Sinar, SanDisk emblazoned all over the vest. Might be a bit much, but sew on more patches like ABC..CBS..NBC..FOX...ESPN. Get photo shoots that pay no less than $15,000 per day. I think that should be enough to allow him to turn pro.
|
|
|
|
||
- Carlton Ward Contact Carlton Ward Carlton Ward's Gallery |
Hi Georgie, You can get some good DSLRs for $1500 but he really needs to pick this out for himself. I shot with Nikon years ago and thought I would continue with Nikon when switching to digital but when I held a Canon, I really liked the feel, control positions and menu layout and switched. It really is a matter of ergonomics & what makes sense to the photographer. Pete is kidding somewhat because anyone who buys a decent camera assumes they will be a pro photographer when in fact there is a lot more to learn both technically & business wise. 3 of my lenses cost more than $1500 so getting the camera is just a start. The Canon 70-200mm f/2.8 IS L lens is about $1600 by itself. But the lenses will last for many years while the camera will be outdated in 2-3 years. Give him a gift card and let him pick the one he wants. Good Luck - Carlton
|
|
|
|
||
|
John G. Clifford Jr |
As others have pointed out, it's not the camera, it's the photographer that makes a 'pro'. What kind of photography does your boyfriend want to do professionally? Portraits? Landscapes and scenics? Sports? Photojournalism? IMO portraiture is the least demanding type of photography from the camera aspect, and even a consumer-level dSLR and decent lens will do fine. Landscapes and scenics benefit from high resolution and sharp lenses, but things like accurate autoexposure or fast autofocus or great high-ISO performance aren't important. Sports is perhaps the most demanding type of photography from the camera/lens aspect, requiring good resolution, great high ISO performance, accurate autoexposure and autofocus, and sharp, bright lenses. Photojournalism requires much the same as sports, but the need for high speed telephoto lenses and as-fast autofocus isn't quite there. Some photojournalists even use several point-and-shoot 'digicams' as their camera of choice, because they're cheap, fast, redundant, and let the photojournalist blend in. So, as you can see, there is no easy answer of "Just buy a Xxxx and you're a pro."
|
|
|
|
||
|
This old forum is now archived. Use improved Forum here
Report this Thread |
||