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Camera owners...

JC Callender

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I own a small business and realize that images make a great impact on potential customers, so I've been thinking about purchasing a camera and have a few questions:

1. How expensive on average is a basic professional camera and what does it do that basic cameras don't?

2. What do the more advanced cameras do and how much do they cost on average?

3. How much of a great picture is the camera and how much is the photographers expertise? Is it difficult to learn to take great pictures?

Any other advise would be appreciated. Thanks!
 
Lots of questions, here. A good DSLR will set you back about a grand, give or take. Higher quality, price goes up, obviously.

The difference between a "pro" camera and a cheaper one is, detachable lenses, and more carol over fstops, ISO, etc. Image quality, that is, richness of color, pixelation, etc, is partly determined by the camera. That tends to only REALY matter for making images larger than, say, 11x14 inches. That comes down to pixel count, and file format. Lens quality is important as well, but that an entirely different subject, really. As for a good photograph, that relies on the shooter. You have to learn about color, value, and composition.
 
Last sentence in OP should have "advice" instead of "advise". I know better, I'm not dum or anything. :roll:
 
I own a small business and realize that images make a great impact on potential customers, so I've been thinking about purchasing a camera and have a few questions:

1. How expensive on average is a basic professional camera and what does it do that basic cameras don't?

2. What do the more advanced cameras do and how much do they cost on average?

3. How much of a great picture is the camera and how much is the photographers expertise? Is it difficult to learn to take great pictures?

Any other advise would be appreciated. Thanks!

What are you going to do with the photographs?
 
Lots of questions, here. A good DSLR will set you back about a grand, give or take. Higher quality, price goes up, obviously.

The difference between a "pro" camera and a cheaper one is, detachable lenses, and more carol over fstops, ISO, etc. Image quality, that is, richness of color, pixelation, etc, is partly determined by the camera. That tends to only REALY matter for making images larger than, say, 11x14 inches. That comes down to pixel count, and file format. Lens quality is important as well, but that an entirely different subject, really. As for a good photograph, that relies on the shooter. You have to learn about color, value, and composition.

Thanks Kevin! I can see I'll probably have to do some in depth studying before I purchase one. Btw, can a great photographer shoot a great picture with an iPhone?
 
What are you going to do with the photographs?

Facebook, website, send to customers for various reasons. I also wouldn't mind having one for personal reasons, to take pics of people and places.
 
Thanks Kevin! I can see I'll probably have to do some in depth studying before I purchase one. Btw, can a great photographer shoot a great picture with an iPhone?

Yes, but the image quality will be crap.
 
Thanks Kevin! I can see I'll probably have to do some in depth studying before I purchase one. Btw, can a great photographer shoot a great picture with an iPhone?


Yes.

There are some pros I know who have gone over to cell phone for their creative work. However, you don't have the same image to work with.

I have a Nikon 80 SLR with two telephoto lenses spanning 20mm to 300mm for sale. The package without bags and lens covers is worth $2,000 plus new.

I would join a club and see what they have to say, but unlike other hobbies these guys usually consider themselves artists so you may find a snob attitude about dell phones
 
The day is coming, though, that the smart phone camera will supplant DSLRs.
 
Yes, but the image quality will be crap.

Okay, thanks! I just don't want to spend a grand and realize that I have to spend a year studying to take good pictures that I could've taken with a $200 camera.
 
Yes.

There are some pros I know who have gone over to cell phone for their creative work. However, you don't have the same image to work with.

I have a Nikon 80 SLR with two telephoto lenses spanning 20mm to 300mm for sale. The package without bags and lens covers is worth $2,000 plus new.

I would join a club and see what they have to say, but unlike other hobbies these guys usually consider themselves artists so you may find a snob attitude about dell phones

Thanks, I think a club would be a great idea, then I could get different perspectives.
 
Okay, thanks! I just don't want to spend a grand and realize that I have to spend a year studying to take good pictures that I could've taken with a $200 camera.

What's the end goal with your images? Just digital, i.e., no prints? If you're not making prints, you can do a LOT with a pretty cheap camera. What are you planning on shooting? Landscapes? Products, food, etc?
 
What's the end goal with your images? Just digital, i.e., no prints? If you're not making prints, you can do a LOT with a pretty cheap camera. What are you planning on shooting? Landscapes? Products, food, etc?

Basically digital, and the images will be finished landscape and remodeling jobs.
 
Basically digital, and the images will be finished landscape and remodeling jobs.

So, you're going to shoot homes? Just exteriors, or interiors?

For both, buy an OK camera body, and get a GOOD 18-35 wide angle 1-1 lens. Total kit will set you back 800-1000 bucks. Don't worry about megapixels, you can't go above 75dpi for images online anyway.
 
I own a small business and realize that images make a great impact on potential customers, so I've been thinking about purchasing a camera and have a few questions:

1. How expensive on average is a basic professional camera and what does it do that basic cameras don't?

2. What do the more advanced cameras do and how much do they cost on average?

3. How much of a great picture is the camera and how much is the photographers expertise? Is it difficult to learn to take great pictures?

Any other advise would be appreciated. Thanks!


1) you have the answer
2) Everything. I've had my DSLR for four years and am still mapping out the features. Want to shoot in sepia as the original? Done..

3) the greatest question of all. I've kind of left the photo business - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swan the first picture in there was shot by me on the Fraser River four years ago. The novice could shoot that picture, but likely there would be something in it that your eye didn't see and the camera made look big. Power lines in the foreground, lamp poles and traffic lights people always seem to ignore in their original.

If you ant to take good pictures, study art. Start with composition, foreshortening, negative space etc. Don't try to do portraits without proper lighting or your subjects will kill you.

The camera today is too simple, set it on automatic and go. But if you want really good product you have to try different settings, study how shadows can be darkened without darkening the whole image etc. It will take a lifetime but you can have art in an hour. I've gone the other way, some of my paintings take months, have a drawing of a tree right now I have been working on for three weeks; it is the 'replacement" I sold for $55.
 
So, you're going to shoot homes? Just exteriors, or interiors?

For both, buy an OK camera body, and get a GOOD 18-35 wide angle 1-1 lens. Total kit will set you back 800-1000 bucks. Don't worry about megapixels, you can't go above 75dpi for images online anyway.

Is there a certain camera in particular that you would suggest?
 
Thanks, I think a club would be a great idea, then I could get different perspectives.

I laughed out loud at the word "perspective"....you will find that it has significant meaning in photography and painting. Always remember that everything we see is three dimensional, and a change in "perspective" is often the difference between "good' and "great!"
 
1) you have the answer
2) Everything. I've had my DSLR for four years and am still mapping out the features. Want to shoot in sepia as the original? Done..

3) the greatest question of all. I've kind of left the photo business - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swan the first picture in there was shot by me on the Fraser River four years ago. The novice could shoot that picture, but likely there would be something in it that your eye didn't see and the camera made look big. Power lines in the foreground, lamp poles and traffic lights people always seem to ignore in their original.

If you ant to take good pictures, study art. Start with composition, foreshortening, negative space etc. Don't try to do portraits without proper lighting or your subjects will kill you.

The camera today is too simple, set it on automatic and go. But if you want really good product you have to try different settings, study how shadows can be darkened without darkening the whole image etc. It will take a lifetime but you can have art in an hour. I've gone the other way, some of my paintings take months, have a drawing of a tree right now I have been working on for three weeks; it is the 'replacement" I sold for $55.

That's interesting because I've had professional (well, supposedly) pictures taken of myself by two different photographers and both turned out poorly to the point of almost being insulting. I wondered, "gee, am I that ugly?", but I find that I look much better simply looking in the bathroom mirror, and I've never been photogenic, so I assumed much of it has to do with lighting and angles. I had a pretty girlfriend who's Dutch and she has a round face and she looks leaps and bounds better in real life than in basic pictures, but I'm sure a good photographer could capture her best potential.

That's an excellent swan picture btw! And I agree with your advice on studying art, I feel like I really need to do that.
 
Is there a certain camera in particular that you would suggest?


My experience is they are all pretty similar in features and price. But make sure the camera fits your hands, is comfortable when you bring it up to the eye; ask to see an owner's manual...
I ultimately bought the one that was biggest over all and had the most lens options as I have big hands, the little ones were to hard to work - there are buttons ad settings on five of the cameras six surfaces.
 
Is there a certain camera in particular that you would suggest?

D5300. See if you can get body only, which would make it around 500 bucks. Then see if you can find a good used 35mm 1-1 lens. Otherwise, sigma makes a pretty good 18-35 1.4 lens, but it's not cheap.
 
Oh, and get an SB800 flash, and a cheap tripod.



It takes a fair amount of light to properly shoot interiors.


You've got a lot of learning to do, though. There photographers who's whole career is just shooting interiors. It's not easy, at least, not to get professional results.
 
That's interesting because I've had professional (well, supposedly) pictures taken of myself by two different photographers and both turned out poorly to the point of almost being insulting. I wondered, "gee, am I that ugly?", but I find that I look much better simply looking in the bathroom mirror, and I've never been photogenic, so I assumed much of it has to do with lighting and angles. I had a pretty girlfriend who's Dutch and she has a round face and she looks leaps and bounds better in real life than in basic pictures, but I'm sure a good photographer could capture her best potential.

That's an excellent swan picture btw! And I agree with your advice on studying art, I feel like I really need to do that.


Thank you. It's not the best picture though, the best is a close up of the bird with a drops of water running of its beak. I spent and entire day wading in mud to get them.

And re your experience with portraits....exactly! It's all lighting and background. If you are too close to the background you look fat, too far away and you look like you're floating in air.
Faces all have lines, curves and pits and and angles, which the camera sees perfectly and because it is one dimensional showing three dimensions the "imperfections" are enhanced in the final work. You need to know how to light a face (something I learned in television news) and how to angle it to the best advantage.

But I also have one of the greatest photos of a Bald Eagle in flight. The subject is less than 25 feet from the lens and perfectly bordered on the sides, but in the upper left one third a great black power cable runs right through the photo. It could be modified I suppose, but it stands as the ultimate teaching tool in composition as I never saw that power cable looking through the lens
 
Thank you. It's not the best picture though, the best is a close up of the bird with a drops of water running of its beak. I spent and entire day wading in mud to get them.

And re your experience with portraits....exactly! It's all lighting and background. If you are too close to the background you look fat, too far away and you look like you're floating in air.
Faces all have lines, curves and pits and and angles, which the camera sees perfectly and because it is one dimensional showing three dimensions the "imperfections" are enhanced in the final work. You need to know how to light a face (something I learned in television news) and how to angle it to the best advantage.

But I also have one of the greatest photos of a Bald Eagle in flight. The subject is less than 25 feet from the lens and perfectly bordered on the sides, but in the upper left one third a great black power cable runs right through the photo. It could be modified I suppose, but it stands as the ultimate teaching tool in composition as I never saw that power cable looking through the lens

Great advice, just what I'm looking for!
 
Last sentence in OP should have "advice" instead of "advise". I know better, I'm not dum or anything. :roll:

Any camera is a professional camera. What makes it a "pro" camera is the kind of picture you want, and what that camera can do to deliver the message you are trying to send.

You want photos to decorate your business... Photoshop for instance gives you what's not already there...

What kind of "motif" are trying to capture?
 
Any camera is a professional camera. What makes it a "pro" camera is the kind of picture you want, and what that camera can do to deliver the message you are trying to send.

You want photos to decorate your business... Photoshop for instance gives you what's not already there...

What kind of "motif" are trying to capture?

Thanks for the advice! Not sure what motif, I just want high quality pictures and as many options to achieve that high quality as possible. I would like to take pics of finished landscaping and remodeling jobs and would also like to take pics of employees.
 
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