What kind of professional camera is good for a beginner to use?
I am not a professional photographer, but I want my photographs to look as professional as possible. I want to start taking artsy, poetic photographs as I perfect my skills.
11 Responses to “What kind of professional camera is good for a beginner to use?”
Rex Fish Said:
i think canon is the best, you can select diffrent models depends on your payment
Zander Hobson Said:
If you want complete control over your pictures, get a digital SLR. Prices have dropped in recent years and you can get a very good spec model for your money. Beginners would do well to choose either a Canon 400D or a Nikon D40 as both of these cameras cover the full range of features expected of modern digital SLRs with the added bonus that you can use one of the automatic modes to start shooting with before you get more confident and learn about the manual settings. Once you feel ready to progress from simple point-and-shoot you can control your aperture, shutter speed, depth of field, contrast, white balance, metering, use a hotshoe flash, use studio strobe lighting, do long exposure shots, and finally get those professional looking photos you so want. Good luck!
Elyse Watkins Said:
Firstly learn the craft of photography, composition,film stock,digital medium,different photographic genres.
After this then you can decide on the camera, remember its not the camera, but the person behind the image that makes or breaks its success.
There are many very professional brands on the market, that could be solved through your own budget needs, and uses for the camera, go to a reputed camera store in your area and ask the camera salesman to help you?
Kason Parker Said:
i have the nikon D40x. i recommend this camera for the ease of use, photo functions, the 10.2 megapixel, and getting photos on to your computer is simple. an ultra 2 gig sd card is all you need for memory.
Elena Doyle Said:
Try The Cannon Rebel K2. It’s an SLR with great creative control as well as automatic features. It comes with a nice starter lens too and together they are about $200
If you’re going digital, try the digital version of the Cannon Rebel. These are far more expensive, but if you can afford it, go for it!
Here’s a link to the Rebel:
Anais Robins Said:
First, you must realize that its the photographer using their skills and experience that makes professional looking photographs. Cameras are just dumb boxes, incapable of creating anything without the photographer.
So, IMO, you should first consider taking a few courses in photography. Learn about light, composition, f-stops, shutter speeds and ISO settings. Learn to visualize the image you want to make and then how to create it.
If formal classes aren’t possible, you might consider the New York Institute of Photography (nyip.com). They offer correspondence courses and have been in business since 1910.
IMO you’d do well to buy a Pentax K1000 all-manual 35mm film camera with a 50mm f1.7 lens and the Owner’s Manual. A copy of “Object & Image: An Introduction To Photography, Third Edition” by George M. Craven will be very useful.
Use the K1000 for a year and then you should have a better idea of what features you want on a digital camera.
Good luck.
Bruce Bown Said:
It is NOT the camera but rather the photographer.
I have seen masterful photo’s done with a pinhole camera, and the worst crap in the world done with state of the art camera’s by people who simply can not take a decent photo, because they are so caught up in the equipment wars, then the art.
I liken it to painters arguing and bragging about the paint brushes they use, rather then discussing the nuances of putting the oils on the canvas.
A camera is only a tool, no more, no less.
My advice, get the best damned point and shoot digital camera you can afford that is adjustable, and learn how to use it inside and out. Spend, at the very least, 1 year with it before you graduate to pro quality.
Photo software is just as important as the camera. Photo software that comes bundled with camera’s is usually very poor. I have used Photoshop for years and swear by it as do most pro’s. But it is very expensive. Photoshop elements can be had for 1/6th the cost. It is not as powerful, but it will do a splended job for almost all your work.
I use a canon A640, 10mp beauty that is fully adjustable yet easy to use. I’ve had them all, from 4×5 field camera, to Hassablad and Lieca, to Nikon, to Minola, Pentax, and a wonderful twin lens Rolliflex. I use the Canon and a very nice Ricoh digital SLR, but it mostly gathers dust. The canon I use for 98% of my work.
Got my first camera, a Kodak Brownie when I was 5 years old and have been hooked ever since. I’m now 57
You can see some of my work at my web site, you can find the link through my profile.
===============
Life is so simple, but we insist on making it complicated
Confucius
551 – 479 BC
===============
Peace
Jim
Zoie90 Said:
OK, I’m stuck between the words beginner and professional here – the two are mutually exclusive… ?
I think you’re angling for a digital SLR – which will give you interchangeable lenses and full / manual creative control over your images. The choice in this category will probably come down to Nikon or Canon.
I’m a Canon man myself – I’ve used both throughout my career – so I suggest the 400d… a great value camera which will enable you to do pretty much everything a pro level camera will (but with less weight and bulk and a minus – a sub 35mm chip size). That said the Nikon DSLR cameras will do exactly the same job.
Other things you need to bear in mind are the lenses and filters you’ll need, calibration and profiling kit for your monitor, some decent image editing software, lighting (I’d include a flash gun, a light / flash meter, reflectors, grey card) and a decent tripod. Set a budget and decide what needs to come in at which stage of your development.
Monserrat Barnes Said:
I think I good camera for a hobby would be the 20/30 year old Canon film slrs. You can get them off ebay for $20. the lenses are also quite cheap too. It’s because everything has gone digital but these cameras are still great.
I have a Zenit 12XP slr from 1979.
Or if you want to see results quickly then a beginner level DSLR would be good. A Nikon D50 or Canon 350D or 400D. These cost under a grand.
Gabriella Waite Said:
We use the Canon Rebel XTi at the Art Institute. It’s a great camera for a beginner and the price has dropped a lot since the newer version, the XSi, will be coming out soon.
Do get a DSLR… if you plan on going pro, then you’ll need it for photography school. And don’t be afraid to play with the manual features!
Best of luck!
Tanner 44 Said:
Oh lord have you ever been brainwashed by the manufacturers! What the others have told you is 100% true. YOU are what makes good photography, … the camera cannot do it alone. It is not just a dumb box… it is a VERY dumb box. That is why there are so many people whining about the bad photos they are getting with their big, fine, expensive cameras.
What you are asking is the same as asking, “What Formula One race car should I get while I am learning to drive”?
Invest in YOURSELF first with training and knowledge… then start investing in equipment.
Take a look at these photos. I have had some published and many have sold out of art galleries all over the country. I shot these with a TWENTY FIVE DOLLAR Holga camera and roll film.
Still think you HAVE to have a “professional” camera?
i think canon is the best, you can select diffrent models depends on your payment
If you want complete control over your pictures, get a digital SLR. Prices have dropped in recent years and you can get a very good spec model for your money. Beginners would do well to choose either a Canon 400D or a Nikon D40 as both of these cameras cover the full range of features expected of modern digital SLRs with the added bonus that you can use one of the automatic modes to start shooting with before you get more confident and learn about the manual settings. Once you feel ready to progress from simple point-and-shoot you can control your aperture, shutter speed, depth of field, contrast, white balance, metering, use a hotshoe flash, use studio strobe lighting, do long exposure shots, and finally get those professional looking photos you so want. Good luck!
Firstly learn the craft of photography, composition,film stock,digital medium,different photographic genres.
After this then you can decide on the camera, remember its not the camera, but the person behind the image that makes or breaks its success.
There are many very professional brands on the market, that could be solved through your own budget needs, and uses for the camera, go to a reputed camera store in your area and ask the camera salesman to help you?
i have the nikon D40x. i recommend this camera for the ease of use, photo functions, the 10.2 megapixel, and getting photos on to your computer is simple. an ultra 2 gig sd card is all you need for memory.
Try The Cannon Rebel K2. It’s an SLR with great creative control as well as automatic features. It comes with a nice starter lens too and together they are about $200
If you’re going digital, try the digital version of the Cannon Rebel. These are far more expensive, but if you can afford it, go for it!
Here’s a link to the Rebel:
First, you must realize that its the photographer using their skills and experience that makes professional looking photographs. Cameras are just dumb boxes, incapable of creating anything without the photographer.
So, IMO, you should first consider taking a few courses in photography. Learn about light, composition, f-stops, shutter speeds and ISO settings. Learn to visualize the image you want to make and then how to create it.
If formal classes aren’t possible, you might consider the New York Institute of Photography (nyip.com). They offer correspondence courses and have been in business since 1910.
IMO you’d do well to buy a Pentax K1000 all-manual 35mm film camera with a 50mm f1.7 lens and the Owner’s Manual. A copy of “Object & Image: An Introduction To Photography, Third Edition” by George M. Craven will be very useful.
Use the K1000 for a year and then you should have a better idea of what features you want on a digital camera.
Good luck.
It is NOT the camera but rather the photographer.
I have seen masterful photo’s done with a pinhole camera, and the worst crap in the world done with state of the art camera’s by people who simply can not take a decent photo, because they are so caught up in the equipment wars, then the art.
I liken it to painters arguing and bragging about the paint brushes they use, rather then discussing the nuances of putting the oils on the canvas.
A camera is only a tool, no more, no less.
My advice, get the best damned point and shoot digital camera you can afford that is adjustable, and learn how to use it inside and out. Spend, at the very least, 1 year with it before you graduate to pro quality.
Photo software is just as important as the camera. Photo software that comes bundled with camera’s is usually very poor. I have used Photoshop for years and swear by it as do most pro’s. But it is very expensive. Photoshop elements can be had for 1/6th the cost. It is not as powerful, but it will do a splended job for almost all your work.
I use a canon A640, 10mp beauty that is fully adjustable yet easy to use. I’ve had them all, from 4×5 field camera, to Hassablad and Lieca, to Nikon, to Minola, Pentax, and a wonderful twin lens Rolliflex. I use the Canon and a very nice Ricoh digital SLR, but it mostly gathers dust. The canon I use for 98% of my work.
Got my first camera, a Kodak Brownie when I was 5 years old and have been hooked ever since. I’m now 57
You can see some of my work at my web site, you can find the link through my profile.
===============
Life is so simple, but we insist on making it complicated
Confucius
551 – 479 BC
===============
Peace
Jim
OK, I’m stuck between the words beginner and professional here – the two are mutually exclusive… ?
I think you’re angling for a digital SLR – which will give you interchangeable lenses and full / manual creative control over your images. The choice in this category will probably come down to Nikon or Canon.
I’m a Canon man myself – I’ve used both throughout my career – so I suggest the 400d… a great value camera which will enable you to do pretty much everything a pro level camera will (but with less weight and bulk and a minus – a sub 35mm chip size). That said the Nikon DSLR cameras will do exactly the same job.
Other things you need to bear in mind are the lenses and filters you’ll need, calibration and profiling kit for your monitor, some decent image editing software, lighting (I’d include a flash gun, a light / flash meter, reflectors, grey card) and a decent tripod. Set a budget and decide what needs to come in at which stage of your development.
I think I good camera for a hobby would be the 20/30 year old Canon film slrs. You can get them off ebay for $20. the lenses are also quite cheap too. It’s because everything has gone digital but these cameras are still great.
I have a Zenit 12XP slr from 1979.
Or if you want to see results quickly then a beginner level DSLR would be good. A Nikon D50 or Canon 350D or 400D. These cost under a grand.
We use the Canon Rebel XTi at the Art Institute. It’s a great camera for a beginner and the price has dropped a lot since the newer version, the XSi, will be coming out soon.
Do get a DSLR… if you plan on going pro, then you’ll need it for photography school. And don’t be afraid to play with the manual features!
Best of luck!
Oh lord have you ever been brainwashed by the manufacturers! What the others have told you is 100% true. YOU are what makes good photography, … the camera cannot do it alone. It is not just a dumb box… it is a VERY dumb box. That is why there are so many people whining about the bad photos they are getting with their big, fine, expensive cameras.
What you are asking is the same as asking, “What Formula One race car should I get while I am learning to drive”?
Invest in YOURSELF first with training and knowledge… then start investing in equipment.
Take a look at these photos. I have had some published and many have sold out of art galleries all over the country. I shot these with a TWENTY FIVE DOLLAR Holga camera and roll film.
Still think you HAVE to have a “professional” camera?
steve