Seeking Advice From Experienced Folk

[tnttomas]

Hello and Good Day,

My name is Tomas and I am a little confused! Please help!

I have been taking photographs now for the past few years. I enjoy it tremendously. I strongly believe that it is time to put down the Fuji S7000 that has served me well and step into the realm of better tools.
I am starting to write magazine articles and want to provide great photos to accompany them. I am also writing a book which I will also wish to have great quality images.

Due to the very sad and unexpected death of my Grandpa I have come into a small inheritance and wish to spend the money wisely as he would wish. When he was much healthier he took pictures of birds and wildlife.
I know he would approve of my decision to get a good camera.

Im a lucky guy in the respect that my Dad has brought me up to be creative and I am confident with my artistic license. I have a lot to learn when it comes to Photography and thats the fun part but not the question I would be very grateful to get answered.

The cameras Im looking at are Canon 30D and possibly a 5D. They both seem like great cameras and the reviews I have read confirm so.
However, I dont want to buy anything that I have to upgrade because it doesnt pack the punch or is classed unsatisfactory for industry standard.
I used to sell guitars for three years (been playing for 17 years) and I am fully experienced in burning away cash with subtle upgrades. I always adopted the "Go for the throat" method and advised Semi pros or proffessional players to buy well crafted instruments if they expect the best performance and longevity.

It doesnt matter to me that I am not a pro right now but I dont want to have shell out another few grand in the not too distant future because the kit I have just doesnt cut it.

Am I missing the point? Is there a standard of image quality that could prevent me from getting work in the future?

If anyone could advise I would be really grateful.

P.S I apologise prefusely for the grammar in this post, Im in Berlin, Germany at the moment and I really cant work out this dang keyboard!

Kind Regards

Tomas Whitehouse.
www.tntflies.com

 

[Mike_E]

Welcome! Condolences for you grandpa.

Of those two bodies, why are you considering the 30D?

Which ever camera body you get, look into a lens in the range of 17mm - 50mm f2.8 for your product shots along with a light table set up. As far as birds, do you want to do this? That type of photography is an entirely different proposition, you can use some of the same gear but the feature set is weighted differently.

mike

 

[tnttomas]

Thanks very much for the reply.

For my book and the articles I wish to take landscape photos, close up photos of insects and of my products (flies and fishing accesories), Also the wildlife side of things is very appealing for a personal interest.

Are the main differences between the two bodies utilities and functions or is the image quality?

Thanks very much for your help. Much appreciated.

Tomas

 

[Mike_E]

I really can't comment on the two specifically as I shoot Nikon.

The reason I asked is that I briefly looked over your site and from what you mentioned i was wondering why you would not go with the full sized sensor as a matter of course. Pixel cound is not all that it is cracked up to be but you are going from 8M to 12M with these two, and that will show when printing in the detail that I believe you to want.

The lens and lighting set up is a generic answer to product photography.

If you are to go birding you are going to have to go where they live, in the weather that is there and you will need all the gaskets you can get to preserve your camera. I think that the 5D has these. Also, the lenses are pricey!

For more specifics on the differences between the bodies, someone else will come along shortly, I'm sure.

best of luck

mike