Looking For Suggestions (Purchasing A New Camera)

[battylittlesister]

Hey there,

I'm a Graphic Artist and I'm beginning to take an interest in taking photographs. Right now I'm using a Fujifilm Finepix Z and it's a decent camera, but I'm looking for a nice but affordable camera to start taking professional quality photos. The problem with the camera I have now is the photos don't always come out clear or crisp and sometimes look grainy or foggy. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!

 

[Lipoly]

What is your price range? From my experience, you are going to get stinkers w/out of focus subjects no matter what camera you have...I probably toss %50 of pictures I take....90% if I'm being really picky. A better camera will certainly give you better low-light capabilities, and thus less grain however.

 

[KmH]

A common misconception many amateur photographers have, is that professional quality photographs are strictly a property of the camera used to take a picture.

Professional quality photos are more a function of the photographer than the camera, though it needs to be noted that professional photographers most often use supplimental lighting to make images, even when working outdoor in 'natural' light.

So, to take professional quality photo's, you need to understand the technical aspects of photography, and then using that knowledge be able to produce the lighting, composition, and framing professional photographers do.

In other words, a professional photographer could make professional, or very nearly professional quality photographs, with the camera you currently own.

A base, entry-level dSLR camera with a standard kit lens will cost about $550 new (Nikon D3000 kit) http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/635660-REG/Nikon_25462_D3000_SLR_Digital_Camera.html

as will the equivelent Canon XS: http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/571144-REG/Canon_2762B003_EOS_Rebel_XS_SLR.html

I use and recommend Nikon equipment.

For approaching serious photographic work I would recommend, as a minimum, the Nikon D90: http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/580241-REG/Nikon_25446_D90_SLR_Digital_Camera.html and choosing a lens(s) that best suits your needs.

 

[travistank]

I like the new olympus pen for amateurs who want the ease of a point and shoot with professional quality. you can even change lenses.

 

[battylittlesister]

Thank you guys for the suggestions. I started photography in an online game world believe it or not. Taking the photos then processing them (editing is where my true talent lies), but I became pretty good at it. Now I'd like to start shooting real life. I've been shooting simple stuff lately flowers, pets, and landscapes. I find the camera I have does a lot better outside then inside. I'm assuming that's caused by the low lighting?

I was always under the impression that the pixel resolution was the most important thing about cameras. The camera I have is 10 megapixels and the ones you guys suggested weren't too much higher then that. Is it the lenses that make the difference?

Sorry for all the "noob" questions.

Thanks again!

 

[emh]

I was always under the impression that the pixel resolution was the most important thing about cameras. The camera I have is 10 megapixels and the ones you guys suggested weren't too much higher then that. Is it the lenses that make the difference?

Sorry for all the "noob" questions.

Thanks again!

Pixel resolution is NOT the most important thing about a camera. In fact, packing too many pixels on to a small sensor is one of the main reasons why a lot of point-and-shoot cameras produce grainy images in low light. Because the total amount of light that falls on the sensor is fixed for a given sensor size, the more pixels you put on that sensor, the less light each pixel gets. With less light, each pixel on the sensor is more likely to register an incorrect value.

IMO, somewhere around 12MP seems to be the sweet-spot for APS-C sized sensors that are used in most entry-level DSLRs (most P&S cameras have much smaller sensors and seem to have trouble even at 6MP).

 

[KmH]

I was always under the impression that the pixel resolution was the most important thing about cameras. The camera I have is 10 megapixels and the ones you guys suggested weren't too much higher then that. Is it the lenses that make the difference?



Thanks again!

Yes, the lens(s) are very important.

The camera makers marketing people can more easily 'sell' MP count because it's a simple concept and it is constantly ingrained in people that "more is better", when it isn't always true.

In digital camera's, high ISO capabilites are more important than MP count.

Right now Nikon spanks Canon in that regard, if you compare equivelent camera models, even though Canon cameras have more MP.