What is the best digital camera for professional quality pics?

Answer 1

Let's look at the answers so far.
* Windseeker and Jeff don't say much at all.
* Earl D sounds knowledgable but he gives Kodak too much credit. Kodak makes some fine digital backs for medium format cameras but they've pulled out of Canon and Nikon territory. Also, when he gives prices, he forgets about the Nikon D50 digital SLR (only $550)
* Barneys_assasin gets everything mixed up. The digital Rebel XT is 8MP, not 10. It only costs $700 (or $950 with the kit lens). And Nikon doesn't have a 16.7MP camera; Canon does: the 1 DS Mk2 ($6,900).
* Panacea starts out quite reasonable, but quickly turns into a rabid salesman for Sony. I agree that the R1 is a fantastic camera for what it is, but for the same price, I would much rather get a digital SLR. (A Nikon D50 with 2 lenses or a Canon Rebel XT with 1 lens.) The main waeknesses of the Sony R1 for pro applications are the electronic viewfinder (delayed image and an inferior quality viewfinder), and the fixed lens. What if you want to get an extra 300mm zoom lens for $100 for some big time reach... what if you want to get an extra 50mm f/1.8 lens for $50 for low light situations or shallow depth of field? With the R1, you can't.
---
So, for most purposes, digital SLR cameras are the best choice. They are responsive and they can be configured for any situation. The more expensive models have more megapixels of course, and they have more features and a better build quality. Pro cameras can shoot 8 frames per second, pull focus almost instantly, do all kinds of crazy stuff, and they're built like tanks. With pro cameras - pro lenses - big bucks. But even with a simple model, like the Nikon D50, you still get a ton of advantages over any compact/ prosumer camera.

Answer 2

The Canon EOS-1Ds Mark II. That's an $8000 professional SLR camera....top of the line. Are you a professional photographer? That's the camera you want in your studio.

But you probably mean, what is the best camera I can use as a normal person to take professional looking pictures.

The answer to that is the Sony DSC-R1 camera. It will run you about $800 if you wisely shop online and buy it before September (Sony currently has a $100 rebate going on that camera).

The R1 is a fixed lens camera with lots of advanced features to help an amateur photgrapher take professional looking pictures. The lens and electronics are top quality.

You could get a better camera. But it will cost you twice as much and take alot of skill on your part to take good pictures. A number of SLR cameras are out there and some of them (not all of them, however) are good. Stick to Canon if you go this route. The cheap ones run about the same price as the R1. However, the lens that comes with them, all suck balls. You need to buy a decent piece of glass to get these cameras to outperform the R1. That can easily run you another $800 or more.

For most people who want top of the line, though, the R1 is definitely the way to go. Be sure to also purchase a 1 gigabyte, Sony brand memory stick pro. Some place sell these online for butt cheap (like the DELL computer site for example).

For more than you ever wanted to know about the R1, follow these links:

http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/sonydscr1/
http://www.dcresource.com/reviews/sony/dsc_r1-review/index.shtml

If you actually want to play around with the camera, it can be kind of tough to find someone who stocks it, depending where you live. If not of the camera stores near you have any of these, look up on the Sony website the list of Sony Style Stores near you. They always have one. Unfortunately, they will also gouge you on the price so don't buy it there.

A good place to get one is online from Royal Camera. Don't use their website to buy it though as they foolishly put the import version of this camera on the website. Since this doesn't come with the battery or other needed stuff, you don't want that. Instead, call them up and tell them you want the USA model. Should cost like $800 plus you can get a $100 rebate after you buy it from Sony. So more like $700. What a deal. The MSRP is $1000.

http://www.royalcamera.com/

Answer 3

I agree with registration. While the R1 is a nice camera. I have recommended it to many friends that have no professional aspirations.

If you want pro quality, buy pro quality. No ifs and's or buts'. There is no cheap pro quality. Pro's have lots of tools for their specialty and they spend lots of years getting to know their equipment and the situations that they shoot in.

To get pro quality you have to have flexibility. You have to have equipment that does the job right for the situation. Great Glass is where you start. Why in the world would you invest in something that you will have to throw away all of it to upgrade? The R1 while nice is not a good investment in professional terms.

Want a 80mm f/1.2 lens for portraits for the R1....forget it.
Got a model with a hawk nose and the day is overcast. Need a 300mm f/1.8 lens. Try adding that to the R1...not going to happen in a million years.
Need to take the picture of a 13 story building shooting almost straight up and you don't want the lines to be bent. Take out your 16mm f/1.4 and add that to your R1. OOPS! no can do!
Then run across the street and shoot the same building (top to bottom) and not have the top of the looking like the building is leaning away. You switch to the 50mm tilt-shift lens you have in your bag for the R1. Wait...what was that...oh yeah...you can't do that with the R1.
What to stand in the end zone and shoot across the football field and shoot the look in the eyes of the quartback and frame the face only. Just switch to your 600mm f/4 lens....oh wait, I forgot you only have the R1...too bad..so sad..opportunity lost.

Get my point. Decide what kind of pro you want to be. Get the best glass for the job.

Camera bodies are going to be commodities. If you buy a camera like the R1 you are stuck. You have to toss a perfectly good lens to upgrade the body and the reverse is true.

You decide.

Answer 4

Quality is subjective but for your particular skill level, the biggest factor affecting percieved quality is the size print you wish to make. Larger prints require more mega-pixels. More mega-pixels requires better glass with greater resolving power to reveal fine detail. Other considerations include some type of vibration reduction to improve sharpness. If you will be making large prints, consider a digital SLR with over 6MP and make your decision based on the availability of high quality lenses. Both Nikon and Cannon offer vibration reducing lenses. While you can make great photos with moderately priced lenses from these manufacturers, expensive is definitely better for the most exacting work. As the digital technology evolves and your appetite for mega-pixels increases you will be able to preserve your investment in lenses as these manufactures have always striven to maintain backward compatibility. I prefer Nikon but Canon is just fine. Both have the heritage and depth to satisfy your interest and skill level for the rest of your life. There are many other factors including printing technology that will play a role but I think that at the high end, it comes down to desired print size and opitcal quality.

Answer 5

Well, that varies widely!

Kodak makes backs for Nikon F and Canon F-1 cameras that are 12 MP and cost a bundles, but you need to own a Nikon F or Canon F-1 to use these!

Canon, Nikon and Pentax all make 6 - 8MP SLRS, such as the Rebel XT. These are priced from $700 and up.

They use 32 bit color techonology, CMOS instead of CCD technology, they save in RAW (bit map) as well as compressed (JPEG) formats. They have far more sophisticated lenses and you can interchange these lenses (1.6 magnivation factor). They allow you to use fish eye, bellows mount, macro, large F stop portrait and normal lense (f/2 or faster).

Answer 6

well, the best pics for under $1k
is canon rebel eos digital with 10.2MP cost: $949.99

but you can spend anywhere up to $6.5k on a 16.7MP nikon digital camera which is like the best quality digital pix on the market at this time.

Answer 7

For pro quality, you should definitely get a digital SLR. But there are many models to choose from, just research for something you like.

Answer 8

You can read user reviews on most electronics on cnet.com for excellent info. C-net also does their own review on most products. I don't buy anything anymore without thoroughly checking it out there first.