Which is the best camera for quality professional holiday photography?

Question

I'll be traveling a lot soon...and I'd like to take pictures on my holidays and build a photo stock for a website and licence the pictures. I know that the pictures have to be of a very good quality, but I also need a camera that isn't too bulky and fairly easy to carry around with me.

Any ideas which camera would be best?

Answer 1

Listen, an expensive hammer will not make you a better carpenter anymore than an expensive camera will make you a better photographer nor will the more expensive camera "take better photos"... YOU operate the camera as an instrument or tool... it is YOU who takes the photos, not the camera.

Would a person learn to drive any better on an expensive car than with a mid-priced car?

Why would you want a super-duper-hyper-mega-pixel camera if you're not going to enlarge beyond 8" x 10"? AND for the rare one or two that you MIGHT want to make into a 20" x 24" size, why not get something like the Canon S3 iS with its 12X lens?

Why spend a small fortune for a camera that you'll only use occasionally and on special occasions? Sounds like someone buying a Bently just to go across the street... not much sense.

Having a hyped up camera with all sorts of buttons, knobs and switches that you DON'T know what they're for is really not what I'd recommend, unless you WERE indeed into photography and you knew what the features and options are for... otherwise, why have them if you won't make use of them?

IF you feel you're relatively knowledgeable with a digital technology and you're familiar with photography, you have the option of getting the abovementioned, or you can get yourself a relatively good and not too expensive Nikon D80 with the Nikkor AF DX 18-135mm lens. IF you're an avid photographer, you'd be looking at the Nikon D200 and the Nikkor AF DX 18-135mm lens.

The Nikon D80 mimics the D200, which is a low pro-level camera, as compared with the Nikon D2Xs, which is a lot more expensive. But, again, if you're a photographer worth your salt, a Nikon D80 will do the same for you as a D200.

I would really encourage you to take a beginner's course at any local college or local YMCA or YWCA... you'd learn enough to determine what exactly you need to use, and what you don't need at all, plus you'd learn so much more than if you just read three or four books. (I've been involved in photography over 44 years doing weddings, graduations, sporting events, court evidence, etc)

By the way, memory cards are dropping in price like they're going out of style; check with www.tigerdirect.com and www.newegg.com and compare. Before you buy the camera, know what the prices are on the memory cards so that you won't be talked into something at a far more expensive price by the camera dealer.

Good luck and very best wishes.

Answer 2

You should first check on the technical requirements of stock agencies which will provide you with some background info on what sort of equipment you need. Quality aside (we can assume you can take brilliant photos of interesting subjects that will have wide commercial appeal), I think you will find the good stock agencies have resolution requirements that tend to favor high end pro DSLR bodies (think Canon EOS 1Ds) or even medium format. Put another way, I don't think you will have luck taking stock photos that actually earn money using a point and shoot.

The short answer would be a Canon EOS 1Ds married up with a 24-70 F2.8L lens. Much lighter than a MF system.

Answer 3

hey there...for me when i travel..i always bring my canon 30D.
for me my lens comprises the tamron 28-75mm F2.8 for street photography. It not very bulky..easier to use and it produces really good image quality.

Answer 4

Any brand name digital SLR will do...8 megapixels or better. I use an Olympus e300...wonderful. Two lenses...fixed 50mm and a 14mm-45mm zoom.

Answer 5

i would recommend using a nikon dlsr. i use one all the time and its great. i have had no problems with my nikon d70 or d100. i have several lenses i use that are all nikons also.
canon dslr's are also pretty good but i find the nikon to be slightly more user friendly.