okay so I asked a question about professional photography cameras, and I didn't get to detailed on it.?

Question

What I mean is I wanted to know what camera would be great for professional photography as in taking pictures of animals, trees, scenery [sp?], etc....

Answer 1

Okay, I have a better idea then. It sounds like your interest is general photography, perhaps with an idea that you just want some good images to put in a gallery or magazine. You can "get by" with almost any digital SLR, but if you want to step up to the plate with a fair advantage, you would need to consider spending over $1,000 right out of the gate.

Here is one of my stock answers, but I think it is what you are looking for.

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It all depends on what you mean by the "best." If you have no budget constraints at all, you can find excellent cameras out there from about $2,500 to over $30,000, just for the camera body without a lens.

If you are asking this question, I assume that you are not familiar with those cameras (very high end Nikon, Canon, Leica and Hasselblad) and you are an average Joe (or Mary) looking for the best way to spend his money in the real world. For this, I would suggest that you look at the 10-12 MP range.

At the top end of these cameras, you will find the Nikon D200, Canon 30D and (get ready Heinz) the Sigma SD14. These cameras are all in the $1,200-1,500 range without a lens.

In the "prosumer" segment of the market, there are currently five cameras that are available for around $1,000 that are attracting the most attention.

The February 2007 issue of Popular Photography has an article where they compared the top 10 MP DSLR's.

I took the scores and ranked the cameras similar to the way Formula 1 gives championship points. I just gave 5 for 1st place down to 1 for last place, splitting the difference when cameras tied in their catagories.

They evaluated Image Quality (giving this twice as much weight as anything else), Ease of Use, Control, and System Flexibility.

The final order and my scores are:

Nikon D80 - 17.5 points
- BEST in Image Quality, Control and System Flexibility
Canon Rebel XTi (400D) - 13.5 points
- Tied for best in System Flexibility
Pentax K10D - 11 points
- Tied for best in Ease of Use
Samsung GX10 - 11 points
- Tied for best in Ease of Use
Sony Alpha 100 - 7 points
- LAST in Image Quality, Ease of Use and System Flexibility."

Then again, this is the same magazine that put the Sony Alpha 100 dead last in this comparison named it the camera of the year in the previous issue!

Go to the original question and read the responses for more opinions.
http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=AiG00eHyd0oq5b.X7J.jiULzy6IX?qid=20070113133139AAHWJY0

If you want to get the "best" for the real world, consider the Nikon D200 or Canon 30D if you can afford it. For about $300-500 less, look at the results of the recent PopPhoto test and choose from that list according to your taste.

Personally, I use a Nikon D200 and would recommend it without hesitation to someone who has some knowledge of photography. For someone who wants the "best," but is starting with somewhat of an "entry level" knowledge base, I'd suggest the Nikon D80.

There are people out there who will state their preference for the Canon cameras and I will not argue with them. The Canon 30D and 400D are excellent cameras as well. You would have to visit a camera store or camera department and pick them up and see what you think.

This review is now available online at:

http://www.popphoto.com/cameras/3569/10mp-dslr-shootout.html

Here's another reference from outside the photographic press. Consumer reports compared the Nikon D80, Canon Rebel XTi and Sony Alpha. Personally, I'd say that the Nikon came out on top here, also. It beats the Sony in "noise-free ISO" with an acceptable rating at ISO 1600 (kind of optimistic, I think...) compared to the Sony's ISO 400. It beats the Canon (in my opinion) by having a spot meter that the Canon does not offer.

http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/electronics-computers/news-electronics-computers/november-2006/shootout-10-megapixel-digital-slr-cameras-11-06/overview/0611_digital-slr-shoot-out.htm

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The next thing to consider is what lens to start with and where you go from there. If you are new to this, I'd say to just get the "kit" lens, which seems to be the 18-135 lens, and get started. Once you know where you really want to go with your photography, Nikon has an almost unlimited family of lenses to choose from.

Answer 2

Will photography be your living? Up to what size do you plan to enlarge photos? Do you want to control every shot like shutter speeds, apertures, buy additional lenses?
OR just a high quality point and shoot?
If you like cameras with lots of zoom, check out Nov'06 Consumer Reports at your local library.

Answer 3

P850 kodak..I don't think it's a "professional" camera..but it takes excellent photos and you can get one for around 235 to 250 dollars.
I have taken some high quality pictures of deer in the wild, birds in flight...need a little practice first...and it has a 12 x zoom..with photo stabilizer

Answer 4

Get a digital SLR (DSLR).

Nikon and Canon are the 2 big companies that come to mind. Plan to spend about $600 - $1500 (of course you can always spend more).