What features identify a good professional digital camera?

Question

Im looking for a good one, but not too much expensive

Answer 1

I really believe buying a camera is an individual choice.
The person needs to read alot of reviews on cameras and learn as much as they can from the internet.
Go to the store and hold them and try them to see what they feel like and how they take pictures.
I can only give a suggestion of what to look for in a new digital camera.
Good Luck

my suggestion
go to yahoo shopping
digital cameras
digital camera GUIDE
be sure to check titles on the left side
the guide should answer your questions

Answer 2

it helps to look for one with a good optical zoom, i prefer kodak cause that is what i use mine is a great camera its fast and doesn't make a moving picture blurry. i also look for one with good picture quality there are tons of cheap really good cameras out there it just takes a little looking into

Answer 3

A "professional" camera is going to be a DSLR. The ability to change lenses to suit various conditions is almost mandatory for pro use. It also must support off-camera flash and have TTL (Off-Sensor Flash Metering) capability.

You can find Buyer's Guides for cameras and lenses published by various photography magazines at your library or in most any magazine rack at the grocery or Wal-Mart, etc. Most of the magazines have websites so you can access their Guides there.

Once you decide which camera you want to own there are several accessories you'll want to consider:

Go to cameraarmor.com and bonicadive.com and choose a protective cover for your new camera. After reading some of the horror stories in here - "I got my camera wet" or "I got sand in my camera" - it makes sense to spend a few dollars for protection.

Buy a HAZE/UV filter and a Skylight* 1A (uncoated) or 1B (coated) filter for every lens you buy. The HAZE/UV filter removes atmospheric haze that you see in scenics. The Skylight removes the bluish tint you see in shaded areas of trees, snow, distant mountains and in photos taken in open shade. Plus, either of these filters PROTECTS the front element of your lens. I firmly believe no lens should go out in the world naked - it should always have protection for its front element. One scratch or smudge turns an expensive lens into an expensive paperweight.

Next, invest in a quality circular polarizer filter. (A linear polarizer will mess up auto focus and metering.) I've used TIFFEN, HOYA and B+W for many many years. The polarizer allows you to darken a blue sky and make white puffy clouds really "pop" or just for the visual effect. It also removes glare/reflections from glass, snow, sand, water, and painted metal - but not from polished metal. You can always buy a polarizer to fit the filter diameter of your largest lens - say 72mm - and then use Step-Up rings such as 58mm to 72mm so you can use it on your other lenses.**

A comfortable, wide camera strap. When your camera isn't in your camera bag or on a tripod it should be hanging safely around your neck - not being carried like a loaf of bread in your hand (which I've seen people do). In 36 years of enjoying photography I've never dropped a camera. I have replaced a few neck straps though.

A good quality lens cleaning cloth such as the ones offered by Pentax and Photo Silk.

A bulb-type blower brush to remove dust particles from your lens or filters before cleaning. Of course if you always have a filter in place you'll never need to clean the front element of your lens.

A quality tripod with a 3-way tilt/pan head and a quick-release. Slik, Bogen, Manfrotto, Velbon are but a few you'll want to check into. Avoid the cheap department/discount store ones.

A flash dedicated to your camera. My preference is to have the one offered by the camera manufacturer but there are several after-market ones available. Get the most powerful flash offered and the off-camera bracket for it. Yes you'll spend a little more but its always better to have features you may not use than it is to need features you don't have.

* I carry a 1A uncoated filter in case I decide to get "experimental" and coat the filter with vaseline or chapstick for special effects. Since its uncoated its easy to use a little warm water and mild soap to remove the grease. I like to have a 1B coated to help reduce possible glare in outdoor conditions.

** Its never a good idea to use a filter for a 58mm diameter filter mount on a lens with a 72mm diameter filter mount. You'll get what's known as "vignetting" at the corners of your photo - they will be dark.

Answer 4

RAW format, A/S priority modes plus full manual exposure, auto & manual focusing, focusing & zoom rings, good electronic or optical viewfinder, properly adjustable image processing parameters (sharpness, contrast, saturation), at least sRGB and AdobeRGB color modes, auto & preset & manual white balance, exposure (and focus) bracketing, long and fast burst shooting (and in RAW mode), flash hotshoe, several timer functions, big sensor, fast focusing and nearly inexistent shutter lag...

Answer 5

SLR?
manual settings
E-TTL
ISO Variations and Expansion
Chip Size
and some other things that I really don't want to get into right now.