digital camera quality?

Question

what type of camera do i need to have my pictures come out with great quality like this: http://flickr.com/photos/bexi/1394696918/

as oppossed to regular camera quality like this: http://people.clarkson.edu/~tirumsa/apple/images/My%20Pictures0012.jpg

are there any special cameras that do this? or do i need to be a professional photographer with my own studio & stuff?

Answer 1

The second photo was taken with a garden variety point and shoot camera - I think - but I think the first one was, too.

Look at this shot, taken on the same day as your sample:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/bexi/1393801671/

You can see the skin is not as smooth and the moles are missing. Bexi says in her own remarks that she is trying to learn Photoshop and the evidence shows in this photo. Judging byt the even lighting from head to toe and the absence of shadows, I'd say that this is either all natural lighting (with levels altered in Photoshop) or a studio light set-up. (I suspest natural light in an "airy and open" room, though.)

I looked at several other photos on Bexi's site and they are remarkably ordinary. I am sure they were made with the same camera, although I can not confirm this with Exif data, which is lacking.

Great quality is a function of the photographer as much or more than the camera. In this case, she admits to some help from image manipulation using Photoshop.

Here's a VERY QUICK alteration of your second picture. Obviously, this was made with the same camera as your sample, as I don't have the subjects at hand, so what kind of camera do you need to make a photo that looks this nice?

http://www.flickr.com/photos/samfeinstein/1414716033/

Your image is very small and low resolution, so I can't do much (and won't try) in Photoshop, but you can see an immediate difference. The first thing I did was to "recompose" the picture for you by cropping out the stairway that did nothing but distract the viewer. I got rid of the light switch that was growing out of one girl's elbow, too. I didn't bother with the harsh shadows, because of the small file size, but that could be done with a larger file. I adjusted the levels (color balance) a little bit using only "AUTO LEVELS" and smoothed things out just a tad. This took about 30 seconds with automated commands available to anyone, but what a difference? It makes you want to stick with the original camera, doesn't it?

Answer 2

The quality of picture depends on three things.(Assuming you do not want to do photoshopping. I personally do as little as possible. It can be so time consuming.)

First, you need a good lens. This is pretty easy to get this day and age. Canon and Nikon make their own lenses pretty nice. They are not the best in the world, but they do a good enough job for the sample picture. (Zeiss and Schneider lenses are generally considered better if not the best, but if you are planning on using these brands and the cameras that they come on, then you have enough money to get private lessons from a person that would know a lot more than the people answering this question.)

Next you need good light. As another person answered on this question, this was probably done with a moderate studio lighting set up or with slightly manipulated natural light. (Hey, what is a little bouncing between friends?) Personally I do not like to use less than two strobes, preferably three or some natural light thrown in for good measure. It takes practice to get the use of strobes right, but it is well worth the work and wasted film. (Yeah, I learned when digital cameras were prohibitively expensive. But at least I learned.)

Third you need a good film. (Or CCD as the case may be.) Generally speaking, you are going to get better saturation and less grain (or noise, if you are using digital) with slower speeds. For weddings, I like Fuji NPS, or whatever they are calling it these days. For nature, I like Provia 100F. Basically, to get the quality of color and resolution that you want, you have to go professional, not the dime store 4 rolls for $4 stuff. As for digital, I do not keep up these days, but if you look at the top of the line Canon and Nikons, you will see what kind of chips they are using. Sometimes they put the same chips in a cheaper model, just with less features or a plastic body instead of a magnesium alloy body for the pro version.

Other than that, it is all in the hands of the person holding the camera, or setting up the tripod as the case may be.

(Just to make the point, I have an Exakta VX series one with an Zeiss 50mm lens that takes tremendous picks because I use modern professional film and good lighting practices, even though, being over 40 years old, it is archaic by most people's standards.)

Answer 3

You do have to have that photographers eye. I use a Digital Nikon D80 with 10.2 MP and I love it. Before I was using a Canon EOS Rebel K2 Film camera. Don't get me rong there are some good quality film cameras out there, but if I were you I would buy a digital camera, saves lots of money in the long run.

Heres a good website with great cameras at cheap prices.

www.nextag.com

Answer 4

A DSLR or more advanced digicam (such as the Canon G9) would be your best choices. One thing to keep in mind is the use of a flash. A regular digicam with a "pop-up" flash will give you harsh lighting, strong shadows and red eye. A DSLR or the Canon G9 (and other advanced digicams) will support off-camera flash. An off-camera flash can be bounced off the ceiling to give a softer, more natural light.

You should consider taking a photography class at your local high school or community college before making any camera buying decisions. Once you've learned about light and ISO and aperture (aka f-stop) and shutter speed and composition you can make an informed buying decision.

Answer 5

It's not just the camera, but the photographer. The first pose was dynamic, the second was quite dull and ordinary. Learn about photography and you will be able to get better pictures even with a camera phone.

But you have an easier time getting quality pictures with a better camera. An SLR is the sort of camera you'd want to use.

Answer 6

Do you really think the camera had anything to do with this? If you had shown identical poses and lighting, you might have seen some minor differences. Why isn't this apple an orange is a better question. These can't be compared....
Well, the more I think of it you will need a studio...and stuff.