Do professional photographers use anything other than Canon or Nikon?

Question

I have been in the wedding video/photo business for over 10 years now, and I have NEVER see a professional photographer use anything other than Nikon or Canon. All of our equipment for photography is Canon (40D and 5D) with all L glass lenses, and all of our video equipment is Canon as well...GL2, XL2, etc...

PART 2 of my question is...are all these other companies that make professioanl DSLR's out of luck forever? Like Sony's Alpha, and FujiFilm's Finepix, as well as Olympus, Kodak, and Minolta...do you think they only have a future in the home/amateur based market?

"wedding" media isn't all we do...we do dorporate photography, school photo/video, etc...and everyone ther ealways has Nikon and Canon also. (usually Canon)

oops, i meant "corporate" not "dorporate", lol

why would i need to know anything about medium format cameras?? you make $5,000 a weekend just shooting DSLR/35mm, then who cares. lol

LUCIEN - i guess what i really meant was artistic photography...wedding, portraits, glamour, nature, corporate, etc...not really medical imaging or crime scene phtography.

Michael M - i do agree. even Nikon lens owners are jealous of Canon "L" glass/lenses

Answer 1

The reason most of us pros use Nikon or Canon is because they make aweseom cameras, but also the glass they produce for their lenses is the best in the world. Other manufact. don't even compare. Since each company makes their equipment not compatible with others, it's just the way they are.

Answer 2

1

Answer 3

The last wedding I went to, the photographer shot all day with a Bronica on medium format film-the formals, candids, everything.

Not too long before that, I went to a graduation where a hired photographer, a local well-known pro, shot all day with a Hasselblad. This was just this past summer, so it wasn't too terribly long ago.

In fact, come to think of it, the previous summer , I attended a wedding where the photographer, who incidentally has the reputation of being one of the most expensive in town, used a Fuji S3 Pro with Nikon lenses all day. He said that he had tried all of the DSLRs available on the market at that time, and the S3 gave him the best results with the least post-processing straight out of the camera. Since time is money, this is a very significant consideration.

By the way, regarding 35mm/digital vs. medium format-if there's ever a need to print big prints, like 20x24" and larger, medium format is still the way to go.

Answer 4

On a Sports Illustrated documentary, they showed many photographers using expensive cameras and gear. One's photographers boat flip over and his camera and gear were ruined. While another photographer used a very simple, inexpensive camera and got great results. On a separate occasion I was helping out by photographing a wedding, I was to help position the wedding participants. The photographer was using a digital camera, it mafunctioned, fortunately there was a reporter there also, covering the wedding and offered his manuel camera to finish the shoot. I use Polariod, yes the automatic picture maker, a Minolta 35mm, manuel, for my photography classes, and a HP i use sometimes when i'm out shooting for fun, its digital, and the computer program is easy to use. When i get a chance i'd like to get a Kodak camera, i believe there were called 22mm, way back in the day. It was my first camera. I've had a Canon last years model, digital, and sold it. I'm a fan of Weston's "Seashell" and his "Chilipeppers" work. Used to work in Yosemite National Park and often visited the Ansel Adams studio, they both used the plate style cameras. I think its a matter of preference.

Answer 5

Canon and Nikon are what we tell kids that professional use so that they buy them. if you walk in on Mademoiselle or GQ you are more likely to see them using a Hasselbald. Goofy kids who want to be super stars use Canon or Nikon religiously. Professional photographers use the right tool for the job.

Answer 6

In general people buy Nikon or Canon because they can get professional quality at a still fairly reasonable rice. and by reasonable I mean under 5,000 dollars. The other cameras that you have mention are basically more the point and shoot digital and You don't want that photographing happy moments because the pixel ratio is still very small. Also the nikon and canon professional have a better stabilizer then a point and shoot. less fuzzy pixs. And with at least in the nikon D20 and canon 20D an 8.2 Megapixel is the LOWEST megepixel you will get in the digital professional SLR. now other professional digital/film cameras are mamiya and the ever so wonderful and very expensive every photographer drool over Hasselblad. These are mostly med format film cameras that you can interchange the back of the body to a film or digital you literally get film quality that is digital but you will spend about 6-10 grand for it. And that concludes my answer

Answer 7

Professional photography is often accomplished with equipment supplied by the employer. For instance, medical photography often uses the Olympus brand as that company made extensive inroads into that field. Same for forensic photography. Polaroid backs, although being used more rarely, still are in the professional world.
Keep in mind 35mm, be it digital or film, is not all that is used professionally. The military also has standards and uses equipment designed for specific applications.

Answer 8

Yes, they use plate cameras and 'medium format' cameras like Hassleblads. I'm very surprised that you, as a professional photographer, don't know this and that you are using 35mm solely. (and also that Minolta ceased making cameras etc a couple of years ago, that part of its business being taken over by Sony)

Answer 9

I've seen Pentax 35mm film cameras as well as Fuji S3 and S5 digitals.

Answer 10

2