I am starting a portrait studio in my home which camera should i buy?

Question

where do i start who can help me sort out the millions of options and who can point out the important stuff to have in mind when choosing the camera

Answer 1

For people pictures I would recommend getting a Fuji S5Pro. Fuji's sensors have the absolute best color rendition for skin tones. I will warn you that their operation is a little slow, at least they seem that way to me... navigation of the menus, viewing images on the display...etc. Fuji's bodies are constructed by Nikon so they are compatible with all Nikon lenses. For portraits I would recommend a 50mm prime lens. Maybe an f/1.8 or f/1.4.

If not the Fuji S5, I would recommend the Canon 5D. I don't know a whole lot about Canon's line of lenses apart from their just as great as Nikon's. People will banter about which is better, but when it comes down to it they are capable of the same results in my opinion... what differs is the person taking the pictures and their knowledge of how to best exploit their equipment.

Apart from the camera, the next important thing, if not the most important thing.... lighting. Lighting equipment might cost more than your camera setup... be prepared for that. I personally don't know a whole lot about lighting as most of my work is done outdoors with no flash. For indoor studio work I've only worked with Novatron strobes and modeling lights. I find these very easy to work with, not sure the cost associated with them as the ones I've used are not mine.

Good luck!

Answer 2

1) Get the least expensive camera that will do the job. Why? Because if this doesn't work out for you, you won't have wasted a lot of money.

2) The camera body has little to do with the final results, particularly if you take your time doing portraits by careful posing and aren't machine gunning your shots.

3) The lens and lighting are far, far more important choices than the camera body.

4) Save some money for photography lessons and books, because starting a portrait studio isn't about buying the right camera. It's also about marketing, selling, posing, lighting, etc.

5) If/when your business takes off, you can upgrade your camera body.

6) To start off: go for some inexpensive Alien Bees for your studio monolights. http://www.alienbees.com

7) Start with a Nikon D40x and the kit 18-55mm lens. Then, later on you can upgrade your lenses...if you make money. If you don't, you aren't stuck with a whole bunch of gear that you may not recoup your money on. Alternatively, the Canon Rebel XTi is a good starter choice too. Handle the cameras to see which one feels right to you.

8) Take photography lessons.

Answer 3

If you don't know which camera to buy why do you think you're ready to open a portrait studio?

What about a lens? Perhaps a 50 to 300mm f4/f5.6? A 24-50mm?

Hot lights or flash? Soft boxes or umbrellas?

You are obviously unskilled in photography and suffering from the rather common delusion that buying an expensive DSLR will magically transform you into a professional photographer. It doesn't work that way.

Go to school and major in photography. Learn about f-stops and ISO and shutter speeds and composition and lighting. Work as an assistant to a professional photographer while you're in school.

The most expensive DSLR in the hands of an unskilled, untrained person will take the same mediocre pictures that they would take with a simple point and shoot digicam.

Answer 4

Do you have a camera? (Film or digital)
How much money do you want to spend?
Portraits are the only type of pictures that you want to do?
Answer to this questions and then i will have something to say about choosing a camera.