Im wanting to become a professional photogropher, any reccomended cameras and acceroies?

Question

Im wating to take proffessional photos, im 14 years old, but even with a compact digital camera, i take great photos.
So im looking into the professional side of things, i will need some explaining on what 'lenses' to use, and all the rest of it, but for the moment i think i just need the basic stuff, so any help here?

Answer 1

Upload some of your photos and show them to us.

I suggest you get a film camera. Nikon FM10 is a completely manual camera--you set everything yourself (including focus). You set the aperture, speed shutter, the ISO and even you have to advance the film to the next frame.

You normally set the speed shutter first, i.e. at 1/125 of a second, then you look through the viewfinder. You'll see "-", "0" and "+" you'll turn the aperture ring (on the lens) until you see the little "0". If you see "-", it's going to be underexposed. If you see "+", you'll overexpose. You think every time you take a photo. Will this speed shutter be appropriate for this shot? Are you trying to freeze an action? Will this aperture be appropriate for this shot? Will you get enough depth of field with this aperture? If it's too dark, should you have used 'faster" film?

And so on. This is how you learn photography. When you move up to an automatic DSLR, it does the thinking for you, but still, you are in control, and you will never question yourself why something nearby is out of focus when you focused on another object, etc.

I hope I have not dampened your desire to get anything too expensive.

Answer 2

The only non-SLR that a pro might consider using as a backup to a regular SLR or DSLR that I know of is the Canon Powershot G10. The thing is, it costs $450 when you can find one. You need a decent lens and the larger size sensor and you will find both in the G10. It has full manual controls and it can also capture images as RAW files, which can be important to a pro. For that kind of money, though, you might consider a Nikon D40 with the "basic" 18-55 lens, which costs exactly the same amount. This way, if your sales take off, you can add Nikon lenses to your kit and still use them if you upgrade to a better body in the future. I see that B&H has used D40's with this lens for $350, so there you go. The camera is a refurbished camera and comes with a 90 day warranty. You might be able to purchase an extended warranty also, if this concerns you. I just saw about 50 images that were in a local photo contest. Entrants included adults and also had a "youth" division. Sadly, some of the shots that were of the best subjects and were wonderfully composed were useless as far as commercial potential. This was because they were taken with point and shoot cameras with small sensors and cheaper lenses and both of these factors really degrade image quality. You could see the fuzziness factor and the dreaded purple fringe in almost all of these images. They just made me think, "What a shame the photographer didn't have a little bit better equipment. That would have been a beautiful image if they did." I certainly wouldn't have paid ten cents for most of the images in this contest if they were for sale. The ones made with an SLR looks miles better than the rest of the pack.

Answer 3

I would get an SLR camera. If you can afford a digital SLR buy one, but if that is too expensive a film SLR will serve you just as well, although it will cost more in the long run due to developing the films.

SLR stands for Single Lense Reflex. What it means is that when you look through the viewfinder you see the view as it comes through the lense. What happens is the light comes through the lense and then bounces off some mirrors inside the camera - and out though the viewfinder. When you push the shutter release the mirror flips out of the way and allows the light to hit the film or sensor (if you are using a digital SLR).

So why do you want an SLR? There are several reasons..

1. You can change the lenses. e.g. you can have super zoom lense so you can take close up photos of the moon or an eagle in its nest - or on the other end of the scale a wide angle lense that will allow you to capture the interior of a church. The best option to start with though is to go for the standard 50mm lense (or 50 mm 'equivalent' on digital SLRs). The reason is that it is a very cheap lense that gives very high quality images and is also fast (i.e. it can let in a lot of light when the light conditions are dim, for example when it is evening time or inside a building). It also captures a scene in very similar proportions to the way our eyes see things.

2. It is fully manual. This means you can do stuff like use 'aperture priority mode' which means you can set the opening of the aperture (which lets in light) - and the camera will automatically set the correct shutter speed. If the aperture is opened up really wide you can create a shallow depth of field and a fast shutter speed. If the aperture is closed right down so it is very tiny, then you can create a very large depth of field with a slower shutter speed. This is when using a Tripod becomes especially important.

3. You can add your own flash unit/s. You can even use cables so that you can have the flash unit off the camera so that it bounces off the subject from an angle (good for creating more interesting portraits). Or you can bounce the flashlight off (especially white) ceiling or walls to give the photo a more natural look. I don't have much experience of flash photography - because the expense of the equipment can become prohibitive - but also I am more of a nature and landscape photographer. If you want to photograph people you will definitely need to use flashes and learn the 'craft' of flash photography. It is a subject in itself.

4. You get to see the scene as the lense sees it. I already discussed this.

Good luck!

Answer 4

Don't even bother going for a film camera If you want a professional camera for low cost get yourself a Nikon D100 as their now an old model you can get one second hand with a lens for around £200 to get started a short zoom lens will be more than adequate make sure you get a filter for the lens a UV one will do it'll protect the delicate lens surface from scratches most cameras will allow you to change the ISO setting use a lower iso in bright light and a higher one in low light a pro camera will come with a program (automatic mode) where you just point and shoot this is a great mode of you just want to take pictures straight away
join up to your local photographic club most towns have one you can meet up with other likeminded people you can get lots of tips and advice from other members on what camera to buy and everyone gets the chance to show of their photography

Answer 5

My advice is rather different.

I would not suggest an SLR, whether digital or film. I would suggest a fixed focal lens camera, which will force you to understand and explore the capabilities and limitations of working with a single focal length. Some of the great photographers of the last century used mainly one lens. Cartier Bresson used mainly a 50mm with the occasional wide angle. At this stage, your concern should be to understand photography and photographic processes, not to surround yourself with over-elaborate kit. Having a simple setup is a freedom in itself, in many important ways, rather than a constraint. If you need to zoom in or out, use your feet.

Whether you choose film or digital is up to you. There are cases to be made either way, but be cautious of those who propose one and dismiss the other. They are alternatives, not competitors. However, understanding traditional photographic processes will not be a wasted effort, and it can be too easily forgotten that film is highly sophisticated and capable as an image recording medium. Digital offers rapid feedback. Film offers some truly fabulous quality. My preference is for film, but it is a personal preference of someone who also has a heavy investment in digital imaging kit.

The suggestions for manual-control cameras you have already had are good. You need to be comfortable with how photography works, so that it is second nature, in the same way that you gain skills in riding a bicycle; once you have the proficiency, you can virtually forget about trying to keep your balance, and concentrate on where you are going and what you are seeing.

Keep it simple. Learn it thoroughly. When you have done that, you will buy your next stage camera and lenses wisely, and you will be a better photographer.

Always remember the old Latin motto: 'festina lente' (hasten slowly).

Answer 6

As a basic start, I would not recommend a digital SLR or a film camera. The digital SLR route is quite expensive, and once you have the camera you will want ot buy all sorts of lenses and accessories for it. The film option would be a good learning experience, but it is not forgiving as you cannot delete a poor shot and take another. You would have to learn how to use a darkroom, which can be a bind, but would be good experience for learning about lighting and exposure.

I would recommend to start with a pro-sumer camera. The FujiFilm range of cameras offer very good quality images. I started with the Fuji S5000, and got very good results. It still gave me the full range of manual settings, but at a fraction of the cost.

I would recommend the Fuji S5700. It is going for around the £100 mark at the moment. If you do buy this camera, you will find a lot of help, advice and support from the www.S5000.net forums.

Good luck!

Answer 7

well you don't say your price range , but I would go for a digital SLR , so as you progress you can buy new lenses , use filters and plus you can set the camera controls to what you want , it will also have some pre settings to get you by while your getting to grips with it all.

next essential is a tripod , cheap and cheerful will do you fine for now.

an external flash is always a good thing too , though the camera will most likely have a pop up one built on to it , there never very good if you want to get better results and play around with flash photography .
you may find a good deal on camera and flash as a package .
suggestions would be to stick to Nikon or canon , they both make very good reliable cameras and are basically the only makes that would be considered amongst pro photographers . if you go look at a couple and get another make of SLR and compare it in the flesh you can instantly see what I am talking about.

I personally prefer Nikon for my needs , Alike there lenses too
suggestions for ideal starter SLR would be
links below .

don't go for too high end of the ranges even if you have the money to play with you may get so bogged down with the controls you loose interest.

Answer 8

Professionals still tend to use the traditional 35mm film SLR (single lens reflex) cameras as they give a better depth of field in the prints. The pictures from the less expensive digital cameras tend to be 'flat' with little depth of field. However the up market digital cameras are getting better and picture quality is improving. The advantage with digital is that you can delete the photos you do not want before having them printed.

Answer 9

Hi. Get a good SLR camera body... Lenses depend on the photography you want to do. Prime lenses for studio, macro for close up, zoom for wildlife etc. Get as fast a lens as you can afford(that's the 'f' number... Lower is better).
REMEMBER: an expensive camera wont make you a better photographer the same as an expensive typewriter wont make you a better writer... Learn about light and composition

Answer 10

DO NOT get a film camera. Get a digital camera. Using a digital has the advantage of no cost in processing and you can experiment to your heart's content without costing you a penny.

At your age do not waste your money on a new and expensive digital SLR with interchangeable lenses. In 18 months or so the technology will be out of date. My advice, as a starter, is to buy a second hand SLR with a fixed zoom but with all manual, semi-auto and fully auto features.

Don’t forget that spending money on a camera is only part of the cost. To correct and manipulate images you will need a computer and a pretty good imaging programme. Don’t forget to index any shots you take. Trying to find that brilliant photograph you took six months ago and not knowing where it is, or not being able to find it, is very frustrating.

Next, BUY several books on how to take photographs - do not bother going to the library, you will need to be able to refer to them on a constant basis. I recommend "Starting Photography" by Michael J. Langford, "The Digital Photography Manual" by Philip Anders, and one called “Basic Photo Science – How Photography Works” by H.J. Wells and G.G. Attrige. The first was written before digital, but you should also be fully conversant with the fundamentals of "film" photography as well, it will help you understand the principals of, amongst other things, colour correction. You should also understand there are inconsistencies, for example, although digital SLR’s are based on 35mm film cameras, and the lenses are interchangeable, the focal length of SLR lenses are different when applied to digital.

Stick in at school, photography requires a keen mind – it’s a science as well as an art, in addition, your spelling and grammar is not very good at the moment (but please take this as advice not criticism). To be a professional you have to sell yourself, as well as your photographs, and the best way to get a letter binned is for it to be full of spelling mistakes and grammatical errors. Go to college to learn the basics of photography, evening classes will be fine for you at the moment, and join a camera club, the advice of your fellow hobbyists will be invaluable as you start out.

As you progress then you can spend money on cameras that you understand and which fit your requirements, not those which other people think you need, or indeed, think they understand.