What is a "professional" camera? Is there really such a thing?

Question

I submit that any camera in the right hands can make money...

Answer 1

Professional cameras are made with the highest quality parts, and of course the best technology. They are also sealed more securely to resist moisture and dust. The precision of their working parts is superior.

In other words, they're made to stand up to very hard use, wear and tear - which is what real hard working pros give them.

But you're right: any camera - well almost - in the right hands can make money. I know of one very successful fine art photographer who shoots with an old Nikon 8800 point & shoot and swears she'll never need anything "better."

My philosophy is buy what you can afford, and use it to the best of your ability.

Answer 2

You're right. Camera in the right hands can make money. I think the term pro or semi-pro are devised by the manufacturers of the camera itself, and the more pro a camera has, the price range seems to go much higher. Takes Nikon digital D40 (non-pro), D200-300 (semi pro) and D3 and D2H pro. The prices are much different.
I think there's very little different between D 80 and D 200, and the same goes with D 300 and D3.
This makes it very difficult for me to make decision when buying a new digital camera, although I went for the middle of the range which was D 300. Very risky decision because it has just came out and even the Nikon agent in Thailand called me brave.
I think D 3 is much biger and not very convenience to go around taking pictures in the field, but it may be more convenient in the studio, which I'm not taking that kind of pictures anymore. It's almost three times the price of D 300.
In any case, if I have lots of spare money, I would buy them as they are much cheaper then when the digital cameras are newly coming out.
I think basically Nikon made its name from the F series that went to both Korean and Vietnam war, and still functioning after coming back. Those cameras then earned the professional status for their durability. The material that made D 80 and D 200 are different and that's why the price and the professional status were added to them.
Well, that's what I thought!

Answer 3

Until I bought a Nikon 995 digital, every camera I owned was a professional model bought used. Nothing was automatic, although several had built in light meters and one had needle matching. But when I wanted to take a picture I had absolute control over when and how I took the picture. I liked taking quick shots in natural light with high speed film and quick shots of fast happening things outside.
While I really like many features of the 995, it will not take quick pictures - the time to set up the focus and exposure and to capture the image are irritatingly long and while the automatic can be turned off, the capture cannot be avoided. Newer cameras capture images a lot faster.
In digital cameras, true professional cameras still cost thousands of dollars, not hundreds and most have large CCD's that do high speed capture and other circuits that allow taking a lot of pictures quickly (as at a sports event.)
If you are taking pictures in reasonable light or daylight with the camera held steady and of things that are not moving quickly, you can take "professional" pictures with almost any equipment. When you start reaching the limits, you find you can't take the picture you want with an "amateur" camera.

Answer 4

You bring up a good point: In the right hands any camera can produce professional results. But, there is a problem. A professional will have a tougher time when trying to do their thing with anything less than a professional camera. Lets just say you gave a professional photographer a Holga camera, and tell them to bring back stunning results of a tribe in the Amazon jungle during the rainy season. This will be difficult, unless they have a professional camera with water tight seals and other safety measures. But I agree, in the right hands, any camera can produce great images. It is all dependent on the skill of the photographer.

Answer 5

It depends on how you define professional. If you define it as a tool someone uses to earn a living, then yes, there are professional cameras, basically because they are built of better grade materials, and sure you can use any camera for good photos but if you want a camera to last 20 years, and using it everyday, and your livelihood depended on it, you would definitely want to avoid having it break down on you unexpectedly. Professional doesn't necessarily have anything to do with quality.

Answer 6

A proffesional camera is nothing in the hands of a bad photographer but is a useful tool to the proffesional photographer.

I think the best camera out there is the Canon EOS 1d Mark III

Answer 7

By definition, isn't a professional camera one that makes its living in photography?

Just as there are some people using Holga and Diane LoMo cameras to make images to exhibit, there are some acknowledged professionals using $100 point and shoot cameras to make a living. American Photo has an article online listing 15 emerging artists at http://www.popphoto.com/americanphotofeatures/4718/emerging-artists-2007-intro.html There is a list of links on this page. You can check it out if you are curious, but some of them are using very inexpensive cameras to document conditions in war-torn or impoverished regions of the world.

Answer 8

It used to be that a "professional" camera was one that you could drive a nail with and then take a picture with it. I dont think that I would want to do that with any digital camera ever, pro or not. But it's implied that a pro camera is built stronger, will last longer, and act quicker than the consumer counterparts.

But to prove your point check this out
http://www.flickr.com/photos/12093422@N02/2072805162/in/set-72157601709537492/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/12093422@N02/2072747816/in/set-72157601709537492/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/12093422@N02/2072109809/
We were having a photoshoot with the Canon XTi when I decided to pull out my Olympus Pen-EE point and shoot half frame camera from the 60's and snap a few. My scanner doesnt have the greatest resolution but you get the idea.

Answer 9

I agree. I had a camera, my first camera, and it was an Instamatic, and I swear there was a sunset pic in a park with a lake and trees all silhouetted with a lovely canoe going by that could have made a nice post card. At least for that small city.

Answer 10

That is true. Professional cameras usually are built more for the every day wear and tear that other cameras aren't. They usually have better sensors and other tech. specifics like that too. But I agree, it's more about the person and less about the camera.