Camera for Portraits
 

I would like to buy a good camera for my portrait painting. The photographs I have been painting from do not have the detail I need. Can anyone suggest a good camera for painting portraits? A photographer friend of mine suggested the Casio camera that will shortly be coming out that can take 60 photos in a very short time. Any other suggestions? I don't want to spend too much money. The Casio is about $700 and that is pushing the envelope but doable. Thanks. Angie

Angie,

I have moved your thread to the Digital Camera section. There is a great deal of information already available here, so I think it would be of benefit for you to read up.

I would buy a used Nikon D70. Check around and find a good high end camera shop, one that caters to professionals and serious amateurs and I'd be they'd have some good choices. I sold my D70 to a camera shop not long ago, to upgrade to a D80, but the D70 was great too.

Camera
 

Thank you! I didn't know there were camera shops and that one could buy a used camera. Also, would a Nikon D70 be a good camera to buy for someone who really only knows how to push a button? I'm willing and eager to learn but I know very little about using a camera. I work many hours a day and don't know when I'd find the time except during the summer.

A photographer friend of mine recommended the Casio that will be sold soon and can take 60 pictures in rapid succession. Have you heard about that camera?

Angie

Angie, It all depends how much you are willing to spend on a good camera. A used D70 will suffice but you need to get a 85mm 1.4 lens. This lens is excellent for portraits and is recommended by most professional photographers. I would think on getting a 70-200 2.8 VR zoom and a 28mm 2.8. Having these in hand you are set for all types of situations and photos. Get a good book that will simplify photography for you and you are all set.

I hope this helps and all the best to you

Angie,

I think Michele's suggestion is a good one. The D70s has been out long enough that there are plenty of used ones on the market. The following link is an example I found on ebay after a 30 second search. There are hundreds of them to choose from. If you are not ebay proficient I would check your local photo shop.

http://cgi.ebay.com/Nikon-D70s-6-1-M...QQcmdZViewItem

This camer: DSLR, is a much better choice than any point and shoot variety. The learning curve would be not much different than it would be for the Casio, or any other new camera. Also, the ability to shoot many pictures in rapid succession is not really something that will benefit you in this work, but if it appeals to you the D70 is up to that task.

I have shot the D70 for about 4 years now and think it is all the camera a portrait artist would ever need. There are newer, more featured camera now on the market, but we have to remember that we are not creating photographs as an end result, but as a point of departure.

I have also use my D70 with the with the standard kit lens and find that it works pretty well in most circumstances. Lens envy is an easy thing to fall into. I wish I had one of the good fast lenses, but fact is they cost as much or more than my camera. I say get as good a lens as you can afford. If a kit lens is all you can afford then strap it on and go out with the confidence that you can get the job done. It's more about the mind behind the camera than the equipment.

I have shot enough good photographs with this set up to be confident that if I do my job well enough, the camera and lens are up to the task.

Thanks so much for your input, Michele, Mischa and Mike. I ran into a professional photographer at Costco the other day and he says he also likes the Canon Rebel and feels it competes with the Nikon. Costco has good prices and I'm a bit afraid to buy a used camera. Have you ever used a Canon?

Angie

Angie,

There are more than a handful of major players in the digital photography market. Canon is certainly one of the biggest and makes a fine camera. It's like arguing between Ford and Chevy. Usually, however, when you make your selection as to Canon, Nikon, Panasonic etc., you become locked in to that brand because of the interchangeable lenses. We tend to gather up a few lenses over time and they don't move from one brand to the other very well, so we make our upgrades within that same brand so that our lenses will still be useful.