Can't decide! DSLR for art student that loves portraits...

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Plasmatic

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I'm aware it's really annoying when people come on here for the first time and ask 'Hey! Tell me what camera takes the best photozz' but I could really do with a bit of help here :)!

I'm 17, and I'm starting an arts degree in September, but that means leaving behind the family DSLR, one I've used and got used to, but have wanted to upgrade from for a while now- it's an olympus e-500. As it's my 18th birthday soon, my parents have offered to buy me a dslr to take to uni with me. I'll probably buy the lenses myself.

My main interest is beauty/fashion portraiture; I adore Rankin, Testino, Demarchelier etc. I have done work in this style in A Level Photography, which I really enjoyed, but it was a creative course so at that point, there was no need for a particular quality of camera.

Now though, I'll be at a purely arts university, so I'll have access to studios, lighting, models, student make up artists, so I really want to make the most of this. I've been reading around for a while now, and one I was interested in was the Nikon D300s. I have a film Nikon SLR which I like, and I have the Nikon AF Nikkor 70-300mm f/4-5.6G lens to go with it. However, as this is the only lens I have, I am in no way committed solely to Nikon for a DSLR!

Anyway, I went to town today to have an actual look, and one person said the D300s would be a really good choice for as a camera primarily for portraiture, and a good progression that will serve me for quite some time.

Then I though I'd pop in another shop and have a look at their range, and the guy there said whilst the D300 was a fine camera, it was probably better suited for sports than portraiture, and recommended the Canon EOS 50d. He seemed to really rate it highly and said it would suit my needs better, so my mind was changed again!

But when I looked at reviews, it seems to be the case that most reviewers agree the D300 has a better image quality, which again confused me.

So, lovely TPers, a gentle shove in the right direction is greatly needed. I've ordered a few recommended books on photography and portraiture, as I'll now have more time to put into photography since I'll be doing an art degree; now I just need a camera. Any recommendations would be splendid!

Ta :)
 
Budget please sir...their are some used D300's on MPB a very highly rated dealer that advertises on here. Nothing wrong with the D200 mor D80 either if budget is tight.
 
Hi and welcome to TP - I've had both the D300 and a 50D, personally i found the D300 was in a different league to the 50D, felt better, more consistent results just everything was better in fact i preferred my old D70s to the Canon D50
 
Thanks for the welcome :)

Yeah, that seems to be the idea I've been getting from the reviews I've been reading today!

If anyone has any other models they feel would suit me better than the two I mentioned, I'd be really interested.
 
Plasmatic said:
Thanks for the welcome :)

Yeah, that seems to be the idea I've been getting from the reviews I've been reading today!

If anyone has any other models they feel would suit me better than the two I mentioned, I'd be really interested.
Click to expand...

Used Canon 5D
 
i would have thought it would be all about the 5D (or fuji s5 pro) for it's full frame sensor, for that sort of use you'll not really need the AF and general speed of the d300. So 5d and 85mm f/1.8 would be my weapon of choice for portraiture.

p.s the tamron 28-75mm f/2.8 apparently makes a great quality, yet relatively cheap, general walkabout lens.
 
Thanks for the link, Foggy, it's a really good site!

I must admit, I hadn't looked at the 5d much, so I'll check it out, and see if there are some second hand ones on Ebay. Yeah, that's what I was told, I don't need the speed of the D300.

Ali, I'm pretty sure it's Canon they hire out :)
 
Canon - 5D classic, when coupled with a nice fast prime (85mm 1.8, 50mm 1.8) it would be amazing for portraits.

Nikon - D300, from what I know it is built much more solidly than the canon 5D, and it also has a FAR superior autofocus system. The angle of view with a 50mm lens would indeed be tighter than on the 5d, as it has a smaller sensor. Also a great camera, with a great selection of lenses available..
 
The 5d is getting a lot of support, so thanks for this suggestion. I'll take a look in classifieds as well!

Thanks so much for all your help guys ^_^
 
I would go for a second hand D300 - will last you for the length of course and have all the things you need, a 300s is OTT unless you need video. Looking at around £650, or if thats too much a D90 would be the next best bet. Chuck in a 50mm 1.8 for £100 and you are all set.
 
Nikon D300 is excellent. I've used it for lots of street portraits/candids often with a Sigma 24-70 f2.8. 35 f2, 50 f1.8/1.4 and 85mm f1.8. Recently moved to full frame D700 and the 85mm excels. I would definately recommend the D300 as a good basis for a system camera. You need to get this camera in your hand and see how good it is for quick, intuitive working, quick autofocus, all main switches at hand.

As a Nikon user I have however taken notice that the Canon 5D would have given me full frame and i've noticed a lot of images, particularly landscapes, in magazines taken on the 5D. I get the impression it is a slower camera in use, older menus, slower AF, maybe best suited to landscapes and probably slower more controlled studio work. I may be wrong, but if you go crop sensor get the D300, if you want to buy into full frame which may cost you more in better lenses go 5D.
 
Very helpful information there :) I'll weigh up the two and see if I can get my hands on the 5d to see how it 'feels'.
 
I have to back up aligibbs point about seeing what lenses are available in your college. Going into photography you are going to spend much more on lenses and lighting than on cameras. And for portraiture they're much more important than the sensor; a good shot at 10-12 megapixels can give fine resolution up to A2+ and much more if the print is going to be viewed from further away.

As for the D300:
It's a fine camera, it's geared more toward sports but it isn't a slouch for portraiture at all.

It's great for quick access to all the controls via switches and dials. The menus on the cheaper cameras are infuriating, and they can really make you look like a right eegit when you're fumbling around looking for a setting.

The image quality is great. There are probably better out there in the likes of the D700, D3 etc. But, as I've said, i've made A2 prints and could've easily pushed it further so it's not really anything to worry about.

Canon (and others) have comparable models at pretty much every level anyway, so I re-iterate my point: check what lenses are going to be available and buy into that system!
 
as much as I love sony's and nikons . I would go for canon 5d mkI + sigma 24-70mm ex dg or 85mm f1.8 . that's the best money spent if you really want to do portraits. but if you really, really, really want to do portraits - get a mamiya 645afd or something like that.
 
Brilliant, two very helpful posts there :)

I've found some well priced, second hand 5d mk I bodies on various sites, so I'll probably place that at the top of my list. Also, I will make sure I confirm with my college that it is canon lenses they have!
 
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