New studio camera!

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amyliz

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hello everyone.

ive been bad for a while but back on my feet and looking to purchase somne kit.

i have narrowed it down to the following that will be used 99% of the time for studio work..

  • Canon 50d
  • Canon 5d MkII
  • Sony A850
  • Sony A900
  • Canon 7d
  • Pentax K20d/K7d

I can afford to buy either of these and get a few very good lenses. I have ommited Nikon purely for the fact that i cant afford the 24.6mp D3x and the others are only 12mp which i think is too low compared to the others to consider.

Any ideas/thoughts/experiences to share on helping me make my decision?

Amy
 
The Canon 7D is my favouite out the lot. You can command other Canon Speedlights with it which you cant do with the others. 18mp is fairly good, even though the 5D Mark 2 has 21. The 50D is good as well, but if you can afford it go with the 7D.
 
Someone will soon point out that there is far more to consider than the megapixels and probably go into great detail for you.

But out of the options you provided,
I would go for the 5DII for sure.
Im not so sure about the Sonys but the 50D and 7D are very different compared to the 5DII
 
If it were for me to use in a studio all the time, it would be the 5DII
 
fezzr said:
Someone will soon point out that there is far more to consider than the megapixels and probably go into great detail for you.

But out of the options you provided,
I would go for the 5DII for sure.
Im not so sure about the Sonys but the 50D and 7D are very different compared to the 5DII
Click to expand...

Hi,

I know megapixels are only part of it but i dont want resolution ever to be a problem.

Why would you choose the 5dmkII? just out of interest?
 
Gotta be the 5D MK2. You don't need a crop sensor for studio stuff. The 5 has fabulous colour and contrast. Produces stunning results when paired with good glass. I assume in the studio you already have lighting setup so the remote flash firing of the 7D will be redundant.
 
Hi Trevor,

So the 5dmkII it seems to be. WHich glass would you pair with it? An 85mm f1.8 prime? or would the 24-105mm f4 be good enough for portrait?

Still undecided whether to go for prime or zoom yet
 
for studio, i will be going for the 24-105 as it gives a large range, and is quality glass so will still be sharp.

if i was shooting outside or weddings the 24-70 2.8 is a very popular choice.

i will also have a nifty fifty (50mm 1.8) for shallow DOF too.
 
amyliz said:
Hi Trevor,

So the 5dmkII it seems to be. WHich glass would you pair with it? An 85mm f1.8 prime? or would the 24-105mm f4 be good enough for portrait?

Still undecided whether to go for prime or zoom yet
Click to expand...

If you're shooting in a studio, then I would imagine that you'd be stopped down quite a bit anyway, so the 24-105 would be a good choice.
 
I'd start with the 24-105mm, gives you more options. Maybe add the 85mm later. f4 is plenty fast enough for studio work and you'll probably shoot a lot of stuff at f8 and over anyway.
 
Hi,

Ive just looked on the internet and i could afford the 5dMkII and 24-105 kit and the 85mm so i could have the best of both worlds then.

Thanks for your input

Amy
 
I'll be different, Sony A850.

As much rez as the D3x
Wonderfully bright viewfinder
Good dynamic range
AF Zeiss primes.
 
amyliz said:
Hi,

Ive just looked on the internet and i could afford the 5dMkII and 24-105 kit and the 85mm so i could have the best of both worlds then.

Thanks for your input

Amy
Click to expand...

what other studio gear will you be pairing this with? Just out of interest.
 
what are you shooting? Fabrics pose different issues to flesh, or glass, which may alter your choice

What is the target media?
Canvas, print, magazine - will all need different quality images.. this may alter your choices too
 
Richard King said:
what are you shooting? Fabrics pose different issues to flesh, or glass, which may alter your choice

What is the target media?
Canvas, print, magazine - will all need different quality images.. this may alter your choices too
Click to expand...

Id go sony 1900
 
Megapixel ain't everything - the Nikon D300S is still probably one of the best cameras of the digital age. The resolution is immensely good and it's a really solid, reliable piece of kit. It's also a case of what feels comfortable to use. Personally, I find Canon's a real ball-ache because they're so badly laid out.

If you're looking at a 5Dmk2 then consider the Nikon D700 also - amazing quality.

Look at it this way, good glass will make a huge difference - put crap glass on a high MP body and you've defeated the object.
 
Just another vote for the 5D-II / 24-105 Combo

The full-frame sensor is just great at gathering light. I know a few people with 24-105's have complained about quality but I've found mine to be exceptionally sharp... so sharp that I often cut my fingers putting it on the camera :lol:

The zoom range also gives you the versatility of shooting wide for groups of people or zoomed for individuals.

Example picture with this combo below:

Pic4.jpg


Canon EOS 5D-II | 24-105L f4
1/200th Sec @ f8 | ISO 200 | Manual Exposure
580EX-II Main light with reflector | 430EX Fill Light with shoot-through
Processed and toned with Lightroom
 
Another vote for 5d mk2 but I would prefer, in a studio, to use primes rather than a zoom :)
 
specialman said:
Megapixel ain't everything - the Nikon D300S is still probably one of the best cameras of the digital age. The resolution is immensely good and it's a really solid, reliable piece of kit. It's also a case of what feels comfortable to use. Personally, I find Canon's a real ball-ache because they're so badly laid out.

If you're looking at a 5Dmk2 then consider the Nikon D700 also - amazing quality.

Look at it this way, good glass will make a huge difference - put crap glass on a high MP body and you've defeated the object.
Click to expand...

The reason i want 15mp or more is that i have seen some shots with a D700 and yes they were of very very good quality , sharp as anything but zoominto the eyes for example and they just werent as good detail wise as a 15mp camera that i compared it to (50d)
 
amyliz said:
The reason i want 15mp or more is that i have seen some shots with a D700 and yes they were of very very good quality , sharp as anything but zoominto the eyes for example and they just werent as good detail wise as a 15mp camera that i compared it to (50d)
Click to expand...

The picture of my daughter I posted above I have printed out onto canvas at 24" x 16". 21mp is awesome in terms of the details captured and it also affords you the ability to crop pictures whilst retaining decent resolution.

100% crop of eye:
_MG_1715_crop.jpg


Having said that, when you print out a picture that large, you have to step back a few paces to look at it - then you can't see the pixel detail. The only place where you'll usually see the difference is on your computer monitor when viewing at 100%.

I have other canvas prints which I have produced from my (6mp) EOS 10D and you'd be hard-pushed to tell it apart from the 21mp camera at normal viewing distances until you press your nose up against it.

What I'm trying to say is that a decent sensor size and a decent lens is far more important than the megapixels it captures. For example, an EOS 5D MkI (12mp) with L-glass on front will outperform a 50D in terms of image quality.
 
Another vote for 5D2 here. From what you've said it seems to fit the bill for you pretty well.

As for lenses the 50mm f/1.8 through to f/1.2 are highly regarded as are the 85mm's.
The 24-70 and 24-105 are also often used in studio work. The 24-70 of course can lend itself more easily to more challenging lighting conditions when out of the studio as well.
But, one that hasn't been mentioned is the 70-200 range. They are excellent lenses for head + shoulder or plain headshots with good quality and if you got the plain old f/4 then it's "cheap" as well.

Good luck with whatever you decide.
Tom N.
 
Before you splash, go to a shop and handle the K-7 with three or four of the Limited primes. Have a feel of it and do a bit of shooting. Humour me. :)
 
Cameras and lenses don't make the photograph. The photographer does. All the cameras you noted will produce top quality results in the right hands. I too however would go for the 5DII (cause I'll be hopefully getting one at some point).

I use the 24-105 in the studio and it's a fantastic lens.

Regards the 7D as stated above the flah commander would be pretty much redundant in a studio set up. Use of wireless triggers would be better.
 
I would go FF so that's the 5D MkII or an A850/A900 depending upon your other needs.
 
Oooo interesting thread. I use the 50D & 24-105 for studio work (kids & families). Love them! This is the first I've heard of the benefits of full frame. Mr Rudesing is hiding the credit cards as I speak
 
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