Studio Camera! Which One?? (updated!)

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prince

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Hi,

I was going to go for it and buy a full frame camera (i have a basic nikon d60 with 18-55 vr lens at the moment) with a view to buying some studio kit and trying to earn some money with it.

But.... ive decided to buy a nikon d90 with the 18-105mm vr lens and get a 50mm prime too. Do you think the 18-105mm lens will be ok to start with? Im thinking it will as i will be shooting in f8/f11 mostly anyway?

That way i can get all the other kit i need without having to wait and can upgrade to full frame when/if i need to

Matt
 
Not sure about Nikon lens but I use a 24-105 in my little studio and I find the range is great...

I use it on a FF camera and also a 1.6 crop ...

Hope this is some help..


MD
 
The 18-105 works well enough for what i need, i only have the small Interfit
three head kit but i'm happy with the results i can get...

4514679272_b1531303b4_o.jpg
 
A properly exposed D90 file will give you an amazing A2 print. Coupled with the quality of the 50mm lens it will be all you need. Try that first you may well decide you just dont need FF and all the associated costs
 
Thats the same im thinking. I think people (myself included) spend too much time thinking its all about the kit, when in fact its probably all about the workflow as any current slr should provide decent pics ion a studio environment with the controlled light.

Matt
 
I agree you don't necessarily need full frame, but I'd probably look at a D300 or D300s for the flash sync port and 10-pin - neither of which are available on the D90. The D90 has the same relatively crappy 11 point AF system as the D200 too, not the 51 point 3D Goodness found in the D300/300s/700/3/3s/3x.

The D90's also not really built to take the same demands as a D200/300/300s if you're looking to get more seriously into it as an every day thing.
 
Kaouthia said:
I agree you don't necessarily need full frame, but I'd probably look at a D300 or D300s for the flash sync port and 10-pin - neither of which are available on the D90. The D90 has the same relatively crappy 11 point AF system as the D200 too, not the 51 point 3D Goodness found in the D300/300s/700/3/3s/3x.

The D90's also not really built to take the same demands as a D200/300/300s if you're looking to get more seriously into it as an every day thing.
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Hi,

Thanks for the reply. Just a few questions to your post..

Would i need a rugged body if its only going to be kept indoors in a studio?
Would i need more than 1 af point as i only ever use the middle one anyway
Flash sync port? What is that? I plan to use a wireless trigger?

Matt
 
Using the middle AF point isn't always the best place to be unless your subject's going to be sitting in the center. Many times I've found it's better to shift your AF point to wherever the eyes are going to be in the frame, and just let it AF and shoot.

The sync port may not be required if you're only ever going to be using radio triggers, but it is another way of controlling the flash. I don't use it often on my bodies, but I do occasionally need to use it.

Are you 100% sure you'll always be in the studio with your camera? The lure of location photography becomes too much for some (me included!). The D300s is weather sealed, the D90 is not.
 
prince said:
Would i need a rugged body if its only going to be kept indoors in a studio?
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How rough are you with your kit? The D300s is a more rugged body but it is going to eat up some of your lens money!

prince said:
Would i need more than 1 af point as i only ever use the middle one anyway
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I used to point at the location I wanted to focus on, half press the shutter and then re compose too. This is OK but if you are going mainly people standing up you often end up with space above their heads. It takes longer to re-compose too.

prince said:
Flash sync port? What is that? I plan to use a wireless trigger?
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You will not need this with the radio triggers.
 
cowasaki said:
How rough are you with your kit? The D300s is a more rugged body but it is going to eat up some of your lens money!

Im very careful with my stuff almost possessively:nuts:



I used to point at the location I wanted to focus on, half press the shutter and then re compose too. This is OK but if you are going mainly people standing up you often end up with space above their heads. It takes longer to re-compose too.

What is the best way to focus as i was thinking of just using f11 and having it all in focus but then i wouldnt get the sharp eyes?


You will not need this with the radio triggers.
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No, in the studio the exposure is controlled pretty much by your aperture. You set your camera's speed to match the flash system and adjust the aperture.

You can't just point the camera in the general direction and hope for a good shot, you need to be focusing on the eyes. If your subject is standing up, for example, I would use a focus point near the top so that as you have the point on the eyes as you move the camera round. Especially if your subjects are moving you will find that you don't have time to re-compose or you just end up with the head in the middle and lots of space above.
 
prince said:
Im very careful with my stuff almost possessively
Click to expand...

So am I, but accidents happen. Are you planning on not having insurance too, just because you're careful? :)
 
other than the af advantages of a camera higher than a d90, if you're shooting at f8-11 with the same lens in a studio you'd be very hard pressed to notice the difference of the images (resolution aside) between a d60, d90 or d300...

saying that, if you're looking for a studio camera thats a bit more rugged than a d90, maybe have a look at the fuji s5? no idea how much they sell for second hand now, but they were once quite the bargain, and the sensor is fantastic.
 
saying that, if you're looking for a studio camera thats a bit more rugged than a d90, maybe have a look at the fuji s5? no idea how much they sell for second hand now, but they were once quite the bargain, and the sensor is fantastic.
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Thats why I bought one! They are getting a bit sought after now, £475 up fir a decent one (more still on ebay)

Theres a corker here that everyone seems to have missed cos its not in the Nikon section!

http://www.talkphotography.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=242923

Only downside is the native sensor speed of 100 ISO but no problem if your flash is up to it.

The D90 is hardly flimsy though!!! And I never needed any better af for taking people pictures, locks on solidly every time, even more so with a 50 f1.8
 
I think the D300(S) would be better just for the more versatile focus system, as focus and recompose would quickly become a pita imho. ;) :LOL:

Also, you say you're planning on getting a 50mm f1.8 as well, will this only be used with flash? If so then I would save the £100 or so and put it towards the camera, if you plan to use it for shallow depth of field shots then the focus system of the D300(S) become even more beneficial as focus and re-composing using the central focus point may give incorrectly focussed images at very wide apertures.

Add to the fact that the D300(S) is a more rugged camera built to a 'professional' standard (component wise) more suited to a working environment and I think it would be the better choice to go with imho.


PS I would like the safety of the dual card system of the D300S if my business was relying on the images I took. That is why the top of the range DSLRs have them after all. ;) :LOL: I'm sure many have had no problems after many years of studio work losing images, but better to have it than not.
 
Call me a snob, but I dont think an 18-105 is good enough for paid work. D90 with a prime would be.
 
Call me a snob, but I dont think an 18-105 is good enough for paid work.
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OK you're a snob!:LOL:

Thing is a properly focussed and exposed image from this lens at F8 will produce an image far better than Joe public will have seen before, and as such will be fine. Also printing at around A4 is not really too much of a challenge for any lens, and most pictures are that size or smaller (or canvass in which case it matters even less!!!)
 
cambsno said:
Call me a snob
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You're a snob. ;) :LOL:

Seriously, I agree, and I'd have the 16-85mm as a slight improvement quality/build wise, but then that is not top quality either for critical studio work. You have to start somewhere though and work with what you have/can afford and see if it is good enough. :shrug:

Hopefully one can work beyond any perceived limitations of the equipment. After all, if the image is good enough nobody (in real life, apart from here of course ;) :LOL:)) asks what equipment was used.
 
cambsno said:
Call me a snob, but I dont think an 18-105 is good enough for paid work. D90 with a prime would be.
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D90 18-105 user here & customers seem happy enough to pay ( but i'm only a part timer ) a gazillion focus points shouldn't make a huge difference at f11ish as long as you're not zoomed right in :shrug:
 
redhed17 said:
I think the D300(S) would be better just for the more versatile focus system, as focus and recompose would quickly become a pita imho. ;) :LOL:

Also, you say you're planning on getting a 50mm f1.8 as well, will this only be used with flash? If so then I would save the £100 or so and put it towards the camera, if you plan to use it for shallow depth of field shots then the focus system of the D300(S) become even more beneficial as focus and re-composing using the central focus point may give incorrectly focussed images at very wide apertures.

Add to the fact that the D300(S) is a more rugged camera built to a 'professional' standard (component wise) more suited to a working environment and I think it would be the better choice to go with imho.


PS I would like the safety of the dual card system of the D300S if my business was relying on the images I took. That is why the top of the range DSLRs have them after all. ;) :LOL: I'm sure many have had no problems after many years of studio work losing images, but better to have it than not.
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What other way is there? Surely you dont mean let the camera decide which af point to use as they arent always reliable. I had a few times using mulltiple af points taking portraits outside and it didnt focus on the eyes , it focused on the nose.

Matt
 
prince said:
What other way is there? Surely you dont mean let the camera decide which af point to use as they arent always reliable. I had a few times using mulltiple af points taking portraits outside and it didnt focus on the eyes , it focused on the nose.

Matt
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The many more focus points of D300(S) compared to the D90 (51 points to 11 points) would let you pose the scene how you wanted in the viewfinder and use a focus point closest to where you want to focus with, hopefully with minimal re-composing. Generally, and even more so in a studio, the subject would stay in a similar position in the viewfinder, so use the point that covers that area.

The photographer controls where the camera focuses, not the camera. ;)

There have been a few threads over the last few weeks regarding using focus points over the last few weeks (choosing points or central point and re-composing), and people seemed to stick with what has worked for them, which is fine, but at least consider the alternatives. ;)
 
I have mine on centre focus, focus on the eyes then compose the shot.
'Fraid i cant be a*sed moving the arrow keys on 11 focal points let
alone 51. I have tried it, i just find it too much messing around for me.
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+1
 
I regret not getting the package instead of just getting the body on its own :(
 
Hi,

Well... I've been on the internet most of the day, reading reviews and stuff like that and have narrowed it down to the following for which will be solely used in a studio environment. I have no camera bias as im not that financially involved, yet anyway...

  1. Nikon D90 + 18-105mm VR + Nikon 85mm F1.8 Prime = £1045.98
  2. Nikon D90 + Nikon 16-85mm VR = £994.99
  3. Canon 50d + 17-85mm IS + Canon 85mm f1.8 = £1200.99
  4. Canon 50d + Canon 15-85mm IS = £1138.99

So taking the above as my four choices, would i get a better setup by spending more on a zoom lens (as the 16-85mm is better than the 18-105mm and the 15-85mm IS is better than the 17-85mm IS) or would i not tell much difference in the cheaper lenses? (if so i may as well get a prime out of my budget aswell?)

OR Would one of the following be a better bet (better body but cheaper lens)

  1. Nikon D300s + 18-105mm VR = £1274.99
  2. Canon 7d + 17-85mm IS = £1469.99
  3. Nikon D300s + 16-85mm VR = £1494.99

BUT

If i buy one of the more expensive options im getting close to full frame territory. I could spend £2500 on a camera setup but would have to economise on other things, so would you say any of the above options would be best to start with and then move to FF when its needed or just to go for FF from the off and purchase one of the following? If so which one?

  1. Nikon D700 + 24-120mm VR = £2199.99
  2. Canon 5d MkII + 24-105mm L F4 = £2318.99

I can imagine you think im a nutter at the moment :nuts:, but im just trying to start of the best i can and not regret a purchase. To me i look at the orices above and think , well if im gonna spend £1400 on a 7d etc i may as well spend £2200 on a d700 kit , but is that the right option? Would a d90 with the 16-85mm give me a good start and produce good images etc etc? Would the D300s with the 16-85mm VR give me a better result than the d700 with that lower quality lens??

Thanks in advance for any input you have!

Matt
 
Hi, this is my first post on here, and I don't profess to be have anywhere close to many of the other members experience, so please be kind. :wave:

If you're looking to spend around £2.4K on a decent kit, why not go for a D300s, and combine it with a 24-70 F2.8. This will give you a very decent body and one of the best mid range lenses on the market, and will be built to last!! Yes a D700 is more capable at High ISO, but seeing as you intend to use it in a studio, then I assume that there's some cash in the budget for lighting/strobes, so the ISO issue shouldn't raise it's head (the D300 is pretty good up to ~ISO1000 in any case).

Cheers

Aled
 
Aledafis said:
Hi, this is my first post on here, and I don't profess to be have anywhere close to many of the other members experience, so please be kind. :wave:

If you're looking to spend around £2.4K on a decent kit, why not go for a D300s, and combine it with a 24-70 F2.8. This will give you a very decent body and one of the best mid range lenses on the market, and will be built to last!! Yes a D700 is more capable at High ISO, but seeing as you intend to use it in a studio, then I assume that there's some cash in the budget for lighting/strobes, so the ISO issue shouldn't raise it's head (the D300 is pretty good up to ~ISO1000 in any case).

Cheers

Aled
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Hi,

Welcome!

I do have to buy lighting, a new computer etc so would prefer to spend closer to £1000 than £2000 but i could stretch to the higher amount if it was going to give me much better results.

Would there be much difference in image quality between the d90 with 16-85 and the d30s with 16-85?

Matt
 
Im afraid that I haven't used the D90 nor the 16-85, so I can't really comment, but most people will agree that it's the glass that gives your photos the edge, so it might be an idea to consider a D90 and the 24-70 as a good compromise.

The reason I 'm advocating the 24-70 is that a mate of mine uses one, and it really is a lens to die for, you'll never regret buying it, in fact I'm trying to do the man maths to justify one at the moment (but the misses doesn't know it yet).

Cheers

Aled
 
You have ignored the Fuji S5 pro, which as a pure studio camera for portraits still takes some beating. Pro build, used with the 50 f1.8 will give you brilliant results on a low budget so you can save your money for more glass as you need it.
 
Dave Pickett said:
You have ignored the Fuji S5 pro, which as a pure studio camera for portraits still takes some beating. Pro build, used with the 50 f1.8 will give you brilliant results on a low budget so you can save your money for more glass as you need it.
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Hi,

I havent ignored it , i just cant buy one anywhere that is brand new. I want brand new as if it goes wrong i have some comeback. Ive been offered a second hand Nikon d300 (not s version) for £650 but its out of warranty, so wont buy it.

Matt
 
I had an aversion to second hand until I bought my S5 pro on here. You can pick up a decent one for less than £500 with few clicks on it. Stuff is pretty reliable these days.

New ones do appear on ebay now and again but go for £600.......
 
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