which camera for newborn

lovelylass77 said:
What do you think of the canon 1000D - I found this and didnt know http://www.gumtree.com/p/for-sale/canon-eos-1000d-rebel-xs-101-mp--18-55mm-75-300-mm-lenses-stockton/105992572
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A lot of people are happy with the 1000D and it may be perfect for you or you may want something more advanced. My wife has one and she wouldn't want a more advanced one because it does what she wants... Which happens to be baby shots :)

It's a great camera to learn with and it's output is good enough for what you need.

I've found that since upgrading my cameras from using my Dad's 350D to a 500D to a 60D then 5D and 5D mkII, my photos haven't suddenly improved immediately from one to the other, but I feel better having the newer more advanced technology... but a lot of that is feeling you're missing out when really you're not missing much. Just my opinion.
 
lovelylass77 said:
What about the canon 550d is that a bit better?
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The Canon 550D is a great camera and I would recommend it. Just trying to save you money on the 1000D.
 
Could maybe get the 550d on argos account and spread the cost :D - theres a couple of options = can get it with one or two lenses or on its own
 
550D is a much better camera. That will stand you in good stead for a while.

Have you looked at the Nikon range?
 
D3100 is a good camera with great reviews. Nikon and Canon users will always say one is better than the other. I have tried both and to be honest there is not much in it.

All boils down to how a camera handles to you.

Images do seem more natural with a Nikon for me. I prefer the images it produces.

Go to Jessops and 'handle' the cameras. See which you like in the hand
 
http://www.mpbphotographic.co.uk/

This is supposed to be a good site for 2nd hand stuff. Depends if you have the money up front first or not.

http://www.dpreview.com/

This site is great for camera reviews. Check out any model you fancy and have a read up of it first. It can get quite mind boggling though!!!!!

Remember you are buying into a 'system' as regards lenses and the multitude of accessories! Enjoy your research and remember that TP is the best forum around when it come to photography!
 
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We have all been there done that. You choose a camera and are all excited about buying it when all of a sudden you read something about it that gives you doubts. Back to square one! lol

Go have a feel of the cameras first. Check them out.
 
samems said:
D3100 is a good camera with great reviews. Nikon and Canon users will always say one is better than the other. I have tried both and to be honest there is not much in it.

All boils down to how a camera handles to you.

Images do seem more natural with a Nikon for me. I prefer the images it produces.

Go to Jessops and 'handle' the cameras. See which you like in the hand
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I agree.

I had a brief play on a D3100, and the 550D, Although I personally prefer the canon, both are great starter cameras in my opinion, a lot of good features for the money.
 
Get a crop body and a prime. But handle them first.
Seriously, you need to learn to crawl first. Spending silly money to start will set you expectation of perfect pictures (wont happen, sorry) and you will quickly become frustrated and probably end up giving up before you have started.
Get a decent secondhand body (Canon/Nikon/Sony whatever) for a few hundred quid and spend a 100-150 on a nice prime.
That will keep you going for a long long time and give you a great foundation to build on. THEN you decide what you need to accomodate your 'style' (you might not like zooms or might not like primes, best not to find out the expensive way) - everyone has a 'style' this is nothing to do with gear or your budget either, it's an individual thing that you will figure out - this bit takes TIME.
People put way to much emphasis on gear around here IMO. Suggesting 2K+ on gear but the OP is asking what aperture is (???)
Learned more on my cheapo D3000 and 35mm prime than I probably will for the rest of my years taking pics.
 
You should definitely wait until after the 21st.

Whilst it seems completely counter-intuitive to me for someone to want to become a newborn photographer (which is effectively saying a specialist professional photographer) and not have either the basic understanding of photography, or a suitable camera - I'm not saying you couldn't.

You'll probably invest 2-3x as much in non-camera gear as you do your first body and lens - so as long as you budget well for everything you need then the model of camera, and lenses or initial lens are going to fall out of the equation.

Critically you are going to have to put your 3rd Party Liability, and possibly your Professional Indemnity insurance high up the list as you will advertising costs - as these will eat into your budget for kit.

I'd almost suggest seeing if you could borrow or rent a camera for your 1:1 workshop rather than buying and get to both see what you might need as well as understand the newborn photography business in more detail before committing on the exact model and lens(es) you buy.

Fundamentally if you want to shoot newborns (as a business) then despite what you might *want*, or any future upgrade path you might want to take you can shoot and sell newborn photographs with the basic current DSLR cameras from any of the manufacturers. If you are good at it, and build a strong business then the money you write off from that initial lower end purchase will be insignificant.
 
I have my camera!!! went for the 600D and the 50mm f1.8 lens is getting delivered on Tuesday :)
 
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Are you looking at doing this professionally or is it for fun?

I derive a huge amount of pleasure from taking photo's of my newborn, but my god, the idea of specializing in photographing them as a career! I would go as far as saying my little dude is a hugely demanding subject, he doesn't smile on demand, pulls weird faces that are probably only endearing to me and his mum, he bursts into tears at the wrong moment, decides he is going to be cross eyed for an hour at a time, he also has a tendency to pee and poop whenever he shouldn't. ( three changes of shirt for me already today).

I got into photography specifically to document my child. I opted for a nikon d3100 and an additional 35mm 1.8 prime especially for portrait and baby photo's, so far very happy with the combination.
 
The 650D is a fantastic camera. You could get away with less but it'll future proof you for a long time.
 
I'd forget the professional baby photography idea for a while. Like others have said you need to walk before you can run. I'd highly recommend taking a basic photography course. Most colleges in the uk run these 2 hours a week for 6-8 weeks. Then if you decide you like photography you can take the more advanced course which deals with studio lighting and other more advanced techniques.

These will give you a good introduction which you can grow from.

As far as the baby photography goes, that ain't easy. I shoot adult models quite a lot and love doing it. A couple of weeks ago a friend asked if I could do some baby pics for her...... Sure I said, how hard can it be! It was the hardest photography assignment I ve had to deal with. I know my cameras inside out, but this wasn't the problem..... Babies do exactly what they want, and like the dad said in the previous post it's tough. I did get some good shots, but boy did I have to work for them.
 
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I love doing newborn shoots, they are so rewarding for me but you need to do your research and learn safe posing etc. These sessions do last a lot longer than my family sessions generally do so you need to have patience. I have an 8 day old coming in tomorrow.

If you are planning on shooting professionally or even semi pro backup equipment & a second body is a must as well as buckup gear. If you get a fault and can't complete the newborn shoot, imagine how you would feel, let alone the the client. The kit I use are 2 D700's with a 24-70 f2.8 on one and the 105 macro on the other. Many togs use the 50mm f1.4 or f1.2 shooting Canon.

Insurance is a must and you will find that you become obsessed with sourcing props and materials, but it is all part of the challenge to come up with new ideas for images.

Good luck
 
Adam_K said:
I love doing newborn shoots, they are so rewarding for me but you need to do your research and learn safe posing etc. These sessions do last a lot longer than my family sessions generally do so you need to have patience. I have an 8 day old coming in tomorrow.

If you are planning on shooting professionally or even semi pro backup equipment & a second body is a must as well as buckup gear. If you get a fault and can't complete the newborn shoot, imagine how you would feel, let alone the the client. The kit I use are 2 D700's with a 24-70 f2.8 on one and the 105 macro on the other. Many togs use the 50mm f1.4 or f1.2 shooting Canon.

Insurance is a must and you will find that you become obsessed with sourcing props and materials, but it is all part of the challenge to come up with new ideas for images.

Good luck
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I agree with all of this!! My specialty is newborn photography and I have more of a prop obsession that I do for cameras and lenses! :bonk:

It seems you have your camera sorted and the lens, the next step would be a backdrop stand, blankets, posing beanbag and possibly flooring. Then if you are anything like me you will want baskets, buckets, rugs, hats, wraps, etc etc as well to help aid your newborn sessions! I still don't have anywhere near as many props as I would like as it really is an expensive business. The hats alone are at least £10 each if you want nice quality and texture to compliment the baby! :LOL: Oh I forgot a crucial tool for newborn photography - a travel heater you will need one of those! Though I do admit I am back to using a hairdryer as my own heater broke :LOL:
 
I know what you mean about all the other baby bits!! I am obsessed with looking at everything!! DO you have any websites I should be visiting??

DO you work from a studio?
 
If you're looking to use natural light then any decent dslr will do with a fixed prime,
If using studio lighting the. A big Softbox and again a decent dslr and kit lens, a 24-70/2.8 will be overkill for studio where you'll be at f/8 or more most of the time.
 
I can't see any difference between my d3s, d800, d5100 with 18-55 or 24-70 in the studio, in many ways the d5100 is better because it's lighter, easier to hold and less of an obstacle between me and the baby
 
lovelylass77 said:
I know what you mean about all the other baby bits!! I am obsessed with looking at everything!! DO you have any websites I should be visiting??

DO you work from a studio?
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There are many many websites! If you are on facebook then I would just type in props in the search box and you will discover them!

I make my own headbands as they are cheaper than buying them. There are a few tutorials on youtube on how to make rolled fabric flowers and things like that (y)

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These are an example of the ones I have made so far!! :LOL:

I have a variety of lovely textured blankets which I use for the backgrounds and I drape them over the beanbag and peg to the stand. I also have a vinyl floor in imitation wood and well those can get addictive also, already planning on getting some more and some backdrop ones too! ;)

I mostly use natural light but I do have 2 large softboxes with continuous light also!
 
Lovelylass I don't have a page for selling the headbands yet because every time I make one I just want to keep it for myself :LOL:

But I can tell you the best place I have seen for purchasing them is a site called littleknitwitz. They are lovely and unique and very reasonably priced too (y)
 
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