I’m in the market for a new digital still camera (not video) and was wondering what others on this board are using, either for your website or personal use, or both.
Budget wise I’d like to stay under $750. I’m not sure I want the complexity of a DSLR… all I really need is something simple that takes excellent photos with minimal effort.
Re: Hey photographers, what camera do you use?
[QUOTE=msm;113537]I’m in the market for a new digital still camera (not video) and was wondering what others on this board are using, either for your website or personal use, or both.
Budget wise I’d like to stay under $750. I’m not sure I want the complexity of a DSLR… all I really need is something simple that takes excellent photos with minimal effort.[/QUOTE]
What are your specific needs? The secret to good photos is controlling light. I control light with a external speedlite flash on my Canon SLR. Do you want something lightweight or do you want an SLR?
If you want the best of both worlds check out the Olympus PL-3: http://www.photographyblog.com/reviews/olympus_epl3_review/
Re: Hey photographers, what camera do you use?
I vote for Nikon. My D80 does an awesome job. Just as always you need a ton of light, light the background too, red somewhere in foreground, blue in background etc. Photoshop CS6 has improved raw import drastically and lens adjustment / iris blur make a huge difference. But quality-wise Nikon kills. D80 is old model so you can probably find it cheap.
Re: Hey photographers, what camera do you use?
When you have decided what type of camera you would like check out the website dpreview.com. It’s a great camera review site that gives an in depth review of cameras as well as side by side comparisons. I’d actually like to check out those small Sony cameras with the detachable E-mount lenses. They seem to take fast and beautiful photos. Strangely I have all the lenses for it, but haven’t actually bought the camera yet.
For shooting porn I think something with a fast shutter and lets in tonnes of light is important. I use the Canon 7D with a 17-55mm lens. You might want to check out second hand cameras too to stay under budget.
Re: Hey photographers, what camera do you use?
I have two Canons. A MK III and a 60D. Well, three if you count my 20D which is my walk around camera. The 20D is only an 8 megapixel sensor, but with the right lens it provides quite good images. I know people who are shooting with the Canon T3i and getting really good results. I think, if you have a good grasp of lighting and composition, the T3i will be the camera you choose. Plus, it comes with a very good image stabilized lens.
20D Example:
Re: Hey photographers, what camera do you use?
I guess it’s a matter of preferences, as the other guys said key is in good lighting you can take very good quality photos with not expensive camera.
Since i started photography i have always used a Canon, however i have few very good friends pro-photographers who are using Nikons and asked why?.. usual answer is because they started with Nikons.
At the moment am using canon 20d which is a bit dated camera however still able to produce amazing photos and many photographers who upgraded their prime cameras to something like 7d or 5d using 20d as a backup camera and i bet that many guys on here still using older models with amazing effect.
Not sure what camera you are using at the moment however if your current camera is an older Canon or Nikon pro range maybe you should instead getting new cam buy good quality fast lens something like 24-70mm f/2.8L which will make significant difference in photo sharpness and works great i low light scenarios.
They not cheap however before you splash on Canon give a go to Tamaron which is a cheaper brand but not bad at all.
I will be upgrading my camera soon to canon 7d which i had a chance to test many times and will suit perfectly for my needs specially with good quality video recording and even with a crop sensor still deliver amazing quality photos with lots of very useful features and i don’t see the point spending fortune for something like canon 5d mark2
Hope this will be some use to you…so good set lighting decent camera(not necessarily latest expensive model) …and very important in my opinion a good fast lens.
PS. There is a very good book about set lighting for nude photography worth having called “Lighting the Nude” by Steve Luck containing good examples of set lighting techniques and equipment.
Re: Hey photographers, what camera do you use?
Thanks everyone. In regards to what I will use the camera for I suppose it will mainly be for hobby type shots of places, events and family get togethers. Something good in low light is a plus for parties and stuff. There is a chance I may use it to shoot some models, but if I do it would be under some type of continuous light situation since I hate using flashes.
A friend let me use his Canon T2i recently and it wasn’t bad. I’m thinking about buying one of these used and I like that idea of getting a better lens.
I also heard the Sony NEX-5N is a great camera.
I appreciate hearing what others in our biz use so keep those comments coming!
Re: Hey photographers, what camera do you use?
canon 7d is a great deal for stills right now - 1500 for the body at b&h.
100% viewfinder and built like a tank. use mine everyday for stills!
k
Re: Hey photographers, what camera do you use?
Absolutely agree, love this camera, one of the better ones from Canon for a while.
However if you don’t want to spend that much get older model like 20,30,40D or 50D paired with decent lenses you won’t be disappointed.
[QUOTE=YLJ-Karl;113762]canon 7d is a great deal for stills right now - 1500 for the body at b&h.
100% viewfinder and built like a tank. use mine everyday for stills!
k[/QUOTE]
Re: Hey photographers, what camera do you use?
malejunction - yup! the 40D actually has a great reputation for low light shooting so it’s a good choice.
for me, i need 100% viewfinder coverage. hate not seeing what i’m shooting! 
k
Re: Hey photographers, what camera do you use?
I just don’t think I could spend $1,500 for a digital still camera. I think it would be overkill for what I need. And wouldn’t a T2i, T3i or NEX-5 be close in quality to a 7D?
Re: Hey photographers, what camera do you use?
I bought my first DSLR in 2007 or 2008. It was Nikon D5000 and I’m still using it now. The newer version seems to be D5100 and the body is about $600.
D7000 looks good but double price. I would save money and invest in the lens.
Fishy
Re: Hey photographers, what camera do you use?
Check out D90 too. It is a great camera but I decided on D5000 before because it was $500 or $600 cheaper back at that time…D90 is prolly around $800-$900 now
Re: Hey photographers, what camera do you use?
They say the best camera is the one you carry with you to get those unexpected shots so with that in mind I ended up getting a Canon Elph 300 for $149.99 from Best Buy last week. This is one of those tiny cameras, about the size of a credit card. It’s unique because it has a very fast lens… f2.7 on wide angle, so it takes very acceptable shots in low light with no flash. So far I love it!
By the way, this camera was last years model and originally went for $279.99. I think Best Buy made a special purchase because they had a ton of them. I also heard that April is the best month to buy Japanese electronics because its the end of their fiscal year, so if anyone is in the market for a gadget start checking!