Best camera & printer for my own professional-looking shots?

Question

Best camera & printer for my own professional-looking shots?

Answer 1

You are on the right track for printers. The Epson Photo printers are widely used by professional photographers and studios because of the high image quality. The six cartridge systems give superior color prints but the ink can get expensive. The good news is that, for most Epson models, the software monitors the ink for you very well and there is very little waste.



Your camera question is a little bit trickier. Cameras are a very personal thing based on -

1) What you want to be able to do.

2) How "technical" you want to get.

3) How a particular model "feels" to you.

4) Your budget.



I would look at a good quality, recent "Prosumer" model camera. The Fuji FinePix S700 because it is a good quality brand, with lots of functions and features and good automatic settings at a reasonable price (about $200 in U.S.) .



It has a good flash (excellent range) and would be a good "take along" camera for use even if you really get into photography and decide to get into fancy DSLR's in the future. This would leave you enough money to buy some basic studio lights if you wanted to get them.



For a fairly objective review of the camera check out Steve's Digicams (link provided) review. The section called Steve's Conclusion will have a summary and a list of places to buy.

There are also reviews of many other good cameras at his site.



Hope this helps. Email if you have more questions or need help.



P.S. Good brands, in alphabetical order -

Canon, Fuji, Leica (big $$$$), Nikon, Olympus, Panasonic, Pentax & Sony (???).



IMO: Best for "Prosumer" Canon, Fuji & Olympus

Answer 2

I strongly advise that you don't buy an ink jet printer as the cost of ink and printing is astronomical. You should be able to get good quality pictures from the camera you have now but if you want a semi-professional you should look at getting a Canon Xt Rebel (7 mp) or Xti Rebel (10 mp) which are single lens reflex digital cameras.

http://www.digitalreview.ca/cams/NikonD70versusRebelXT.shtml



You should also buy a sturdy tripod. If you want a good zoom lens for one of these cameras, that would set you back another $300-$500 although the Canon Xt and Xti comes with a good zoom lens suitable for portraiture.

Answer 3

What kind of camera do you have now? The reality is you can't get a camera like a professional would use unless you drop a big chunk of bank account.. AFAIK, no camera has a setting that says "good reliable wedding shots." You might want to think about an entry level dSLR at the very least. A point and shoot is not going to give you the results your cousin is hoping for. Of course, by placing her photography in untrained hands, she is very likely to be dissapointed no matter what camera you use. Not to be harsh, but the lack of a suitable camera is not really the biggest problem. You don't know the tech stuff, but you do understand what makes a good picture? Having an "eye" is not enough for weddings, you need the tech stuff too. It's one thing to do your first wedding shoot for a friend or family for free (yes, free) but another to consider jumping into the business "somehow", which evidently means with no equipment, skill, or training. Your studio experience may help you with understanding lighting and some posing, which is a start. Translating that knowledge to produce great wedding images, especially without good equipment and understanding of the technical elements involved will be a problem, I'm afraid. Shooting weddings as a business ain't brain surgery, but does require a good bit of preparation, knowledge, practice, and expensive equipment x2. Two of everything, three of some things. A fast, powerful computer. Expensive image working programs and plug-ins. A sound business understanding. Great portfolio. Wonderful people skills. Most of this can be learned with time and dedication, but not instantly and not all during one wedding. Good luck, hope it goes well and both you and she are happy with the results.

Answer 4

$1000 won't begin to make a dent in the cost of a pro-quality studio set-up -- I wouldn't even bother.



For $72 you got what you paid for. If you want better, hire a better photographer.

Answer 5

about any 7.1mp or above digital camera.

i have the poloroid 5.1 for my use and a epson 825 stylus photo printer and its dynamite



and canon and epson make some of the best most dependable printers

find the ones you like the way they work go to the sites for specs.

with it being xmas alot of them are offering discounts and rebate specials

Answer 6

Nikon camera

HP printer

Answer 7

Printer: right now Epson has some specials. Go to http://www.epsonstore.com They had a photo printer for $75 yesterday and also sell the 13x19" printers too.



I would argue against getting a 13"x19" printer unless you're prepared to make a substantial investment in inks and paper and routinely need to print larger than 8.5" wide. Most people never go larger than 8 x 10 or notebook paper 8.5" x 11".



A 13" x 19" printer will also be pretty large and take up a lot of space. So, carefully evaluate your needs before getting it.



For printers, stick with Epson or Canon photo printers; they are the best.



As for the camera...that will depend on your needs. I would suggest a Nikon D40 or Canon EOS Digital Rebel XT to start, because those cameras are available new. Just get the standard 18-55mm kit lens to start. For lights...either 1) get the manufacturer flash to start or 2) use a tripod and get some inexpensive photofloods (and then custom white balance).



Now, because I'm more of a risk taker I would get a different setup for myself, and I'll share that with you in case you want to take that chance too.

1) I'd get the $75 Epson Photo printer, the R380:

http://www.epson.com/cgi-bin/Store/consumer/consDetail.jsp?BV_UseBVCookie=yes&oid=63059189



2) I'd get a used Fujifilm S2 Pro, about $350 used. Yeah, it's older and used, but will blow even modern cameras out of the water for color.



3) I'd get the SB-800 flash, about $320.



4) I'd get an alien bee with an umbrella and stand (extra):

http://www.alienbees.com/b400.html



You can skip the SB-800 if you plan on staying in-studio.



Edit: forgot to add the lens! I suggest in my scenario above the 50mm f/1.8 lens. $125 new. And the alien bee light is about $250 with stand/umbrella. So to keep it around $1000 you'd have to forego the SB-800. So: 350+75+125+250 = $800