Specialist

dragondog

Hi

Can anyone recommend a good entry level specialist camera and lens for portrait photography?

Thanks
Dragondog

magicbastarder

you need a camera with a short telephoto lens. i suspect the 'specialist' and 'entry level' conditions are mutually exclusive.
entry level cameras are generally - if not exclusively - general purpose. what's the intended use?

dragondog

magicbastarder wrote: »

you need a camera with a short telephoto lens. i suspect the 'specialist' and 'entry level' conditions are mutually exclusive.
entry level cameras are generally - if not exclusively - general purpose. what's the intended use?

Sure thing that makes sense.
I am looking for a specialist camera for a few friends weddings.
I have a Nikon D3400 but I want to upgrade before the summer to get better quality prints

magicbastarder

that's a modern entry level DSLR - the prints you'd be getting off it would be fine, the quality of the camera body will not be the limiting factor.

what lens do you have? are you going to be the main photographer?

GBX

dragondog wrote: »

Sure thing that makes sense.
I am looking for a specialist camera for a few friends weddings.
I have a Nikon D3400 but I want to upgrade before the summer to get better quality prints

What is your definition of specialist? With a decent lens or 2, you could get better quality photos from the weddings. What lense(s) have you?

dragondog

magicbastarder wrote: »

that's a modern entry level DSLR - the prints you'd be getting off it would be fine, the quality of the camera body will not be the limiting factor.

what lens do you have? are you going to be the main photographer?

I have the lens that came with the kit - DX 18-55 mm f/3.5-5.6 VR Lens

Yes, my friends are working on a budget so I will be the main photographer

dragondog

GBX wrote: »

What is your definition of specialist? With a decent lens or 2, you could get better quality photos from the weddings. What lense(s) have you?

I am basing specialist off the classifications on currys.ie for DSLR's.

I have the lens that came with the kit - DX 18-55 mm f/3.5-5.6 VR Lens

ED E

dragondog wrote: »

I am basing specialist off the classifications on currys.ie for DSLR's.

Not to be harsh but it sounds very much like you arent ready to shoot a wedding yet.

dragondog

ED E wrote: »

Not to be harsh but it sounds very much like you arent ready to shoot a wedding yet.

I have done a course and used the D3400 for that.
But yeah I am sure there are better photographers out there but have to start somewhere

GBX

dragondog wrote: »

I have done a course and used the D3400 for that.
But yeah I am sure there are better photographers out there but have to start somewhere

Are you being asked to do the official wedding photos for your friends or just take pictures yourself on the day?

dragondog

GBX wrote: »

Are you being asked to do the official wedding photos for your friends or just take pictures yourself on the day?

I have been asked to take the official photos

ED E

Start somewhere: Yes
Start with a wedding: Noooooooo

People have loads of occasions they'd like to remember, some are unique and some aren't. Most people only have one wedding. Lots of birthdays etc though. Start with 18th/21st/50ths.

Event photography is much much tougher in some aspects than other general hobby stuff. Try using AF is a night club and you'll see quite quickly!

dragondog

ED E wrote: »

Start somewhere: Yes
Start with a wedding: Noooooooo

People have loads of occasions they'd like to remember, some are unique and some aren't. Most people only have one wedding. Lots of birthdays etc though. Start with 18th/21st/50ths.

Event photography is much much tougher in some aspects than other general hobby stuff. Try using AF is a night club and you'll see quite quickly!

I completely understand - I have done these events

My initial question was for advice not criticism so perhaps Ill just go consult experts elsewhere

magicbastarder

dragondog wrote: »

My initial question was for advice not criticism so perhaps Ill just go consult experts elsewhere

i had been taking photos for 15 years before i covered my first wedding, and i still mucked things up.
if your definition of criticism is 'advice i don't like', so be it. you are asking basic questions about a job you're jumping into the deep end on, so expect people to respond the way they have done.

your camera body is fine. your lens is not, certainly for a 'traditional' wedding photography job; you'd be better off with something considerably faster, and need to consider whether flash will be necessary - your inbuilt flash will not be up to the task.
you probably need to decide whether you want a nice fast prime, and work within the limitations of that (i did so a few times when not official photographer, and got nice results, but i was able to pick and choose which shots i wanted to get those days); but if your friends want purely casual wedding shots, that's probably doable.
how many cards do you have? use at least four, and switch between them regularly on the day - in the sense that you don't want to put all your eggs in one basket. you'll also want to shoot RAW, as you will frequently have little control over lighting - especially if it's a church ceremony, where the light could be coming from any angle.

GBX

If I was asked to do a wedding, id have shadowed somebody at previous weddings who was proficient at shooting weddings before I jumped straight in. Regardless whether id done a course or not. And that's not a criticism of your ability based on you doing previous events. I am very much an amatuer still starting out. But I am aware of the limitations of a kit lens with an entry level camera, which the D3400 is.

wersal gummage

Have you offered to do this, or have your friends seen your photos and asked you to do it?

I know you it's not what you want to hear, but it does sound (from the level of questions you are asking) that there is a strong possibility that this may not turn out brilliantly.

If you are offering to do this, maybe really reconsider. If your friends are asking you to do it, and if you intend to, maybe just make sure they really understand what they are signing up for and the possibility that they will not get all the photos they want.

I have all the equipment necessary to shoot a wedding (I think), and have been asked to do so in the past, but have refused (nothing to do with money, I'd be happy to take photos for friends for free, just not a wedding). Anyway, someone who shoots weddings will possibly advise you, but I would think you need :

2 cameras,
Maybe a 24-70mm 2.8,
Maybe a 70-200mm 2.8,
Maybe a 50/85/135mm prime
2 flashes,
Spare batteries,

Obviously you are not going to have all of these lenses. Do you know the venues for the weddings? How close can you get to things? Is there natural light, windows etc? Depending on all of these factors, and if your friends are fully aware and accepting of the risks, maybe you could get away with just one lens.

Ps, I don't know about Nikon but I guess your camera is a crop sensor? In that case, a 24mm will not be very wide and may be an issue for a group photo if you are working with a tight enough space?

Good luck!