Startup Advice

D

dyanamo

Senior Member
Joined
Jun 19, 2007
Messages
942
Reaction score
2
Location
Cape Town - Strand
Hi guys in the know.

My wife wants to start doing baby/maternity shoots on the weekend but we dont have a lot of money to spend on the camera. Any suggestions for a first time camera for the type of work mentioned? Want the cheapest "best" camera you can use for this. Any others in this field please can you offer advice and tips etc for a starter in this type of work. As money comes in, naturally the camera will progress.

Looking at anything under R4000

Thanks
 
Last edited:
dyanamo said:
Looking at anything under R4000
Click to expand...

Disclaimer: I am not a pro photographer.

But you will have to consider second hand gear in that price range (I know I am stating the obvious, but is has to be said).

You may be able to get started with only reflectors and such, but you will definitely need some flashes in the long run. So when you consider a camera, it should preferably be capable of driving external flashes (there are many ways of doing this, but buying something like a Nikon D90 should give you all possible options for driving flashes).

So ... my off-the-cuff recommendation is to look for a used Nikon D90 --- not sure what a realistic price is on one of these currently, though I suspect they are worth more than R4k.

Come to think of it, a used Nikon D300 (probably way more than R4k?) or even a Nikon D200 (older, but still very flexible).

So my advice is to think about the overall system, not just the camera. Buying older DSLR gear will allow you to grow your hardware over time.
 
Last edited:
Pretty much any recent'ish dslr and a fast 50mm f/1.4-1.8 will get her started but even that might stretch your budget a bit.
 
If all else fails, I'd take out a loan, budget for it, target that "I need to make x per month on my weekend jobs to cover the cost" and pay it off like that.

It's always nice to start your own business with no debt, but that's not always possible
 
You would have to lift your budget and go second hand like fvdbergh said. R4k is really not a lot.
 
Agree that secondhand is the way to go.

For R4k, you can maybe pickup a Nikon D80 with 18-55 kit lens. (I am a Nikon shooter and not familiar with Canon bodies though).

I would suggest also looking for a camera body with a built-in motor. Then you can use older lenses (with no built-in motors) on the body and still autofocus. I bought a 50mm f1.8 D lens for R950 which I use on my D7000. Awesome lens!!!!

Besides the body and lens, just remember there is additional accessories to buy. I.e. memory cards, flashes, bags, cleaning kit, extra battery, etc.


Also, it might be worthwhile to visit a camera store in your area (not a Game, Makro, etc) and play around with some equipment and get a feel for the bodies. Most stores have knowledgeable people that can assist.

Good luck though.
 
Many will likely disagree with me here but it's not the camera you should be focusing on. The difference between the best camera and good is often unnoticeable but if you don't have the correct conditions set up no camera is going to make a difference. Save money on DSLR's and lenses at this point. Home made lighting in many cases can work just as good as the commercial setups. I know there are many reasons why these can come in handy but at the same time I've also seen people using professional equipment produce some pretty crappy results. Let her get the hang of the different settings first and how the lighting works. Results on camera are always different than what we see with our eyes. Experiment on friends and family first to see what works and to build up a portfolio.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top
Sign up to the MyBroadband newsletter
X