Vidau
Forum Pro
Which one camera's low price is good for professional social events?
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Which one camera's low price is good for professional social events?
- Thread starter Vidau
- Start date
PenguinPhotoCo
Veteran Member
Not sure what you're asking.
A used canon 40D can be had for about US$300 and should be fine.
A lot depends on YOU - do you need fast focus in low light -and what do YOU consider low light?
Do you need high ISO - and how high is acceptable, noise wise, to you?
Do you need video?
Lenses are at least as important as the body itself. F2.8 lenses are must IMO.
AND you need BACKUP! Cameras can fail, lenses can fail, flashes can fail - so you need TWO bodies, TWO flashes and probably a 25-80 or so zoom AND a 35, 50 or 85 prime lens as backup.
You can shoot a canon 5D3 at ISO12,800 and get clean results. A 5D2 tops out at half that and a 40D at ISO1000 - for me at least.
I once shot with a 40D exclusively and now use a 5D2 or 3.
A used canon 40D can be had for about US$300 and should be fine.
A lot depends on YOU - do you need fast focus in low light -and what do YOU consider low light?
Do you need high ISO - and how high is acceptable, noise wise, to you?
Do you need video?
Lenses are at least as important as the body itself. F2.8 lenses are must IMO.
AND you need BACKUP! Cameras can fail, lenses can fail, flashes can fail - so you need TWO bodies, TWO flashes and probably a 25-80 or so zoom AND a 35, 50 or 85 prime lens as backup.
You can shoot a canon 5D3 at ISO12,800 and get clean results. A 5D2 tops out at half that and a 40D at ISO1000 - for me at least.
I once shot with a 40D exclusively and now use a 5D2 or 3.
hotdog321
Forum Pro
The Canon 5DII is a bargain right now. But as the other poster suggested, you also need a backup, a quality flash and I prefer f/2.8 lenses. We need more specific information on your circumstances.
Vidau
Forum Pro
Thank you PenguinPhotoCo and hotdog32
The situation is that I have to buy 27 cameras, give them to staff that will take indoors social events for 6 X 8 , 8 X 10 and 8.5X11 prints. I intend to buy cameras that give me a quality of 8.5X11 print, at the best possible price.
The situation is that I have to buy 27 cameras, give them to staff that will take indoors social events for 6 X 8 , 8 X 10 and 8.5X11 prints. I intend to buy cameras that give me a quality of 8.5X11 print, at the best possible price.
PenguinPhotoCo
Veteran Member
Rosolution isn't an issue - any camera can make good 8x10 prints these days.
So what factors are most important and in what order...
cost, ease of use, availability, focus, flash, ISO / noise, etc
50D or 60D canon's might be all you need, or perhaps rebels would serve the purpose.
Is this something that you can go and shoot/test to see what might be most important?
Cheapest would be a rebel/third party 17-50 or so 2.8 lens and 580 flash. I've used third party flashes and have had issues and the 430 lacks features and power. I'm not a big fan of third party lenses but costs add up fast when you need a bunch of them.
So what factors are most important and in what order...
cost, ease of use, availability, focus, flash, ISO / noise, etc
50D or 60D canon's might be all you need, or perhaps rebels would serve the purpose.
Is this something that you can go and shoot/test to see what might be most important?
Cheapest would be a rebel/third party 17-50 or so 2.8 lens and 580 flash. I've used third party flashes and have had issues and the 430 lacks features and power. I'm not a big fan of third party lenses but costs add up fast when you need a bunch of them.
Vidau
Forum Pro
The budget is no problem, but I would like to pay as little as possible, cameras will work until the end.
If a PS with external flash will do the job, is fine for me.
If a PS with external flash will do the job, is fine for me.
hotdog321
Forum Pro
I figure just about anything with 8-12 megapixels and a decent lens will be satisfactory even for 11X14. Of course, this assumes you don't need to do a massive crop job to compensate for newbie social photographers.
Vidau
Forum Pro
Low cost, external flash, easy to use and 8.5X11 cuality.
Canon B&H Kit EOS Rebel T3 Digital Camera w/18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS II Lens Basic Kit $450 and Speedlite 580EX II $500......not bad, or Nikon Coolpix P7700 $426 and SB-700 Speedlight Shoe Mount Flash $327.
Thanks for the tips, I´ll keep looking.
Canon B&H Kit EOS Rebel T3 Digital Camera w/18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS II Lens Basic Kit $450 and Speedlite 580EX II $500......not bad, or Nikon Coolpix P7700 $426 and SB-700 Speedlight Shoe Mount Flash $327.
Thanks for the tips, I´ll keep looking.
For the general public who are used to using P&S cameras in Auto mode and are not photographers you might want to consider buying the discounted Nikon J1or V1 and it's smalll companion flash unit. The price varies day by day during the holidays. About $350 -400 for the body and the SBn5 flash unit at $140, so about $490 to $540 each. Be sure to setup each camera the same befor handing them out. This would be a small & light camera that just about anyone could use and handle with a bit of instruction. Nikon or one of the big online retailers might even give you a special discount for buying 27 at one time.
http://www.adorama.com/searchsite/default.aspx?searchinfo=nikon+j1
http://www.adorama.com/INKSBN5.html
http://www.adorama.com/searchsite/default.aspx?searchinfo=nikon+j1
http://www.adorama.com/INKSBN5.html
Last edited:
Vidau
Forum Pro
Thank you very much for your tips, I shall dedicate myself to compare and thanks to you I am more focused.
lbuclk=
Senior Member
A good place to start: Amazon.com & keh.com
RudivanS
Senior Member
Nikon D700 (second hand now at very good prices)
Nikon D600
Get the vertical battery grip for either as well.
Lenses (as important as the body): The Nikkor 24-120mm should do nicely
Vidau
Forum Pro
Tankyou lbuclk=
Vidau
Forum Pro
Thank you
Good cameras and good lens but expensive to buy 27.
Good cameras and good lens but expensive to buy 27.
HKFreelancePhotographer
Member
You need one that can do good 4000 ISO for indoor + flash. Nothing is cheap for that kind of performance especially x 27.
calson
Forum Pro
If you are giving them to novice photographers that needs to be part of the criteria used in your selection. I would buy one Olympus E-PL3 and try it out both with the supplied FL-LM1 flash and a self-contained Olympus or Metz flash.
The size of the prints is not what is important - not in the slightest. What is important is at ISO 1600 will a 8x10 print be good and with the 4/3 cameras the sensor is large enough to produce a clean print, noise wise, at this setting.
Your people will need to use flash at times and there are three questions to answer, will the flash be wide enough to cover a group of people photographed at a normal working camera to subjects distance of 8-10 feet, and how fast will it recycle, and how long will the batteries last before your people need to replace them. The last is important as you do not want someone to be taking a picture and have the group of people ready to go and then not have the flash fire and them trying to figure out what happened.
The Olympus are as easy a camera as you will find for a novice to use and they are easy for shooting video should you later find that a short clip would be useful along with the stills.
At this time you do not know what you do not know so it would be safest to start with one camera and see how well it works and if it is not up to the needs of your organization then buy a second one based on what you have learned and then test it. Have something that works before you put it in the hands of 27 staff people. When they do get the cameras, take the time to prepare a kit for them with laminated 4x5 cheat sheets on operating them and encourage them to take pictures of friends and family using the flash before they go to the first even where they will be using the cameras. On the job training by doing is the last thing you want them to be doing.
The size of the prints is not what is important - not in the slightest. What is important is at ISO 1600 will a 8x10 print be good and with the 4/3 cameras the sensor is large enough to produce a clean print, noise wise, at this setting.
Your people will need to use flash at times and there are three questions to answer, will the flash be wide enough to cover a group of people photographed at a normal working camera to subjects distance of 8-10 feet, and how fast will it recycle, and how long will the batteries last before your people need to replace them. The last is important as you do not want someone to be taking a picture and have the group of people ready to go and then not have the flash fire and them trying to figure out what happened.
The Olympus are as easy a camera as you will find for a novice to use and they are easy for shooting video should you later find that a short clip would be useful along with the stills.
At this time you do not know what you do not know so it would be safest to start with one camera and see how well it works and if it is not up to the needs of your organization then buy a second one based on what you have learned and then test it. Have something that works before you put it in the hands of 27 staff people. When they do get the cameras, take the time to prepare a kit for them with laminated 4x5 cheat sheets on operating them and encourage them to take pictures of friends and family using the flash before they go to the first even where they will be using the cameras. On the job training by doing is the last thing you want them to be doing.
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