Cameras?

[Pdetailz]

I'm looking at buying a camera for the detailing biz that I'm starting...Can I get away with a camera like say a Sony HX200 or Nikon P510 Coolpix or does a guy need to step it up and get a Canon Rebel Xsi or T3i? I guess what i'm wondering is if the lens and focus opportunities for the these two canons are important...Any suggestions?

Bill​

 

[Gunslinger]

I used to have a Canon Xsi...nice camera for the money but most will tell you the glass makes the difference. I use a Canon 60D now, plus a Panasonic Lumix as a pocket camera.

Between the choices you've given yourself, I would suggest the Canon T3i. It's a great camera plus the fold-out screen makes it easy to get shots from angles otherwise difficult and uncomfortable to shoot. I'm not disparaging the others you've mentioned but the fold-out view screen makes all the difference.

 

[Pdetailz]

I used to have a Canon Xsi...nice camera for the money but most will tell you the glass makes the difference. I use a Canon 60D now, plus a Panasonic Lumix as a pocket camera.

Between the choices you've given yourself, I would suggest the Canon T3i. It's a great camera plus the fold-out screen makes it easy to get shots from angles otherwise difficult and uncomfortable to shoot. I'm not disparaging the others you've mentioned but the fold-out view screen makes all the difference.

:xyxthumbs:

 

[07gtcs]

If you go DSLR, such as the T3i, which I have, its all in the glass. You can spend as much or more on a good lens as you do the body so it all depends on how deep your pockets are and what else you may use it for.

 

[yakky]

If you currently have a digital camera, you probably can save your money. Taking pictures of cars sitting still in good light is about as easy as it gets for photography.

Get a tripod, learn to use exposure compensation and localized focus points.

 

[y8s]

you dont need a camera that costs more than $400.

You can do it with a point and shoot like the Canon S110 or with a cheap DSLR and kit lens.

The trick is learning HOW.

 

[Pdetailz]

If you currently have a digital camera, you probably can save your money. Taking pictures of cars sitting still in good light is about as easy as it gets for photography.

Get a tripod, learn to use exposure compensation and localized focus points.

I just use my IPhone for a camera now! I think I'm gonna pull the plug on a T3i?

 

[zmcgovern45]

I just use my IPhone for a camera now! I think I'm gonna pull the plug on a T3i?

You will not see any advantage of a DSLR over a P&S unless you take the time to learn how to utilize all of the additional features of a DSLR. If you do not plan to spend the amount of time necessary to learn the basics of photography, just save your money and get a P&S... shooting with a DSLR on Auto will produce nearly the same results as a nice P&S on Auto.

 

[yakky]

If you do not plan to spend the amount of time necessary to learn the basics of photography, just save your money and get a P&S... shooting with a DSLR on Auto will produce nearly the same results as a nice P&S on Auto.

Actually, your results might be worse! Go to any photography forum and you'll see lots of posts about pictures from a new SLR not being nearly as pleasing to the owner as their previous P&S. Add the fact that most DSLRs will use a shallow DOF, and you'll get muted shots with parts of the car being out of focus.

A DSLR is a time commitment!

 

[Mike PhillipsMike Phillips is verified member.]

I'm on my third Rebel and can't say enough good things about these cameras. If you read through any of may articles or write-ups you'll see I take a lot of pictures, as in a lot of pictures.

The one thing I like about a full size camera like the Rebel is the ability to get the entire side or profile shot of a car in frame without having to walk 50 feet away from the car, like this...

Kind of a simple benefit to some but when for me, for the amount of pictures I take and the walking time to back away from the car to fit the entire car in-frame, it's worth it.

Plus a lot of other reasons. Like others said though, you need to learn to use the features of the camera to get good shots and that takes reading and practice.


Getting on a ladder and getting shots like these helps with a camera like the Rebel too and I use the box stock lens.

icture:

 

[jex]

i use a nex5r from sony. works great

 

[Mike PhillipsMike Phillips is verified member.]

Good collection of far shots and close-up shots here from Canon Rebel...


Microfiber Mop Head Review

 

[Pdetailz]

Good collection of far shots and close-up shots here from Canon Rebel...


Microfiber Mop Head Review

:dblthumb2:

 

[Pdetailz]

I'm on my third Rebel and can't say enough good things about these cameras. If you read through any of may articles or write-ups you'll see I take a lot of pictures, as in a lot of pictures.

The one thing I like about a full size camera like the Rebel is the ability to get the entire side or profile shot of a car in frame without having to walk 50 feet away from the car, like this...

Kind of a simple benefit to some but when for me, for the amount of pictures I take and the walking time to back away from the car to fit the entire car in-frame, it's worth it.

Plus a lot of other reasons. Like others said though, you need to learn to use the features of the camera to get good shots and that takes reading and practice.


Getting on a ladder and getting shots like these helps with a camera like the Rebel too and I use the box stock lens.

icture:

Awesome, thanks a ton for taking the time to fill me in! I'll definitely be doing my research on how to use the camera! I'm excited to learn about it just like I'm excited to keep learning more and more about detailing! I've always had a passion for it but now I'm ready to take it to the next level! AGO is frickin awesome! I've learned a ton from reading these forums! I appreciate everyone's help! :dblthumb2:

Bill

 

[Pdetailz]

Actually, your results might be worse! Go to any photography forum and you'll see lots of posts about pictures from a new SLR not being nearly as pleasing to the owner as their previous P&S. Add the fact that most DSLRs will use a shallow DOF, and you'll get muted shots with parts of the car being out of focus.

A DSLR is a time commitment!

I'm definitely not scared to learn! Thanks for your help man
:dblthumb2:

 

[zmcgovern45]

I'm on my third Rebel and can't say enough good things about these cameras. If you read through any of may articles or write-ups you'll see I take a lot of pictures, as in a lot of pictures.

The one thing I like about a full size camera like the Rebel is the ability to get the entire side or profile shot of a car in frame without having to walk 50 feet away from the car, like this...

This comes down to the lens the camera is equipped with and the size of the digital sensor within the camera.

Canon "crop sensor" bodies, ie the entire line of Canon Rebel Cameras have a crop factor of 1.6x. Nikon "DX" bodies have a crop factor of 1.5x. This is relative to the dimensions of the digital sensor in comparison to the dimensions of the standard 35mm full frame sensor. Point and shoot cameras have much smaller sensors, and therefore have larger crop factors.

How does this play into your lens selection?

Well the crop factor ultimately makes your lens a different focal length than what it is labeled as.

For instance, a standard kit lens is usually an 18-55mm lens. Using Canon as an example, with their 1.6x factor, the lens is effectively 29-88mm.

So a point and shoot, say the Nikon P510 for instance (I believe has a crop factor of around 4x?) may not be able to capture such wide angles because if the wide end of it's lens was as low as 10mm (figuratively speaking - I don't know the exact specs of the camera), it would be equivalent to a 40mm focal length once the crop factor is taken into account.

Make sense?

So if you can find a point and shoot that has an equivalent focal range that was as wide as a DSLR, it would be able to capture the same image from the same distance... but I am not sure how likely that is, as I truly know nothing about the specs of modern point and shoot cameras.

 

[yakky]

So if you can find a point and shoot that has an equivalent focal range that was as wide as a DSLR, it would be able to capture the same image from the same distance... but I am not sure how likely that is, as I truly know nothing about the specs of modern point and shoot cameras.

Even a $99 Canon these days has a 28mm equivalent lens, putting it right at most kit lenses that come with DSLRs. Some more expensive ones go down into the lower 20s.

 

[07gtcs]

Actually, your results might be worse! Go to any photography forum and you'll see lots of posts about pictures from a new SLR not being nearly as pleasing to the owner as their previous P&S. Add the fact that most DSLRs will use a shallow DOF, and you'll get muted shots with parts of the car being out of focus.

A DSLR is a time commitment!

This is false. Depth of field comes from and changes with the aperature or f-stop setting. Shallow DOF is not a bad thing either, if that is the result of the picture you are wanting to take. Like someone else said, you need to learn how to use it what each function does and how to use it to get the results one wants in the end.

 

[Pdetailz]

This is false. Depth of field comes from and changes with the aperature or f-stop setting. Shallow DOF is not a bad thing either, if that is the result of the picture you are wanting to take. Like someone else said, you need to learn how to use it what each function does and how to use it to get the results one wants in the end.

:xyxthumbs:

 

[yakky]

This is false. Depth of field comes from and changes with the aperature or f-stop setting. Shallow DOF is not a bad thing either, if that is the result of the picture you are wanting to take. Like someone else said, you need to learn how to use it what each function does and how to use it to get the results one wants in the end.

Perhaps you can read above for context, before you label something false. Most DSLRs will in fact chose a lower value aperture while in auto mode. And it in fact is not something you want when shooting a whole car.