What camera should a student buy to transition into professional work?

Question

I'm studying photography to became a professional photographer, and I want to buy a professional camera. Because it's expensive, I want to buy the right one the first time. I want it to last through work after my graduation.

What kind of tips, specifications, and features do I need to look for as I make this purchase, including functions that I may not need now but will be needed for work?

I'm a writer/editor in an important magazine about art in my country, and I'm studying for getting photographic job. So I need a camera for very professional work.

Think on the problem that I don't know nothing about and I need to buy a gift. :D

It's for general purpose, but the most style I'll use is for photographic art, micro and macro. I need tips and specifications for lens, and useful functions (like light expose, time expose (I don't know how it's called in English, I'm Spanish native speaker), color response, color respect, etc.

Asked by Leandro

Answer

You may notice that all professionals do not use the same camera and lens. There are different models for different reasons and that means you have to get clear as to the type of professional photography you are going towards.

Any medium-to-high end model will certainly last for a few years. Good lenses last much longer and the good news is that you do not have to buy all your lenses at once.

For macro work, an advanced DSLR and high-reproduction ratio lens is must. Canon has a unique MP-E 65mm F/2.8 which is spectacular for very close macros. To use that one you need a full-fame body like a Canon 1D X, 1Ds Mark III or 5D Mark II. The higher end and more expensive ones are tougher and faster which will be more important if you start shooting action or events.

That lens is only suitable for macro photography, so you will need a couple of high-grade possibly weather-sealed lenses (in case you need to shoot in the rain or snow). Good ones to consider are the EF 24-70mm F/2.8 for general work, a bright lens for portraits like the 85mm F/1.2 and a longer lens like the 70-200mm F/2.8 for further subjects.

All these advanced cameras have all the photographic features you need for professional use such as manual exposure, bulb exposure, manual focus, custom white-balance, etc. So I would worry much less about those small details and concentrate on the lenses you want first, followed by broad features like speed (FPS), weather-sealing, resolution (depends on the sizes you want to print). You will notice after looking around that nothing is the best for everything, so you have to start with what is most important to you.

If you really need huge print sizes, you may consider a medium format camera like the Pentax 645D but this will cost significantly more and offers fewer possibilities since it is slower, less sensitive to light and with more limited lens options.

Answered by Itai

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