Camera Setup

dt2indenton

Hey DGers,

If you were a portrait shooter with occasional sports thrown in and you had only $1500 to buy a camera and lens(es). What would you get today?

Also, what would you want more in a camera set up, image stabilization or prefocused low shutter lag (assuming you can't have both)?

Thanks

jmphotocraft

Tough one. I guess either a Canon 5D2 or a Nikon D700, and then a 70-200/4. Except Nikon doesn't really have an affordable 70-200. Both are great portrait cameras, but the 5D2 has higher resolution which gives you more "reach" (read: digital zoom) for sports. I like full frame. Among crop cameras I would look to the Nikon D3300 or D5300. Prime lenses are a relatively cheap way to get great portrait quality.

ziggy53

"... portrait shooter with occasional sports ..." is still a very broad statement. If you could define what types of portraiture and which sports, that would help to provide better recommendations.

For portraiture there are:

Head shots and head-and-shoulders.
3/4 length and full-length individuals and couples.
Small groups and environmental.

For sports define which sports and what time of day. Indoor sports and nighttime field sports are much more demanding than outdoor daytime track sports. Professional sports are more challenging than children's sports, and nightime motor sports are much more challenging than T-ball, for instance.

To properly cover all of the genres above would require a much deeper budget than you have proposed, IMO. Remember too that proper lighting will need its own budget.

dt2indenton

Hey Ziggy,

I was thinking head to toe portraits much like you'd see in the 'People' section of this forum. And yes some occasional daytime outdoor children's sports.

But mostly this is about what YOU would get with $1500.

cmason

if it was really limited to $1500, I would get a Canon 7D and a 70-200 f/4 L lens (non-IS). This should come in under $1500.

In answering your last question, none of these DSLR have 'prefocused shutter lag', they all focus very quickly. Some work better in lower light. I discount IS, because it is not very helpful with Sports, where you need high shutter speed to catch action, and with portraits, you have the benefit of using a tripod, so IS doesn't help in that case either.

dt2indenton

For 'prefocused', see below stats.

Shutter Response (Lag Time) For Samsung NX1

Full Autofocus,
Single-area AF mode - 0.252 second

Full Autofocus,
Single-area AF mode
Auto flash enabled - 0.345 second

Manual Focus - 0.090 second
For most cameras, shutter lag is less in manual focus than autofocus, but usually not as fast as when the camera is "prefocused".

Wait for it....

Prefocused - 0.062 second
Time to capture, after half-pressing and holding shutter button.

Data from:
http://www.imaging-resource.com/PRODS/samsung-nx1/samsung-nx1A6.HTM

jmphotocraft

To anybody who knows how to use a camera properly, the above data is no surprise and of no use. Of course shutter lag is going to be minimal when the camera is prefocused. Only non-photographers just mash the button all the way down at once and pray.

Brett1000

dt2indenton wrote: »

Hey Ziggy,

I was thinking head to toe portraits much like you'd see in the 'People' section of this forum. And yes some occasional daytime outdoor children's sports.

But mostly this is about what YOU would get with $1500.

right, but YOU are buying the camera.
Some of the new mirrorless options look intriguing especially if the AF is fast enough for sports. On that budget If I shot mostly portraits I would probably get a refurbished 6D ($1,099), large aperture prime like the 85mm 1.8 (used $300) and maybe save a few more hundred more for 70-200 f/4 (non-IS)

NikonsandVstroms

D7100 refurbished (650 on Adorama) Sigma 50-150 F2.8 used (572 right now on KEH), and a 50mm 1.8 prime if you're doing head shots, 35mm 1.8 if you're doing wider portraits and both cost ~200 bucks so just pick one and you'll be under budget.

It comes to a total of 1,422.