Purchasing the 7D

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Michael on February 25, 2010 at 1:32am

Sounds good Chris. Don't fall into the trap of believing that your kit will deliver better pictures though - bigger yes. Sometimes it will make a difference of course but a Rebel will certainly be good enough for most jobs. People will book you on the strength of your photography and not on your camera, but you are also right that there are a lot of kit snobs out there.

A client never pays for the equipment unless they have an extremely limited view of the world, as virtually everyone has a camera.

Good luck with your launch - have a good think about your pricing before you start and make sure of what you are selling and how you justify it... it's you, your photos and your service that clients will be buying, not your camera. You'll only encounter that kind of prejudice from a camera spotter and if you do I'd let your work do the talking.

Good luck with it Chris!

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Peter Salas on February 24, 2010 at 11:58pm

Hi Chris,

Reading back on all the replies, I take back what I said about saving up for the 5D Mark II. Yes, it is a great camera, but I'm gathering that you're a bit tight on the money especially since you're just starting your business. Your biggest investment will be in your photography skills, your marketing, and a good business workflow. As many photographers commented, it's more about the photographer and the rest is your equipment (which are like your paint brushes to an already skilled painter)!

In addition, you should think about the "camera-tax" (what I like to call it). The hidden costs of upgrading your camera which you may or may not have thought about. Let me list out a few of them off the top of my head:

• A more powerful computer to handle the larger files and a professional photo editing software (e.g. Photoshop)
• If you don't have Photoshop or Aperture, you should get either of the two to do your photo editing
• A better flash. I'd recommend the 580 EX II to add to your list of equipment to purchase. When doing portraits, it's important to get the flash off your camera, and with this flash coupled with the 7D, you can wireless communicate between these two devices.
• You already mentioned a remote
• If you need new lenses, that will eat into your funds
• A good steady tripod if you don't already have one

Surely, this is not a comprehensive list, but it's a start if you haven't thought about this already. I do think you should save as much as you can, and consider all that you WILL need for your business.

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Chris on February 25, 2010 at 6:59am

First, let me first express my appreciation for all your intelligent comments and willingness to point out items that I may not have thought of. I really didn't expect this level of input and I am so grateful for it.

I am seriously rethinking the idea of purchasing the camera right now. I am now thinking of upgrading my lenses, i.e. purchasing a wide angle, which I do not have. I have the 18-55mm and a 70-300mm, so from what I understand adding the wide angle will give me the three basic lenses I will need. I am also leaning towards purchasing a LensBaby, which has been recommended to me and could allow me to cut the cost while I build the business.

Peter, you are correct that money is a concern. I currently am unemployed (sadly) and decided I want to make a living doing something I love rather than continue to work for a job I hate. So, I am saving money to invest in this process, but I don't have a lot to do so currently. My plan, due to my limited funding, is to do sessions that can be done outside, without too much need for fancy equipment. Then as the weather turns, hopefully I've been successful over the summer and will now have the funds to invest in additional equipment, which should allow me to work through the winter as well.

Any additional thoughts are always welcome. Thank you again for sharing your thoughts on this.

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Michael on February 25, 2010 at 7:09am

Here are the best things I can think of to add value for you:
1. Reflectors.
2. A triflector.
3. A canopy, enabling you to diffuse overhead light as needed.

Also Bridge - free with full Photoshop (buy it for a student and get the discount on it). Bridge will save a lot of time and effort in post if you work with batches as the edits can be copy/pasted and undone if needed.

If you buy lenses get the best you can - wide apertures mean you can hand hold in low light, which is often the most attractive and interesting, without raising your ISO.

Peter is right and his suggestions are good - make sure you know how to use fill-in flash - a big gun will enable you to work more flexibly with big groups.

Your long lens is very long and unsuited to most work except specialist genres - wildlife, paparazzi, surveillance... in my experience most work is done between wide (I like the option of a super wide zoom) and moderate telephoto.

GOOD LUCK!

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Chris on February 25, 2010 at 8:01am

Ahhh, reflectors. Yes, this I know I'll need. Been checking those out and doing my price comparisons. The other two suggestions, I wasn't aware of, so great tip! Thank you!

I currently have Photoshop Elements and will probably stick with that for now. I also know of several on-line sites that provide similar services as Photoshop. I just can't justify the price of Photoshop right now.

So much GOOD information!!! I am thrilled to get it and learn more. I'm so open to education and this has been wonderful!

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Michael on February 25, 2010 at 8:23am

Bridge is useful because:
1. it works great with Raw files via ACR.
2. It's non destructive editing.
3. Copy / paste improves consistency (and get a monitor calibrator!).
4. It save you valuable time, which you need to value, while doing post production.

So it adds a lot of value by saving time and improving quality... so cut your time in post and be sure to do an assessment based on the true cost of your time spent in workflow - that's time you can spend on marketing or shooting for example!

You'll be amazed at what the reflectors will do for your portraiture, especially with a tiny tickle of fill-in flash. ;-)

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Ed Harp on February 26, 2010 at 3:48am

I had the same question. I liked what the 7D had to offer in the still photography realm, but didn't want to spend the extra to just have HD 1080p video. I think there's a time when the 7D will be a part of my arsenal. Personally I like the 1.6x sensor cameras. I don't have a need to shoot full frame, so 5D Mk II was out since it costs around $2500... way too much money for what it is. My next option was to still be into the 15 megapixel range with a 50D. I bought one on ebay for $849 Brand new with warranty from Cameta Cameras.

For you I have a simple question: do you want HD video in your camera? And are you aware how monstrous the video file size would be? This is OK if that's what you want. Otherwise you might want to save your money and spend the extra on nice L series lens.

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Chris on February 26, 2010 at 7:49am

Hi Ed!

No, I don't really care about the video. I suppose it would come in handy at some point, but for now it was not a main consideration at all. Kinda a wow, that's a nice bonus, but was not influencing my decision. I just felt as if my Rebel wouldn't be good enough to go professional with and thought I needed to upgrade my camera.

From the comments I've been receiving through this post, I'm starting to rethink that. I'm starting to think I can get by for the first year with the Rebel, but with additional (good) lenses and get the experience under my belt. Which would not be a bad thing right now considering my limited funds.

I shared everyone's comments with my husband and we started thinking the lenses route could be the way to go, then next winter invest in a new laptop specifically just for photos.

You have all brought to light questions I honestly hadn't considered before and I am EXTREMELY grateful for your input. I want to succeed at this and I know what you have shared will make that much more likely to happen!

• ▶ Reply

• ‹ Previous
• 1
• 2
• Next ›
• Page