AboutSara Bella Expertise I can answer questions about most anything photographic. From film to darkroom to digital photography, from lighting to Photoshop techniques to digital work flow. I also know a great deal about the historical and theoretical contexts of photography. I am most familiar with Mac computers and the Adobe programs (Photoshop) but I can usually help troubleshoot any software and machine as long as I have the right information.
Experience I have been shooting photographs since I was 12 years old. I have a BFA in photography and and I am a current MFA matriculate. I teach photography at a university.
Education/Credentials BFA in Photography/Visual Articulation. In residency to receive MFA in photography in 2008.
Expert: Sara Bella Date: 8/31/2007 Subject: digital camera shopping
Question hi, first i wanna say thanks for taking the time to read my question. if there's ever any audio production questions i can answer for you, please shoot me an e-mail and i'll be glad to help if i can.
okay, for my question. i've been using my dad's panasonic lumix camera which is a 5 megapixel camera and it's really good i must say. but, i'm looking at getting a lumix DMC-FZ18K which is an 8 megapixel camera. i'm looking to get into professional photography along with a lot of other things production related. also, i am fairly proficient with photoshop cs2 and cs3. my question is what is the minimum megapixel rating that i need to have for a camera in order to maintain a truly professional level of quality in all that i do. i'm thinking that maybe up to standard poster size is about as big as i want or need to get with regard to print. but, i'm looking to do things like weddings, promo shots, sporting events....... pretty much anything really. so i am just wondering do i really need to spend over a thousand dollars to get a camera to give me extremely good quality or is it possible to get something really great for under or around $500?
thanks,
steve
Answer Hi Steve! Hoo-boy, you have no idea how much I will need help with audio...I am currently learning Soundtrack Pro! If you would really be able to answer some questions I might have, please shoot me an email at sarabella@nyc.com. Ok. With that out of the way...
Megapixels are a very tricky subject. I will not say (or accuse) that the camera manufacturers use it as a marketing ploy, but...it might be a marketing ploy. There are so many other things that go into the final quality of an image. You have to look at the Max Resolution, Effective Pixels, Sensor Photo Detectors and most importantly the SENSOR SIZE. For this example, I went to http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/sidebyside.asp (A REALLY GREAT WEBSITE to use when you are shopping for a new digital camera!) and I compared the DCM-FZ18 to the Nikon D200 (which is the camera I use). I shoot professionally. I shoot RAW images and process them in CS2 with both Bridge and Photoshop. I recently created 24 x 36 inch posters that came out crystal clear and beatific. The D200 has 10 million effective pixels compared to the DCM-FZ18 which has 8 million. The sensor size on the D200 is 23.6 x 15.8 mm while the DCM-FZ18 is 1/2.5". From those numbers, I've never been one at math, so I don't know how the sensor sizes compare (another marketing ploy?) but it seems that the D200 is better...but how much better? The way I have explained this issue to my classes is: a 5 megapixel camera with a sensor the size of a dime is not going to produce the same quality images of a 5 megapixel camera with a sensor the size of a quarter. It has more space to save the data. The question is: Can you get high quality, huge images from that Panasonic camera? That is a question better posed to someone who knows a bit more about this Panasonic Camera, but in comparing just the Max Resolution from the DCM-FZ18 to the D200, the FZ18 is 3264x2448 compared to the D200 at 3872 x 2592, it seems pretty close. How far into professional photography do you want to get? I would honestly recommend a Nikon, specifically the D200, but I am a Nikon girl through and through. There may be other 35mm cameras which are comparable, but my 35mm experience has been with Nikon and it has been all good. But if you compare the D200 to the D80, they are so very close in comps...I wonder why I didn't save the money and get the D80!
Photography is a very expensive business. If you really want to get involved in it as a professional, your clients will have high expectations and it is better to have higher end equipment that can produce high quality images. If you have had great experience with the Panasonic, I would certainly investigate it further. Some other features to look for: the continuous shooting speed, the ISO ratings, light meter quality and manual options. Use that website and compare the camera you think you want to other cameras you have used or that you know of. And now you have a bit more knowledge of what to compare.
Long answer, I apologize. The short answer was: there is no minimum megapixel rating that will quantify being a "professional". But there were all those other issues you have to consider.
I hope I haven't confused you. Please do not hesitate to ask if you have any further questions, especially if my answers caused the existence of those questions! And if you would like to help me with sound, shoot me an email. You can also just email directly with your questions.
