The Photography & Video Guru
Everything photograph and video related. The Guru will lead you to taking better photographs whether it’s with your smart phone or the latest and greatest DSLR!
The Photography & Video Guru
Balancing Skill and Equipment in Photography
Unlock the secrets behind what makes a camera truly "professional" with Curtis, your go-to expert in photography and video. Whether you're fascinated by the impressive history of legendary film cameras like the Mamiya or intrigued by the cutting-edge digital advancements of Hasselblad and Phase One, this episode promises to broaden your understanding of the ever-evolving world of professional cameras. Explore how versatile models from Sony and Nikon have redefined professional standards, meeting the demanding needs of wildlife photographers and luxury product shoots alike. Curtis also shares valuable insights on the importance of aligning your equipment with specific photography tasks, highlighting that true artistry often lies in the photographer's skill rather than the gear itself.
As we navigate through the world of professional camera systems, discover the pros and cons of investing in versus renting high-end equipment like Broncolor lighting systems. Curtis reflects on how past experiences have shaped his perspective on the real versus perceived value of expensive gear. From the practicalities of studio setups to understanding the nuances of sensor capabilities and bit depth, learn how the right camera and lens choices can transform your photography. Whether it's the striking detail in a Rolex ad campaign or the dynamic capture of a bird in flight, Curtis emphasizes that quality lenses often offer more value than constantly upgrading camera bodies. Enhance your photography journey by understanding when high-end rentals are crucial for major projects, and when a reliable camera-lens combo can brilliantly capture everyday moments.
Today, we're going to talk about what a professional camera is. What qualifies a camera to be considered a professional camera? Hi, I'm Curtis. I am your photography and video guru, and that's what we're going to talk about today. So what is a professional camera? Well, when I first started thinking about this, I was going to comment that there's only a few cameras out there that are really truly professional. But as I thought about that, it really came across as kind of a stupid way to think about it, because all cameras today yield superior images than what we had just a handful of years ago. But let's talk about what I would consider a truly professional camera.
Speaker 1:These are cameras that you would only really need to use at high levels of production. In other words, you're shooting a Rolex watch the watch itself, the actual ad is a $40,000, $50,000 budget to shoot something like this and then you get up to a certain area where quality is expected to be at a certain level. So what level is that? Well, it depends right, it depends on who you're shooting for and what the requirements are for. But when I think of a high-end shoot like that, I'm thinking you're shooting with a Hasselblad with a digital back, or a phase one camera and digital back, or a phase one digital back attached to something like a Cambo Actus or a studio camera, something along those lines. In other words, cameras that yield high-end 16-bit resolution files that are just absolutely stupendous. Now can you get fantastic images with other cameras? Well, yes, you can.
Speaker 1:Cameras are really designated to what you are going to use them for. Would you use a phase one camera with a phase 150 megapixel phase back for wildlife photography? Absolutely not. You would not use that. You would need something with fast autofocus and fast shutter speeds, which you're not going to get with a medium format camera, any medium format camera. So you'd be looking at like a Sony camera high-end camera, or Nikon a Z9, or whatever the Canon camera is. Also, those cameras have supporting glass or supporting lenses. That would lend itself to wildlife photography. 600 millimeters. Maybe you'd have a tele, you know, extender, in other words, where you could take the focal length of the lens and multiply it times 1.5 or two times the lens, and then you're getting high resolution or high speed images, multi-frame images. So you're talking 10 frames a second, 20 frames a second. I'm not a wildlife photographer so I'm not quite sure what they're up to now, but the faster the better. Plus, your autofocus is going to need to be super sharp. Let's say you're shooting birds. The new cameras now can identify the bird, look for its eye and focus on the eye. So really incredible technology. Would that be considered a professional camera? Of course it would, but you're shooting it for wildlife.
Speaker 1:Each camera suits a different need, a different purpose. It maybe has its own niche. But can cameras overlap? Well, of course they can. So what do you guys think is a professional camera? Is there truly professional cameras? Are most of the cameras actually amateur cameras with professional features? Like I said, you know, it just depends. Right Now, a consumer camera would be something like a point and shoot, like a Sony ZV-E1. These that are used for video and not so much for photography. But I'll be honest with you, I can take my Sony a6400, which I primarily use for video, but I can take fantastic portraits with it. Uh, it's got fast autofocus, so maybe I could shoot uh dogs with it, um, you know, and get professional results.
Speaker 1:So back in the film days, you know, we had limited amount of uh selection or limited amount of choices, uh choices. That was truly professional. Nikon was the first camera that came out with a single lens, single reflex lens, slr, single lens reflex, where, in other words, you look through the viewfinder and it actually looks through the lens Before that they were all viewfinder or you're looking down through the top of the camera and through the lens Before that they were all viewfinder or you're looking down through the top of the camera and through the lens. Roloflex, hasselblad, pentax, all those cameras, a lot of those cameras. Before you had single lens reflex cameras, you had a viewfinder that was like a um, what do you call it? A uh, uh, uh, a viewfinder that was to the side of the lens and you were just. It was showing you what was going to be in the photograph.
Speaker 1:Um, so you know, back in the film days, a professional camera would be a Mamiya, like a Mamiya, six by seven, uh, six45, which refers to the format. A 6x7 was a nice big frame size. You know, almost square, not quite square. A 645 was more horizontal. Hasselblad, of course, was square. You always took a square photograph with a Hasselblad.
Speaker 1:Fuji's Fuji's had some great cameras. You always took a square photograph with a Hasselblad. Fujis Fujis had some great cameras. Pentax had great cameras. They were all good cameras.
Speaker 1:And then, of course, you had your large format film cameras. You had 4x5, 8x10. That you sheet film. Now could you use a 4x5 and 8x10 to take portraits? Of course you could. You could take a portrait with any lens. Would you take sports photography with a 4x5 or 8x10? Well, believe it or not, back in the day they did use sheet film. And be to try to catch a moment with a flash, with using a 4x5 or 8x10 or some sort of roll film camera.
Speaker 1:Today, what do we have? Okay, today, professional cameras, ones that we consider to be truly professional. Professional would be a phase one camera body, a phase 1, like a Phase 1 XF camera body, and some sort of Phase 1 back, a Hasselblad. They really kind of dropped out. They make the X2D, which of course, is a professional quality camera and that's 100 megapixels. And then the Mimeas or, I'm sorry, the Fujis. They make the GFX 50 and 100. The 50S I think they make a second version of it and the 100S Mark II, and then they make the GFX 100 II. Both are professional cameras. Now, is there a difference between the GFX100 and the Phase 1 XF backs? Yes, but only incrementally. In other words, would you really see a difference between the Phase 1 back and a Fuji GFX back? Well, you might if you're really pixel peeping, but I'm not quite sure about that.
Speaker 1:What about Nikon, if I'm shooting like, for instance, I used to shoot e-commerce photography with a Canon. I shot it with a let's see what was it. It was a Canon 5D Mark II, something like that, and it wasn't a new camera then. It was 24 megapixels but I was shooting e-commerce with it and I shot hundreds of thousands of frames with that camera. I wore out a shutter. Finally, after about four years of shooting, uh, shooting stills and then shooting a video with it, um, before, the shutter had to be replaced. And then they replaced the shutter and guess what? It was good to go again, and would I've? Would it have been appropriate to use, um, a medium format camera for it? Well, you could.
Speaker 1:But since I was shooting jewelry, we really were using macro lenses and I was shooting typically 180 millimeter macro lens on a Canon body and, I hate to say it, medium format. That's one thing they lack is a true macro lens. I don't think there is a macro lens out there. That is a true one-to-one macro lens. Fuji, you can kind of get close to it. You can get to one to five, something like that. I mean it's not a true one-to-one. And what I mean by one-to-one? When you're shooting macro lens, it's the true size of whatever you're shooting appears on the frame of the film. So, in other words, it's a true one-to-one representation. So if I'm shooting a bug, that bug is the same size as it appears on the frame. Okay, that's a one-to-one. And then you have a two-to-one where it're even, it's it's amplifying it or magnifying it twice as much, and it wouldn't make sense. The medium format would just be too large.
Speaker 1:It was e-commerce photography. So do we need a hundred megapixel e-commerce? No, you do not. You know you're talking about small images. They're going to be compressed for online use and online scene. So when you look at it, you don't want a high resolution file that takes forever for somebody to load. You know you're talking like Amazon, any major online retailer. Those are going to be relatively low images to be produced online so it loads quickly on your device, whether it's a computer or a phone or whatever.
Speaker 1:You know, right now the professional cameras for Nikon would be like the Z9 or Z8, the Canon R1, the Sony A1 or the A9. If you're looking for high resolution, high megapixel, the A7R5, 61 megapixel. The A93, I think is 50 megapixels, I'm not quite sure. The A1, I think is only 24. The A1 would be great for a wildlife photography, but also, when you talk about wildlife photography, maybe you want more pixels so you can crop in. You're maybe too far away, so maybe the a7R V would be a good choice with 61 megapixels.
Speaker 1:When we're also talking, we get to the Fuji cameras. Well, let's talk about Phase I backs. For instance, phase I, 150 megapixel back for a new one is $30,000. 100 megapixel back is $15,000. The XF body for the Phase I is $8,000. 100 megapixel back is $15,000. The XF body for the Phase 1 is $8,500. And then you're talking plus lenses, and the lenses run between $5,000 and up for Phase 1 lenses to go with their XF body. So that is a truly professional system, because the average day photographer doesn't need that.
Speaker 1:And let's say even I let's say I do get a job would I run out and buy a phase one back, uh, and a phase one camera, phase one lenses for that particular job? No, I would rent it, um, I would lease it something, uh. I made the mistake years ago when I was a commercial photographer, I was trying to land a furniture company and they required even though it didn't need it, the person required that I use medium format camera. So I went out and bought a Mamiya 645 with a leaf Aptus back on it which was 28 megapixels CCD Did in the end. Did I need that? No, I could have shot it with a regular camera, for that matter. You know it went into a catalog but by the time you print it, do you really need the 16-bit file? No, I really didn't.
Speaker 1:And then that's when you run into the kind of perception of what people perceive is professional. Is the camera using perceived to be professional? If I show up and I'm doing portrait photography with an A9 or a Z9 Nikon with a big piece of glass, people will perceive that as being professional. But in actuality it's the end result that's professional. It's how well you can control the light and get the images you want. So you could be shooting with a APS-C sensor. You could be shooting with a micro four thirds sensor, like with an Olympus, and get phenomenal results.
Speaker 1:Don't feel pressured to get a camera that you think or that is perceived to be professional If you have a client, a commercial client, that says I need, you have to have this specific equipment for the shoot, then I would rent it Now a lot of times. And this extends to lighting too perceived quality of the light Will a Godox flash system produce as good a light as something like a Braun Color or a Profoto? Yeah, it will. Some of the differences you run into between the systems are the modifiers. I know that Braun Color has their own modifiers and they make beautiful modifiers. Profoto makes beautiful modifiers. You can get just about any type of modifier you want from Profoto for the Godox cameras. Or, like I use Flashpoint from Adorama and there's a reason I use Flashpoint Number one because it's cheaper and number two, adorama supports Flashpoint. So if I have a problem with it I can call Adorama and they will work with me to get it fixed. I've never had a problem with a Flashpoint, but Flashpoints are basically Godox branded for Adorama.
Speaker 1:But that being said, that aside, there is a perception that Broncolor and Profoto are more professional and maybe that's what's required to be on a shoot. There is also a practical side to Profoto and Bronco Alert and that, if you go on set, that your studio managers, your assistants, are all going to be familiar with Bronco, alert and Profoto. They're going to know how to run them, connect them, change settings on them, things like that, whereas if you bring in an off-brand flash system, they may not understand or be able to work with that system to change the settings. So, with that being said, a lot of commercial studios will have the Braun color and pro photos on set If you say, well, you're going to be doing a high-end commercial shoot and maybe you are going to have assistance and things like that. So don't go out and buy Braun Color or Pro Photo Again. Rent it, rent it for the shoot and then use it for the shoot. Now, if you're shooting for your own stuff in your own studio, use your Godox, use your Flashpoint. Don't go broke buying BraunColor and Profoto because you think it's going to produce better light. Guess what it's going to produce light. It's light. It doesn't change the physics. The photons are the same whether it comes from BraunColor or it comes from Profoto. Are those systems nice? Nice, yes, they're beautiful systems. They're wonderful systems. They work great.
Speaker 1:I've worked with both uh, on shoots. They're great, there's no question to it. But they break just like everything else. Um, I blew up a broncolor working at a studio up in wisconsin for a major, and it wasn't my fault. It just decided to blow up. So and then you know you're talking some serious dollars to fix it. Well, they had a spare. Of course it was a commercial studio, it was their studio, so they just brought in another unit and then replaced it. And then I was on my way, and so one question was okay. So, for instance, way, and so one question was okay.
Speaker 1:So, for instance, if I have the GFX system, the Mamiya GFX, if I'm thinking about medium format, the GFX 50, even if it's the new GFX 50 S2, it's a 50 megapixel sensor. It is still only a 14-bit sensor. It is not a 16-bit sensor. To get up to a 16-bit sensor, you have to go to the 100S, okay. So if you're going to, why spend the extra money on a GFX 50S? If you can go with a Nikon, like a Z7 or Z7 II, which is 50 megapixels, it's going to be 14-bit, just like the 50, gfx 50. If you already have the Nikon or the Canon or whatever, stick with that. You're not going to get any more resolution depending on pixels than or bit depth with the GFX system.
Speaker 1:For me, I went with the GFX 100S, which is a 16-bit file. Why? Because I wanted a 16-bit file and I wanted the larger file size. To make large prints and also masking and things like that is a little bit easier with more pixels that the 100S provides, so basically double the pixel size. They're huge files. Though, especially if you're shooting in 16-bit, you're going to be running out of hard drive space pretty quickly. Okay?
Speaker 1:So if you're thinking about medium format, I would go with just your regular Nikon, canon, sony, fuji, olympus cameras. And if you really want to go medium format, then I would skip the 50 megapixel, whether it's a Hasselblad or Fuji, and then go straight to a 100 megapixel like the 100S or the Hasselblad X2D, like the 100S or the Hasselblad X2D. But remember your costs are going to go up exponentially because the glass for those are expensive. Now I adapted my 100S to take some old Hasselblad glass. That's manual focus, and they're great, works fine. So there is that way.
Speaker 1:So back to truly professional cameras. You know you have your phase one back. Then you can combine it with something like a Cambo, actus or some sort of view camera and then whatever lenses you decide to put on that. So you're talking a big investment for something that is considered to be truly professional. Do people buy those camera systems without being a professional photographer? Of course, if you have money, they're going to buy it. Will they be able to get full use out of it? If they're not, haven't been taking photographs for years and years? That remains to be seen. It's up to the person of how skilled they are and their abilities right they are and their abilities right.
Speaker 1:But if you're not getting high-end photos or high-quality photographs from what you're already shooting, there's no reason to invest in something like a Phase 1 back, even though I've been shooting commercially for 35 years. Unless I just have a pile of cash that's laying around, I'm not going to invest $30,000 in a 150 megapixel back or a 15K in a 100 megapixel back. Will those backs yield better images than my Fuji GFX 100? Yes, but only incrementally, right? So you might be able to see the difference between side by side between the two, be able to see the difference between side by side between the two, but it's incremental, you know. You go from, let's say, a nikon like my nikon z7, 50 megapixel z7. Uh, the gfx 100 is going to be, of course, a little bit better than the nikon, and then the phase one is going to be a little bit better than the gfx or the x2d is going to be a little bit better than the GFX or the X2D is going to be a little bit better than the Nikon or the Canon or the Sony. So it's just little itty bitty steps and unless you have a client that is requiring that, then I would not worry about it. Okay, you can produce quality professional images with the regular mirrorless camera system or a DSLR digital camera system like the D850, something like that, and they're going to be beautiful.
Speaker 1:So another question is why are some of these like Phase I backs and the Hasselblad X2Ds? Why are they so expensive? Well, they're expensive because there are not that many made of those Like, for instance, the Phase back 150 megapixel back, 100 megapixel backs. There aren't that many made compared to something like the Nikon, canon and Sony cameras. So those are regular production. Of course, amateurs and professionals use them both, whereas there's only a small percentage or a much smaller percentage of photographers who rely on the Phase 1 backs for those high-end commercial shoots. So the GFX and the Hasselblad X2D systems, the X systems, have become very popular because, even though they're still expensive. They are far less expensive than those Phase I backs or the higher end backs. So the GFX system and the Hasselblad H2Ds are more reasonable, so more are sold and purchased by people.
Speaker 1:Okay, if you have the dollars, the money sitting around, would I say you know, and you want to get your feet wet, absolutely, but don't go into debt by any medium format camera system. You know, use what you got and then, even if you have a customer that requires medium format, like I said, you can rent it for a week or two and save yourself a lot of money. So I mean, and then when we look at like video cameras, you know there's more pro level video cameras than still cameras. You know there's more pro-level video cameras than still cameras. You know you have RED camera system, blackmagic, even the Sonys. You have a company.
Speaker 1:You know cameras like the Z Cam out there. There's a bunch of video cameras out there that really indie filmmakers can use for video production. These cameras nowadays are becoming like the Nikon Z9. You can record raw camera files or video files to the Z9. You can hook up external recorders to like the Blackmagic cameras so you can have hard drives to them. You know the red cameras go from. You know individual indie makers, commercials for advertisements, all the way up to feature films.
Speaker 1:You know the Sony FX three was used in a major, major film because they wanted to stay light the movie called the Creator. They used a lot of footage with the FX3, even though they did use some higher-end Sony cameras, but the bulk of it was shot on the FX3. Can you tell the difference between an FX3 and an Aria film? Digital camera? Maybe, but it's not so much about the camera, it's really about the image or the end results, the feeling you get with it. So that's what's important. Is it the camera or is it the image produced? Well, it's. Or is it the image produced? Well, it's going to be the image produced? It's not going to be. They're not going to people always. And that question drives me crazy.
Speaker 1:If you've been a photographer for a while and you take a really great photo, people say what camera did you use? Honestly, it doesn't matter what camera you used. It has you know, not so much about the camera, as it is opposed to the image Only when you get to specific case use, instances where you have to have a specific equipment to achieve a specific result, like wildlife. Like I said earlier, you're going to have to have a specific camera combined with a specific lens to get the image that you want. Am I going to be able to go out and shoot wildlife photography with a Sony a6400 and a 35 millimeter lens? No, it's not going to work. Caveat to that.
Speaker 1:I did use my Nikon camera with a wide angle lens. I set it up on a uh sandbag, connected to it remotely, and got a photograph of a chipmunk. I put a big pile of peanuts on the deck and I propped up my camera and every time he showed up I just started shooting photographs remotely. So in that instance, yeah, okay, but typically, if you're holding the camera shooting through the lens, uh, it's about getting the correct lens on it. Could I shoot wildlife with a 6,400? If I had the right lens to attach to it, if I could put a 600 millimeter lens on it, then yeah, and actually on a 6,400, since the sensor's APS-C, it would be 1.5 times the focal length of the lens. So if you got a 600 millimeter lens, that would almost be a 900 millimeter lens attached to it, okay. That being said, so yeah, you probably could take full-on photography with the A6400.
Speaker 1:Are you going to do it with a pocket camera? Eh, not so much. Okay, so cameras are basically tools and every camera has certain abilities, uh, and features, and basically you're trying to match up the camera with the job. So what tool is best for the job? You know, if you need a socket set, wrench set for a particular job, are you going to use a pair of pliers? No, so you have to match up the camera, the tool that you need for the specific job you're doing.
Speaker 1:So I mean, and you know, when we talk about professional cameras, all cameras can be destroyed. So it's not a question about wear and tear on a camera. You can drop and break a camera, whether it's a Phase One or a Hasselblad or a Fuji or a Sony or a Nikon or whatever. They can be destroyed. Okay, there isn't one camera. That's not. Some of the Olympus cameras are. You could actually take an Olympus camera into a shower, okay, um, and it's weather sealed, that's pretty cool. So you could go out and shoot that camera out in the field.
Speaker 1:You know, you just have to know the limitations of that camera system. Uh, a phase one excess body X F body with lenses. Uh, phase one. Uh, is the autofocus going to be like that of a Z9, nikon Z9? No, it's not. It's not going to be fast, okay. So the Z9 is going to be much faster. The Canon R1 is going to be faster. The Sony A1 is incredibly fast.
Speaker 1:So you know, it's just like I said, different things, I do still life, a lot of still life. So do I need autofocus at all? No, I don't even need autofocus, so I can care less. So my GFX 100S is really just, I'm using it as a digital back attached to my Cambo Actus. So what's important? Well, if I'm going to spend money on a camera, I'm going to spend it on the lens as opposed to the camera. If you have a high quality lens, it really doesn't matter what camera you put it on, because the lens is going to determine more about the quality of the image than the actual camera.
Speaker 1:Now, I'm talking about modern cameras. If you're talking, even, I could take a Nikon D700, which was one of my favorite cameras in the world only 12 megapixels, and I could take that camera and get fantastic images with it, if I have the right lens. If I get a cheap lens, well then you're going to run into problems. You know. You know you get aberrations in the lens. You're going to get halos around the colors. Maybe the lens is probably the most important part of the camera.
Speaker 1:Camera bodies come and go. Lenses are here to stay. If I upgrade my camera system, I upgrade the camera. I keep the lenses. Now, like the Sony or the Hasselblad X2D, they came out with some new lenses for them and apparently they're fantastic. But the old lenses are fine too. So worry more about composition and lighting, because those are the most important things that people see.
Speaker 1:Okay, number one if you have a camera and you're thinking about upgrading the camera, think about upgrading the lens, maybe before the camera. Unless you just got the money to burn, then go ahead and buy yourself the new camera. But if you don't, if it's like either or buy the better lens, sell the old lens, buy a better lens, keep the old camera. But if you don't, if it's like either or buy the better lens, sell the old lens, buy a better lens, keep the old camera, all right. So what does it all boil down? To? Choose the camera that suits the need.
Speaker 1:Okay, if I'm shooting a $50,000 ad campaign product photography $50,000 ad campaign product photography I'm going to rent a phase one back, uh, and a camera system to do that shoot, okay. I may even rent a Hasselblad X2D, okay, and I can still shoot that with the Mamiya GFX 100 S. It depends on the client and what they, what they require, client and what they what they require. And, like I said, sometimes it all comes down to impression too right? So they think maybe you're not professional If you're not using a phase one back, you're not using brown color or you're not using a pro photo. Rent those items and do that shoot, but how many of those shoots do you actually get? Well, not that many.
Speaker 1:Everyday shooting is going to be production work. In reality. You know, if you're a portrait photographer, you're going to be doing portraits. Can you shoot portraits for those cameras? Sure, but I would shoot it with just a normal camera. And then also, like I said, get the best glass that you can afford, the best lenses that you can afford, okay, regardless of everything else, get the shot.
Speaker 1:In the end, the customer doesn't care or understand what you are shooting with, and that, especially, is going for your average everyday portrait photographers, wedding photographers, things like that. You might understand the differences between the camera systems and all that they don't understand it. They don't care, they just want the end result. They want you to capture an emotion, a moment in time. What have you? If you're shooting e-commerce? Of course you can shoot with any camera that you have. Heck, you could probably even shoot e-commerce with an iPhone. All right, it's about lighting, composition. Lighting and composition. We're the two. Okay, concentrate on those things.
Speaker 1:Don't worry about if the camera is professional or not professional. I don't think there is a difference between whether a camera is professional or not professional. I can't think, like I said, unless it's a pocket camera, as long as it has interchangeable lenses, you can use that camera as a professional. Camera that has interchangeable lenses, you can use that camera as a professional camera. Okay, it's in the hands of the photographer. You are being paid not for the equipment that you own, but for your experience and your ability to produce a great image. Don't worry about all this other stuff.
Speaker 1:Camera manufacturers want to sell you the latest, greatest camera. They want you to spend money on that new, shiny object. That's what they do, that is, they try to give you gas gear acquisition syndrome. They want you to buy that camera, for instance, a couple of years ago well, not just a couple of years ago, but they keep on coming out with cameras that have an F-stop of f, you know, 1.2, 1.4. I could care less about 1.2 or 1.4.
Speaker 1:If I'm doing a portrait and I'm shooting at an f-stop of like 1.2 or 1.4, the depth of field is so shallow that maybe one eyeball is in focus and then everything else is soft. Okay, their nose is soft, it goes in focus to the eye and then everything falls off, being soft in the background. I don't know about that, but nobody that I know really wants a shot like that. They want the face in focus, they want both eyes in focus, they want to see light in the eyes they want to see. Of course you want to maybe create bokeh, but remember, bokeh or your depth of field is contingent upon really two things. F-stop has a little bit to play with it.
Speaker 1:But number one is how close your background is to the subject. The further away, the more it's going to be out of focus. And the second thing is magnification. So if I'm shooting with a wide-angle lens, your background isn't going to be as out of focus as if you're going to compress the image with something like a 100-millimeter or 200 millimeter lens, so you want to throw that background out.
Speaker 1:When I do portrait, I'm shooting at F11, F8, shooting with a 200 millimeter lens, and then I put the background as far away from them as possible. Okay, I am not worried about shooting at f1.2 or whatever. If you're a low light, maybe a street photographer, and you need the speed to get as much light into the camera as possible, sure, knock yourself out. But remember that 1.2 or that 1.4 lens. That's not the sharpest part of the lens. It's going to be around f8, 11, f11, okay. Uh, anything over f16 starts. You start getting diffraction where things start to get soft. Again, every lens has a sweet spot. I could care less about a 1.2 or 1.4 lens. Okay, I'm not shooting at that F-stop anyway, I'm controlling my depth of field, like I said, through magnification, picking the correct lens and separating my subject from the background. All right, so get the shot. Like I said, the customer in the end doesn't care or understand what you're shooting with. Okay, rarely.
Speaker 1:Do you need a specific camera for a specific job? If you have a high-end camera or you need it, rent it. Okay, if you can't get the shot that you need, even if you have your Canon, nikon, sony camera and let's say you're going to shoot a portrait and you need a 200mm lens, go ahead and rent it. Rent it for a week, all right. So what is a professional camera? As a photographer, it's the camera that you have in your hand at that moment. What makes it professional is your experience and talent and knowing how to shoot the shot to get the result that you want. All right, so until next time, we'll talk to you later.