Need help on choosing a Cam for stills only "newb" .. Please!!

[Ricomedrano]

Ok, thanks for checking out my post.

I am looking for a dslr to do fashion blogging... Outfit of the day type pics. I would like something that is awesome and can project the details of an outfit, nothing blurry or fuzzy, even if it is clear, sometimes you still see blurred edges when you look REALLY close..

So I have been recommended a canon 40D and a T2i. I do not intend on shooting video,

I have also been recommended this lense for fashion photography. -> tamron 28-75mm

I want to buy used, body only.


Can anyone help here? I'm not dead set on these two models, whatever would be a great price but deliver quality ($350 and under for the body)

The lense is about $330 used too.. ( this is all amazon pricing)

Again, I am open to suggestions,

I would like to take pics like this .. http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7240/7336308006_421154bd8a_b.jpg If not better!

 

[Ricomedrano]

Also, I am just going to take the pics in my apt and on my balcony - if that matters? (Sorry new to the photography addiction)

 

[Jim Saunders]

I'd go along with the 40D, you can probably get one on-budget with a little work.

After that you'll need some light, daylight and maybe a reflector to fill the shadows should work ok.

As for a lens I would lean towards a fixed-length lens rather than a zoom, because for the same cost you can usually get better performance in exchange for walking to zoom. I'm sure you'll get lots of other input too.

Jim

 

[Ricomedrano]

Any older Body's that would still be superb today? Like 1d or 5d?

 

[Jim Saunders]

Any older Body's that would still be superb today? Like 1d or 5d?

You'd probably blow your budget going for one of those. This one I took with a 40D, a 17-85mm lens (which isn't amazing) and lousy light. It probably would have improved at f/8 instead of the f/4 I used, but that's experience for you.

 

[DRR]

Any older Body's that would still be superb today? Like 1d or 5d?

So the sample images you posted look very wide. There's a good bit of distortion.

Personally my suggestion would be an older FF body and two prime lenses.

I'd look into a good condition used 5D (classic.) Should be able to pick one up for under $500. For a lens I'd skip the zooms and get an indoor prime, something like a 24mm or a 35mm for $200-350, and down the road a bit you can add a good outdoor portrait prime, an 85mm. ($300).

Inside your apartment, or in a hallway, or in a stairwell, there's not a lot of room to work. The full body sample images you posted were probably 24mm or so. When you're outside though, on the street, in an alley, etc. you have a lot more room to work, so stepping back with an 85mm lens will give you a nice shallow depth of field and will really make your subject and outfit pop against what is probably going to be a busy background (that you can't control as well as you can an indoor environment.)

Requirement for both primes - fast apertures.

 

[scottkinfw]

I have a nice 50D that I would sell you for cheap.

sek

Any older Body's that would still be superb today? Like 1d or 5d?

So the sample images you posted look very wide. There's a good bit of distortion.

Personally my suggestion would be an older FF body and two prime lenses.

I'd look into a good condition used 5D (classic.) Should be able to pick one up for under $500. For a lens I'd skip the zooms and get an indoor prime, something like a 24mm or a 35mm for $200-350, and down the road a bit you can add a good outdoor portrait prime, an 85mm. ($300).

Inside your apartment, or in a hallway, or in a stairwell, there's not a lot of room to work. The full body sample images you posted were probably 24mm or so. When you're outside though, on the street, in an alley, etc. you have a lot more room to work, so stepping back with an 85mm lens will give you a nice shallow depth of field and will really make your subject and outfit pop against what is probably going to be a busy background (that you can't control as well as you can an indoor environment.)

Requirement for both primes - fast apertures.

 

[Sporgon]

The images in the link you posted have very shallow depth of field, so as you have said you want to take images like those I would recommend a used 5D, as others have stated. Fast primes do not have to be expensive, and as you are controlling the distance to subject you do not need a zoom anyway.

Can't go wrong with a 50 f1.4 ( well actually you can because used half of them seem to be broken ), 40mm 2.8 is stellar, and if you like the distortion effect coupled with shallow depth of field get a 28 f1.8

Tips on shooting the 5D; use RAW and 100 ISO. Contrast can be abrupt.