Best camera for makeup portfolio?

Question

I'm super into makeup and want to start a portfolio. I need a camera that will take very clear closeup shots of people's faces, especially eyes. I want my fabulous blending skills to show! What camera do you suggest?

Answer 1

I recommend  the Nikon Coolpix P5100 or the Canon PowerShot S5 IS.

These cameras run in the $300-400 range, but if you can afford to spend more, go for a DSLR.

The reason I picked these 2 cameras, is that they offer external hot-shoe mounts, so that you can run an external flash. For close-ups of peoples faces, you want to be able to run a big flash, with a diffuser attached so you can get great soft lighting, without the harsh look of most camera's onboard flash.

I am partial to the Canon camera, as I have owned 4 Canon digital point and shoots, one of which is the Canon S3 IS, the predecessor to the Canon S5 IS. It's an excellent camera, and I find the swing out LCD to be very handy to work with. You can hold the camera over your head and have the LCD tilted so you can compose the shot. It's also nice to be able to swing it around to face the front, for those self portraits or self + group portraits.