What camera should I buy for professional looking photographs?

Question

I'd like a new camera, something in the $300 range. I'd really like something that can shoot in Black and White, and also focus on objects in the foreground while slightly bluring the background. I'd also like a camera that makes certian lighting situations really pop.

Is there a name for these features (make the lighting/colors look better, focus on objects in foreground).? Can someone suggest a good camera?

Answer 1

You will need a camera that has manual shutter speed and aperture settings.  The effect you're describing, where an object in the foreground is sharply in focus, but the background is softened and blurred out is called "selective focus."  You achieve that effect by using a shallow depth of field.  Depth of field means the distance behind and in front of the subject that is in focus.  With a long depth of field, everything will be in focus and the background will be sharp.  With a shallow depth of field, the distance is more critical and only objects that are at the focal point will be sharp...anything that is too close to the camera or is farther away will be blurred.

Selective focus is used a lot in magazines and movies to draw more attention to a subject in the foreground, or with pictures where the background might be too distracting.  

To change the depth of field, you have to change the aperture.  Think of the aperture as like the iris in your eye.  The aperture has 2 functions.  It determines how much light comes into the camera and it also affects the depth of field.  You can adjust it to let in more or less light.  The aperture has settings called "F-stops."  It's a little confusing, but a bigger F-stop number actually means a smaller aperture.  A smaller F-stop number means a bigger aperture.  So, F-11 is actually a bigger aperture than F-16.  A bigger aperture has a more shallow depth of field.  A smaller aperture has a long depth of field.  So if you want to take pictures where everything is shaprly in focus, you would use F-16 or F-22.  To get a shallow depth of field and blur out the background, you would want to use a wider aperture, like F-5.6

Now the catch is that since the aperture also determines how much light comes in to the camera, to get the right exposure you will also have to compensate with the shutter speed.  The shutter speed just means how long the shutter stays open when you press the button.  It's measured in fractions of a second, like 1/100, 1/200, etc.  This is why you need a camera that lets you set the aperture and shutter speed manually.  With a bigger aperture setting, you need a faster shutter speed or you will overexpose the picture.  You'll have to do some research and learn about basic photographic techniques.  The same rules apply to both film cameras and digital cameras (if the digital camera has real shutter speed and f-stops...some of them don't).

The other problem is that in order to get a digital camera that has true manual settings, you'll need to get a digital SLR camera, and a new one is going to cost a lot more than $300.  Probably more like $400 or $500.  But you can get a good manual film camera that has completely manual aperture and shutter speed settings on eBay for less than $30.   I've actually taken pictures with my manual 35mm and 120 film cameras that were MUCH better than pictures from my 8 megapixel digital camera.

In order to get "better colors," you have to get better lighting.  Better colors have a lot more to do with the light and what time of day it is than the camera.  If you take pictures outside, it's better to take pictures either early in the morning, like around 8:00 - 10:30 AM, or wait until late in the afternoon near sunset, around 4:30-7:00 PM.  When the sun is lower in the sky, the light has a much better tone and the colors in your pictures will be a lot better.  Try NOT to take pictures right in the middle of the day.  The worst time is from about 12:00 noon - 2:00 PM.  If the sun is directly overhead, the light is too harsh and colors will get washed out.  Your pictures will look dull and overexposed.  So choosing the right time of day and getting the right lighting is extremely important.

I hope that helps some.  You need a camera with manual shutter speed and aperture settings.  If you do buy a new camera, read the instructions and find out how to change the F-stop and shutter speed.  Look up "Selective Focus" and "Depth of Field" on Google and Wikipedia.  Also, do some research and learn about what's called the "Sunny 16" rule, which is a guideline for how to get good exposures.  

Good luck and have fun!

Answer 2

kodak v308

Answer 3

get a nikon d40 the quilty is amazing. but you have to have an eye for photography.  

Answer 4

Get an old Pentax K 1000. You want 35mm to be a real photographer.

And take a class on photography.

Answer 5

You are looking for a DSLR, save your money, it will be a bit more than you are considering spending...however..I must caution you that it is not the camera, but the knowledge behind it that takes the type of pictures you are asking about. With a DSLR there is a learning curve and you must be willing to dedicate yourself to learning the craft.

Answer 6

Look at the Pentax SLR cameras.

Answer 7

Go to the following site.  http://www.dpreview.com/

It has reviews on all types of cameras with prices. choose the one that you think will fit your needs.

Answer 8

"Professional Looking" is the key phrase here. With the cost of cameras going down and the quality going up, it really comes down to budget and features, but at the end of the day, it is all about the photographer (and how well you read the manual to understand the features:)

Take a look through some camera reviews at http://sharedreviews.com - it's full of people who have the same questions you do and their feelings about the cameras they purchased. It might help. Good luck!!