Which Camera To Buy - Part 3

Photo District News magazine wrote, in the Feb-2009 issue, an article on medium format cameras vs. high-res dSLRs cameras for professional photographers. I’d like to quote what David Prince, a Manhattan-New York based commercial photographer, said. David Prince uses mostly a Mamiya RB67 with a 39 Megapixels Phase One P45 digital back, he also uses a Canon 5D for scouting locations. He said:

In the studio, he turns to his medium format system and not just for quality but also for the perception the camera projects on the clients.

“When you’re shooting with a 35mm camera, clients feel like ‘I could shoot that’. So part of it, is the perception of how professional you look and, quite frankly how big the camera looks. And it’s the same game that’s been played for years. It’s like when a fashion photographer will bring thousands of dollars of lights and plant them around the studio and they just end up using window light.”

Please note that the bold emphasis is mine.

As a professional photographer, appearance, feeling of competency, and looking the part are just as important as your skills.

If you can’t afford a “professional camera”, i.e. a Nikon D3s, D3x or a Canon 1DMk3, you can provide the same feeling of professionalism with professional accessories and using them:

• Grey card
• Multiple flashes, at least 2 with 1 being used as a slave
• Wireless flashes
• Lighting reflector / Umbrella
• “Monster” lenses
• Tripod
• …