Best Lens for Baby Pictures.

[Richard Lane]

If you have any more suggestions or points you would like to make on; 1) FF vs. Crop, or 2) Lens options for taking baby pictures

I am going to a local photo shop (Milford Photo, Milford CT) on Monday to discuss if a FF is a better choice / investment than a crop camera for me now, or am I getting in over my head as some of you have suggested.

Hi Bruce,

FF is definitely not over anyones head. In the past, when people bought an SLR film camera it was called a 35mm camera which is what FF is. The 35mm sensor set the standard for the film. Now with the new digital cameras we aren't limited to 35mm film anymore, so it's easier for the companies to produce smaller, less expensive digital cameras with crop sensors. Another advantage of a crop sensor is that it allows for longer reach of your lens, so you can shoot from farther away with the same lens. A 100mm lens on a 1.6X crop camera will shoot similarly to a 160mm lens. The same 100mm lens on a FF (35mm) camera will shoot at 100mm. Photographers that shoot wildlife and sports from far away prefer the crop sensors for the further reach.

The effect of the crop sensor is similar to how we used to blow up photos to be larger during developing. The down side of the crop sensor is that it is smaller, therefore it will capture less light than a FF sensor. When you capture less light without a flash, in light limited situations (your house) then you will have more noise in your images, which is not desirable, similarly to when a photograph was blown up to larger size, it became grainy. You don't need the reach of a crop sensor camera, but you will be penalized with the greater image noise in lower lighting. You could also buy a flash and/or a more expensive faster lens, with a larger aperture that will let in more light (example 35mm f/1.4). I'm not a big fan of flash for babies and there is also an additional learning curve to allow the flash to look natural, as well as avoiding red eye.

So, FF cameras are more expensive, they let in more light which provides for higher quality images in lower light situations and they have less reach.

You don't need the reach, but you could benefit from letting more light into the camera. So, it comes down to price! Is FF necessary for your needs, no, not really, but if you have the money to spend and you like the best of the best, and you see yourself pursuing this as a hobby into the future then a FF camera could be a good choice for you. Also keep in mind, that many professional photographers use crop cameras all of the time, and they can produce excellent results. You should also be aware that there are less expensive crop cameras as well as more expensive crop cameras. The Canon 5D MKII which is full frame starts at around $2000, the newly released 5D MKIII is around $3500 probably cheaper on Amazon, and FF can go up to $7000.

You will first have to decide which camera you want; Crop vs FF, before deciding on a lens, because as I mentioned the sensor size will affect the field of view that your lens choice will render.

Rich


Edited: Canon will be having a photography convention around September, called Photokina. They usually announce new products at these events. There is some talk that Canon may introduce a less expensive FF camera in order to compete with Nikon. So, if you're not in a rush, I would wait a little longer before making a decision.

Edited-Edited: I also added info about a flash. Also be aware that most photo editing software can also remove noise in the images.

[Magijr]

Thank you for your reply Rich. I am going to look in to the Photokina, great idea. You stated that Canon has rumored a release of a less expensive FF camera to compete with Nikon at the Photokina. What Nikon do you think is the cheapest FF camera? I am guessing that this less expensive Nikon is the one that Canon will compete with, and if so, what price do you think Canon will sell their FF camera for?

It seam counter productive to me that Canon just released the Rebel t4i and the 5D MKIII in the past 6 months, and they will release another camera? Is this standard in the industry?

You have certainly got me thinking and I appreciate that, thank you again Rich.

Bruce

[HDNitehawk]

It seam counter productive to me that Canon just released the Rebel t4i and the 5D MKIII in the past 6 months, and they will release another camera? Is this standard in the industry?

If you are waiting on Canon to release a new camera based on a rumor you may be waiting until your daughter/son graduate high school before you get a camera at all. You can't trust rumors you hear about Canon. In the past we have only seen a small percentage of the rumors ever materialize as the real thing. You could almost attribute the rumors that were correct to random chance, enough guesses and someone will get it right. Some could claim accuracy because they did predict the release of a 5D III, but most of those people also predicted the release of a 1Ds IV.

In the past you could predict that the next generation of Canon cameras would have a much higher pixel count since for the past dozen years each new release had a higher and higher count, those making those predictions in the last round of cameras failed miserably as Canon lowered the pixel count with the flagship camera.

My advice is ignore the rumors and choose from what is available now.

Anyway, if you decide to go Full Frame I would go with the 5D III. Cameras are just like computers after three or so years they are old news. The 5D II is old news now, where the 5D III should have a good two or three year run. The 5D II is still a good camera, but it is technology over three years old. You will not have a problem using either 5D, as it will have a setting that is automatic and lets the camera decide all the settings. You will only have to point it and shoot to get it to work. You can take control of the settings more and more as you learn.

[Richard Lane]

Thank you for your reply Rich. I am going to look in to the Photokina, great idea. You stated that Canon has rumored a release of a less expensive FF camera to compete with Nikon at the Photokina. What Nikon do you think is the cheapest FF camera? I am guessing that this less expensive Nikon is the one that Canon will compete with, and if so, what price do you think Canon will sell their FF camera for?

It seam counter productive to me that Canon just released the Rebel t4i and the 5D MKIII in the past 6 months, and they will release another camera? Is this standard in the industry?

You have certainly got me thinking and I appreciate that, thank you again Rich.

Bruce

Sure, my pleasure!

Yes, it's only a rumor at this point, but since Photokina is only 4 weeks away, you may want to see if anything new will be announced. I wouldn't wait until the end of the year though!

As HDNitehawk mentioned, a lot of these rumors don't pan out!

I'm sorry, but I don't know anything about Nikon's lineup. It would be impossible for me to speculate on a price for a rumored Camera.

It's not unusual for these companies to release more than a few cameras a year.

I hope that helps!

Rich

[Steve U]

This site has some of the best advice around, a lot of it usually ends up costing you more money. Which is OK, but if you haven't done your first photography course yet, maybe the priority is to learn first and spend later. As detailed on the first page, your great camera would benefit from the addition of the 17-55mm Canon lens, I wouldn't be thinking of switching to FF for a little while yet, but it might be worth considering down the track a bit.

Formal photography lessons usually return better image quality than a new lens, if you are a beginner in most cases.
Good luck with it, I look forward to you sharing some images with your new gear.

[Magijr]

It does help and thank you.

[Magijr]

Possibly my last question. When I first posted in this forum I asked the question, what lens should I use to photograph my first child? There have been many great suggestions, responses and opinions.

Less than a month ago I bought the Rebel t4i and I thought I was set with my camera. Through much discussion in this forum and research on the web in with friends, I now believe I need to return the Rebel t4i and purchase one of the following;

1) The Mark DIII
2) The Mark DII
or the
3) EOS 7D

Choice # 1 is a FF, very expensive and almost too many features.
Choice #2 is more affordable, also a FF and more useable but it's 4 years old.
Choice # 3 is the most affordable, a crop camera and is 3 years old.

Do you have any opinion in which camera would be best for a first serious camera? I am taking a class in dslr next week, and I am going to take a photography course at a community college in the fall, so I am very serious about learning photography, especially with my first child on the way.

I am also open to other suggestions.

Thank you once again,
Bruce

[Richard Lane]

Sure, no problem, you don't have to limit your questions! That's why we're all here.

Do you mean the 5D MKIII or 5DMKII?

[Magijr]

Do you mean the 5D MKIII or 5DMKII?

Yes, the 5D MKIII (Choice 1), 5DMKII (Choice 2), and the EOS 7D (Choice 3),

[andnowimbroke]

Honestly, I would either get a refurb 5d2 when canon runs their twenty percent off with free shipping (ends up being a little over $1300, or stick with the crop (like a 7d or smaller rebel if your hands fit the form okay). The 5d2 has got Lantern on its side. The 7d flash can talk to remote flashes. The smaller recent rebels have newer guts. If you can justify the extra two grand, the 5d3 seems to be a good camera. I'd get one. I just can't justify it.