November 3, 2024 • 38 mins
Unlock the secrets behind what makes a camera truly "professional" with Curtis, your go-to expert in photography and video. Whether you're fascinated by the impressive history of legendary film cameras like the Mamiya or intrigued by the cutting-edge digital advancements of Hasselblad and Phase One, this episode promises to broaden your understanding of the ever-evolving world of professional cameras. Explore how versatile models from Sony and Nikon have redefined professional standards, meeting the demanding needs of wildlife photographers and luxury product shoots alike. Curtis also shares valuable insights on the importance of aligning your equipment with specific photography tasks, highlighting that true artistry often lies in the photographer's skill rather than the gear itself.
As we navigate through the world of professional camera systems, discover the pros and cons of investing in versus renting high-end equipment like Broncolor lighting systems. Curtis reflects on how past experiences have shaped his perspective on the real versus perceived value of expensive gear. From the practicalities of studio setups to understanding the nuances of sensor capabilities and bit depth, learn how the right camera and lens choices can transform your photography. Whether it's the striking detail in a Rolex ad campaign or the dynamic capture of a bird in flight, Curtis emphasizes that quality lenses often offer more value than constantly upgrading camera bodies. Enhance your photography journey by understanding when high-end rentals are crucial for major projects, and when a reliable camera-lens combo can brilliantly capture everyday moments.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Today, we're going to talk about what a professional
camera is.
What qualifies a camera to beconsidered a professional camera
?
Hi, I'm Curtis.
I am your photography and videoguru, and that's what we're
going to talk about today.
So what is a professionalcamera?
(00:20):
Well, when I first startedthinking about this, I was going
to comment that there's only afew cameras out there that are
really truly professional.
But as I thought about that, itreally came across as kind of a
stupid way to think about it,because all cameras today yield
superior images than what we hadjust a handful of years ago.
(00:45):
But let's talk about what Iwould consider a truly
professional camera.
These are cameras that you wouldonly really need to use at high
levels of production.
In other words, you're shootinga Rolex watch the watch itself,
(01:06):
the actual ad is a $40,000,$50,000 budget to shoot
something like this and then youget up to a certain area where
quality is expected to be at acertain level.
So what level is that?
Well, it depends right, itdepends on who you're shooting
(01:29):
for and what the requirementsare for.
But when I think of a high-endshoot like that, I'm thinking
you're shooting with aHasselblad with a digital back,
or a phase one camera anddigital back, or a phase one
digital back attached tosomething like a Cambo Actus or
a studio camera, something alongthose lines.
(01:52):
In other words, cameras thatyield high-end 16-bit resolution
files that are just absolutelystupendous.
Now can you get fantasticimages with other cameras?
Well, yes, you can.
Cameras are really designated towhat you are going to use them
(02:17):
for.
Would you use a phase onecamera with a phase 150
megapixel phase back forwildlife photography?
Absolutely not.
You would not use that.
You would need something withfast autofocus and fast shutter
speeds, which you're not goingto get with a medium format
camera, any medium format camera.
(02:37):
So you'd be looking at like aSony camera high-end camera, or
Nikon a Z9, or whatever theCanon camera is.
Also, those cameras havesupporting glass or supporting
lenses.
That would lend itself towildlife photography.
(02:59):
600 millimeters.
Maybe you'd have a tele, youknow, extender, in other words,
where you could take the focallength of the lens and multiply
it times 1.5 or two times thelens, and then you're getting
high resolution or high speedimages, multi-frame images.
So you're talking 10 frames asecond, 20 frames a second.
(03:19):
I'm not a wildlife photographerso I'm not quite sure what
they're up to now, but thefaster the better.
Plus, your autofocus is goingto need to be super sharp.
Let's say you're shooting birds.
The new cameras now canidentify the bird, look for its
eye and focus on the eye.
(03:40):
So really incredible technology.
Would that be considered aprofessional camera?
Of course it would, but you'reshooting it for wildlife.
Each camera suits a differentneed, a different purpose.
It maybe has its own niche.
But can cameras overlap?
Well, of course they can.
So what do you guys think is aprofessional camera?
(04:06):
Is there truly professionalcameras?
Are most of the camerasactually amateur cameras with
professional features?
Like I said, you know, it justdepends.
Right Now, a consumer camerawould be something like a point
and shoot, like a Sony ZV-E1.
(04:29):
These that are used for videoand not so much for photography.
But I'll be honest with you, Ican take my Sony a6400, which I
primarily use for video, but Ican take fantastic portraits
with it.
Uh, it's got fast autofocus, somaybe I could shoot uh dogs
(04:51):
with it, um, you know, and getprofessional results.
So back in the film days, youknow, we had limited amount of
uh selection or limited amountof choices, uh choices.
That was truly professional.
Nikon was the first camera thatcame out with a single lens,
(05:12):
single reflex lens, slr, singlelens reflex, where, in other
words, you look through theviewfinder and it actually looks
through the lens Before thatthey were all viewfinder or
you're looking down through thetop of the camera and through
the lens Before that they wereall viewfinder or you're looking
down through the top of thecamera and through the lens.
Roloflex, hasselblad, pentax,all those cameras, a lot of
(05:37):
those cameras.
Before you had single lensreflex cameras, you had a
viewfinder that was like a um,what do you call it?
A uh, uh, uh, a viewfinder thatwas to the side of the lens and
you were just.
It was showing you what wasgoing to be in the photograph.
Um, so you know, back in thefilm days, a professional camera
(05:57):
would be a Mamiya, like aMamiya, six by seven, uh, six45,
which refers to the format.
A 6x7 was a nice big frame size.
You know, almost square, notquite square.
A 645 was more horizontal.
Hasselblad, of course, wassquare.
(06:19):
You always took a squarephotograph with a Hasselblad.
Fuji's Fuji's had some greatcameras.
You always took a squarephotograph with a Hasselblad.
Fujis Fujis had some greatcameras.
Pentax had great cameras.
They were all good cameras.
And then, of course, you hadyour large format film cameras.
You had 4x5, 8x10.
That you sheet film.
(06:40):
Now could you use a 4x5 and8x10 to take portraits?
Of course you could.
You could take a portrait withany lens.
Would you take sportsphotography with a 4x5 or 8x10?
Well, believe it or not, backin the day they did use sheet
film.
And be to try to catch a momentwith a flash, with using a 4x5
(07:01):
or 8x10 or some sort of rollfilm camera.
Today, what do we have?
Okay, today, professionalcameras, ones that we consider
to be truly professional.
Professional would be a phaseone camera body, a phase 1, like
(07:24):
a Phase 1 XF camera body, andsome sort of Phase 1 back, a
Hasselblad.
They really kind of dropped out.
They make the X2D, which ofcourse, is a professional
quality camera and that's 100megapixels.
And then the Mimeas or, I'msorry, the Fujis.
They make the GFX 50 and 100.
(07:49):
The 50S I think they make asecond version of it and the
100S Mark II, and then they makethe GFX 100 II.
Both are professional cameras.
Now, is there a differencebetween the GFX100 and the Phase
1 XF backs?
(08:09):
Yes, but only incrementally.
In other words, would youreally see a difference between
the Phase 1 back and a Fuji GFXback?
Well, you might if you'rereally pixel peeping, but I'm
not quite sure about that.
(08:29):
What about Nikon, if I'mshooting like, for instance, I
used to shoot e-commercephotography with a Canon.
I shot it with a let's see whatwas it.
It was a Canon 5D Mark II,something like that, and it
wasn't a new camera then.
It was 24 megapixels but I wasshooting e-commerce with it and
(08:53):
I shot hundreds of thousands offrames with that camera.
I wore out a shutter.
Finally, after about four yearsof shooting, uh, shooting
stills and then shooting a videowith it, um, before, the
shutter had to be replaced.
And then they replaced theshutter and guess what?
It was good to go again, andwould I've?
(09:16):
Would it have been appropriateto use, um, a medium format
camera for it?
Well, you could.
But since I was shooting jewelry, we really were using macro
lenses and I was shootingtypically 180 millimeter macro
lens on a Canon body and, I hateto say it, medium format.
(09:40):
That's one thing they lack is atrue macro lens.
I don't think there is a macrolens out there.
That is a true one-to-one macrolens.
Fuji, you can kind of get closeto it.
You can get to one to five,something like that.
I mean it's not a trueone-to-one.
And what I mean by one-to-one?
(10:02):
When you're shooting macro lens, it's the true size of whatever
you're shooting appears on theframe of the film.
So, in other words, it's a trueone-to-one representation.
So if I'm shooting a bug, thatbug is the same size as it
appears on the frame.
Okay, that's a one-to-one.
And then you have a two-to-onewhere it're even, it's it's
(10:26):
amplifying it or magnifying ittwice as much, and it wouldn't
make sense.
The medium format would just betoo large.
It was e-commerce photography.
So do we need a hundredmegapixel e-commerce?
No, you do not.
You know you're talking aboutsmall images.
They're going to be compressedfor online use and online scene.
So when you look at it, youdon't want a high resolution
(10:48):
file that takes forever forsomebody to load.
You know you're talking likeAmazon, any major online
retailer.
Those are going to berelatively low images to be
produced online so it loadsquickly on your device, whether
it's a computer or a phone orwhatever.
(11:09):
You know, right now theprofessional cameras for Nikon
would be like the Z9 or Z8, theCanon R1, the Sony A1 or the A9.
If you're looking for highresolution, high megapixel, the
A7R5, 61 megapixel.
The A93, I think is 50megapixels, I'm not quite sure.
(11:31):
The A1, I think is only 24.
The A1 would be great for awildlife photography, but also,
when you talk about wildlifephotography, maybe you want more
pixels so you can crop in.
You're maybe too far away, somaybe the a7R V would be a good
choice with 61 megapixels.
When we're also talking, we getto the Fuji cameras.
Well, let's talk about Phase Ibacks.
(11:53):
For instance, phase I, 150megapixel back for a new one is
$30,000.
100 megapixel back is $15,000.
The XF body for the Phase I is$8,000.
100 megapixel back is $15,000.
The XF body for the Phase 1 is$8,500.
And then you're talking pluslenses, and the lenses run
between $5,000 and up for Phase1 lenses to go with their XF
(12:19):
body.
So that is a truly professionalsystem, because the average day
photographer doesn't need that.
And let's say even I let's say Ido get a job would I run out
and buy a phase one back, uh,and a phase one camera, phase
one lenses for that particularjob?
No, I would rent it, um, Iwould lease it something, uh.
(12:42):
I made the mistake years agowhen I was a commercial
photographer, I was trying toland a furniture company and
they required even though itdidn't need it, the person
required that I use mediumformat camera.
So I went out and bought aMamiya 645 with a leaf Aptus
(13:05):
back on it which was 28megapixels CCD Did in the end.
Did I need that?
No, I could have shot it with aregular camera, for that matter
.
You know it went into a catalogbut by the time you print it,
do you really need the 16-bitfile?
(13:26):
No, I really didn't.
And then that's when you runinto the kind of perception of
what people perceive isprofessional.
Is the camera using perceivedto be professional?
If I show up and I'm doingportrait photography with an A9
or a Z9 Nikon with a big pieceof glass, people will perceive
(13:50):
that as being professional.
But in actuality it's the endresult that's professional.
It's how well you can controlthe light and get the images you
want.
So you could be shooting with aAPS-C sensor.
You could be shooting with amicro four thirds sensor, like
with an Olympus, and getphenomenal results.
(14:11):
Don't feel pressured to get acamera that you think or that is
perceived to be professional Ifyou have a client, a commercial
client, that says I need, youhave to have this specific
equipment for the shoot, then Iwould rent it Now a lot of times
(14:33):
.
And this extends to lightingtoo perceived quality of the
light Will a Godox flash systemproduce as good a light as
something like a Braun Color ora Profoto?
Yeah, it will.
Some of the differences you runinto between the systems are
(14:56):
the modifiers.
I know that Braun Color hastheir own modifiers and they
make beautiful modifiers.
Profoto makes beautifulmodifiers.
You can get just about any typeof modifier you want from
Profoto for the Godox cameras.
Or, like I use Flashpoint fromAdorama and there's a reason I
(15:19):
use Flashpoint Number onebecause it's cheaper and number
two, adorama supports Flashpoint.
So if I have a problem with itI can call Adorama and they will
work with me to get it fixed.
I've never had a problem with aFlashpoint, but Flashpoints are
basically Godox branded forAdorama.
(15:40):
But that being said, that aside,there is a perception that
Broncolor and Profoto are moreprofessional and maybe that's
what's required to be on a shoot.
There is also a practical sideto Profoto and Bronco Alert and
that, if you go on set, thatyour studio managers, your
(16:03):
assistants, are all going to befamiliar with Bronco, alert and
Profoto.
They're going to know how torun them, connect them, change
settings on them, things likethat, whereas if you bring in an
off-brand flash system, theymay not understand or be able to
work with that system to changethe settings.
(16:25):
So, with that being said, a lotof commercial studios will have
the Braun color and pro photoson set If you say, well, you're
going to be doing a high-endcommercial shoot and maybe you
are going to have assistance andthings like that.
So don't go out and buy BraunColor or Pro Photo Again.
(16:48):
Rent it, rent it for the shootand then use it for the shoot.
Now, if you're shooting foryour own stuff in your own
studio, use your Godox, use yourFlashpoint.
Don't go broke buyingBraunColor and Profoto because
you think it's going to producebetter light.
Guess what it's going toproduce light.
(17:09):
It's light.
It doesn't change the physics.
The photons are the samewhether it comes from BraunColor
or it comes from Profoto.
Are those systems nice?
Nice, yes, they're beautifulsystems.
They're wonderful systems.
They work great.
I've worked with both uh, onshoots.
They're great, there's noquestion to it.
But they break just likeeverything else.
(17:29):
Um, I blew up a broncolorworking at a studio up in
wisconsin for a major, and itwasn't my fault.
It just decided to blow up.
So and then you know you'retalking some serious dollars to
fix it.
Well, they had a spare.
Of course it was a commercialstudio, it was their studio, so
they just brought in anotherunit and then replaced it.
(17:51):
And then I was on my way, andso one question was okay.
So, for instance, way, and soone question was okay.
So, for instance, if I have theGFX system, the Mamiya GFX, if
I'm thinking about medium format, the GFX 50, even if it's the
new GFX 50 S2, it's a 50megapixel sensor.
It is still only a 14-bitsensor.
(18:14):
It is not a 16-bit sensor.
To get up to a 16-bit sensor,you have to go to the 100S, okay
.
So if you're going to, whyspend the extra money on a GFX
50S?
If you can go with a Nikon,like a Z7 or Z7 II, which is 50
(18:37):
megapixels, it's going to be14-bit, just like the 50, gfx 50
.
If you already have the Nikonor the Canon or whatever, stick
with that.
You're not going to get anymore resolution depending on
pixels than or bit depth withthe GFX system.
For me, I went with the GFX 100S, which is a 16-bit file.
(19:01):
Why?
Because I wanted a 16-bit fileand I wanted the larger file
size.
To make large prints and alsomasking and things like that is
a little bit easier with morepixels that the 100S provides,
so basically double the pixelsize.
They're huge files.
Though, especially if you'reshooting in 16-bit, you're going
(19:22):
to be running out of hard drivespace pretty quickly.
Okay?
So if you're thinking aboutmedium format, I would go with
just your regular Nikon, canon,sony, fuji, olympus cameras.
And if you really want to gomedium format, then I would skip
(19:45):
the 50 megapixel, whether it'sa Hasselblad or Fuji, and then
go straight to a 100 megapixellike the 100S or the Hasselblad
X2D, like the 100S or theHasselblad X2D.
But remember your costs aregoing to go up exponentially
because the glass for those areexpensive.
Now I adapted my 100S to takesome old Hasselblad glass.
(20:08):
That's manual focus, andthey're great, works fine.
So there is that way.
So back to truly professionalcameras.
You know you have your phaseone back.
Then you can combine it withsomething like a Cambo, actus or
some sort of view camera andthen whatever lenses you decide
to put on that.
So you're talking a biginvestment for something that is
(20:29):
considered to be trulyprofessional.
Do people buy those camerasystems without being a
professional photographer?
Of course, if you have money,they're going to buy it.
Will they be able to get fulluse out of it?
If they're not, haven't beentaking photographs for years and
years?
That remains to be seen.
(20:50):
It's up to the person of howskilled they are and their
abilities right they are andtheir abilities right.
But if you're not gettinghigh-end photos or high-quality
photographs from what you'realready shooting, there's no
reason to invest in somethinglike a Phase 1 back, even though
I've been shooting commerciallyfor 35 years.
Unless I just have a pile ofcash that's laying around, I'm
(21:13):
not going to invest $30,000 in a150 megapixel back or a 15K in
a 100 megapixel back.
Will those backs yield betterimages than my Fuji GFX 100?
Yes, but only incrementally,right?
So you might be able to see thedifference between side by side
(21:34):
between the two, be able to seethe difference between side by
side between the two, but it'sincremental, you know.
You go from, let's say, a nikonlike my nikon z7, 50 megapixel
z7.
Uh, the gfx 100 is going to be,of course, a little bit better
than the nikon, and then thephase one is going to be a
(21:54):
little bit better than the gfxor the x2d is going to be a
little bit better than the GFXor the X2D is going to be a
little bit better than the Nikonor the Canon or the Sony.
So it's just little itty bittysteps and unless you have a
client that is requiring that,then I would not worry about it.
Okay, you can produce qualityprofessional images with the
(22:20):
regular mirrorless camera systemor a DSLR digital camera system
like the D850, something likethat, and they're going to be
beautiful.
So another question is why aresome of these like Phase I backs
and the Hasselblad X2Ds?
Why are they so expensive?
(22:40):
Well, they're expensive becausethere are not that many made of
those Like, for instance, thePhase back 150 megapixel back,
100 megapixel backs.
There aren't that many madecompared to something like the
Nikon, canon and Sony cameras.
So those are regular production.
(23:01):
Of course, amateurs andprofessionals use them both,
whereas there's only a smallpercentage or a much smaller
percentage of photographers whorely on the Phase 1 backs for
those high-end commercial shoots.
So the GFX and the HasselbladX2D systems, the X systems, have
(23:29):
become very popular because,even though they're still
expensive.
They are far less expensivethan those Phase I backs or the
higher end backs.
So the GFX system and theHasselblad H2Ds are more
reasonable, so more are sold andpurchased by people.
Okay, if you have the dollars,the money sitting around, would
(23:51):
I say you know, and you want toget your feet wet, absolutely,
but don't go into debt by anymedium format camera system.
You know, use what you got andthen, even if you have a
customer that requires mediumformat, like I said, you can
rent it for a week or two andsave yourself a lot of money.
So I mean, and then when welook at like video cameras, you
(24:14):
know there's more pro levelvideo cameras than still cameras
.
You know there's more pro-levelvideo cameras than still
cameras.
You know you have RED camerasystem, blackmagic, even the
Sonys.
You have a company.
You know cameras like the Z Camout there.
There's a bunch of videocameras out there that really
indie filmmakers can use forvideo production.
(24:35):
These cameras nowadays arebecoming like the Nikon Z9.
You can record raw camera filesor video files to the Z9.
You can hook up externalrecorders to like the Blackmagic
cameras so you can have harddrives to them.
(24:57):
You know the red cameras gofrom.
You know individual indiemakers, commercials for
advertisements, all the way upto feature films.
You know the Sony FX three wasused in a major, major film
because they wanted to staylight the movie called the
(25:19):
Creator.
They used a lot of footage withthe FX3, even though they did
use some higher-end Sony cameras, but the bulk of it was shot on
the FX3.
Can you tell the differencebetween an FX3 and an Aria film?
(25:39):
Digital camera?
Maybe, but it's not so muchabout the camera, it's really
about the image or the endresults, the feeling you get
with it.
So that's what's important.
Is it the camera or is it theimage produced?
Well, it's.
Or is it the image produced?
Well, it's going to be theimage produced?
It's not going to be.
(26:01):
They're not going to peoplealways.
And that question drives mecrazy.
If you've been a photographerfor a while and you take a
really great photo, people saywhat camera did you use?
Honestly, it doesn't matterwhat camera you used.
It has you know, not so muchabout the camera, as it is
(26:21):
opposed to the image Only whenyou get to specific case use,
instances where you have to havea specific equipment to achieve
a specific result, likewildlife.
Like I said earlier, you'regoing to have to have a specific
camera combined with a specificlens to get the image that you
want.
Am I going to be able to go outand shoot wildlife photography
(26:45):
with a Sony a6400 and a 35millimeter lens?
No, it's not going to work.
Caveat to that.
I did use my Nikon camera with awide angle lens.
I set it up on a uh sandbag,connected to it remotely, and
got a photograph of a chipmunk.
(27:05):
I put a big pile of peanuts onthe deck and I propped up my
camera and every time he showedup I just started shooting
photographs remotely.
So in that instance, yeah, okay, but typically, if you're
holding the camera shootingthrough the lens, uh, it's about
getting the correct lens on it.
(27:26):
Could I shoot wildlife with a6,400?
If I had the right lens toattach to it, if I could put a
600 millimeter lens on it, thenyeah, and actually on a 6,400,
since the sensor's APS-C, itwould be 1.5 times the focal
length of the lens.
So if you got a 600 millimeterlens, that would almost be a 900
(27:48):
millimeter lens attached to it,okay.
That being said, so yeah, youprobably could take full-on
photography with the A6400.
Are you going to do it with apocket camera?
Eh, not so much.
Okay, so cameras are basicallytools and every camera has
certain abilities, uh, andfeatures, and basically you're
(28:13):
trying to match up the camerawith the job.
So what tool is best for thejob?
You know, if you need a socketset, wrench set for a particular
job, are you going to use apair of pliers?
No, so you have to match up thecamera, the tool that you need
(28:34):
for the specific job you'redoing.
So I mean, and you know, when wetalk about professional cameras
, all cameras can be destroyed.
So it's not a question aboutwear and tear on a camera.
You can drop and break a camera, whether it's a Phase One or a
Hasselblad or a Fuji or a Sonyor a Nikon or whatever.
(28:54):
They can be destroyed.
Okay, there isn't one camera.
That's not.
Some of the Olympus cameras are.
You could actually take anOlympus camera into a shower,
okay, um, and it's weathersealed, that's pretty cool.
So you could go out and shootthat camera out in the field.
(29:15):
You know, you just have to knowthe limitations of that camera
system.
Uh, a phase one excess body X Fbody with lenses.
Uh, phase one.
Uh, is the autofocus going tobe like that of a Z9, nikon Z9?
No, it's not.
It's not going to be fast, okay.
So the Z9 is going to be muchfaster.
(29:37):
The Canon R1 is going to befaster.
The Sony A1 is incredibly fast.
So you know, it's just like Isaid, different things, I do
still life, a lot of still life.
So do I need autofocus at all?
No, I don't even need autofocus, so I can care less.
So my GFX 100S is really just,I'm using it as a digital back
(30:02):
attached to my Cambo Actus.
So what's important?
Well, if I'm going to spendmoney on a camera, I'm going to
spend it on the lens as opposedto the camera.
If you have a high quality lens, it really doesn't matter what
camera you put it on, becausethe lens is going to determine
more about the quality of theimage than the actual camera.
(30:24):
Now, I'm talking about moderncameras.
If you're talking, even, Icould take a Nikon D700, which
was one of my favorite camerasin the world only 12 megapixels,
and I could take that cameraand get fantastic images with it
, if I have the right lens.
If I get a cheap lens, wellthen you're going to run into
(30:46):
problems.
You know.
You know you get aberrations inthe lens.
You're going to get halosaround the colors.
Maybe the lens is probably themost important part of the
camera.
Camera bodies come and go.
Lenses are here to stay.
If I upgrade my camera system,I upgrade the camera.
(31:07):
I keep the lenses.
Now, like the Sony or theHasselblad X2D, they came out
with some new lenses for themand apparently they're fantastic
.
But the old lenses are fine too.
So worry more about compositionand lighting, because those are
the most important things thatpeople see.
(31:29):
Okay, number one if you have acamera and you're thinking about
upgrading the camera, thinkabout upgrading the lens, maybe
before the camera.
Unless you just got the moneyto burn, then go ahead and buy
yourself the new camera.
But if you don't, if it's likeeither or buy the better lens,
sell the old lens, buy a betterlens, keep the old camera.
But if you don't, if it's likeeither or buy the better lens,
sell the old lens, buy a betterlens, keep the old camera, all
(31:50):
right.
So what does it all boil down?
To?
Choose the camera that suitsthe need.
Okay, if I'm shooting a $50,000ad campaign product photography
$50,000 ad campaign productphotography I'm going to rent a
(32:12):
phase one back, uh, and a camerasystem to do that shoot, okay.
I may even rent a HasselbladX2D, okay, and I can still shoot
that with the Mamiya GFX 100 S.
It depends on the client andwhat they, what they require,
client and what they what theyrequire.
And, like I said, sometimes itall comes down to impression too
right?
So they think maybe you're notprofessional If you're not using
a phase one back, you're notusing brown color or you're not
(32:35):
using a pro photo.
Rent those items and do thatshoot, but how many of those
shoots do you actually get?
Well, not that many.
Everyday shooting is going to beproduction work.
In reality.
You know, if you're a portraitphotographer, you're going to be
doing portraits.
Can you shoot portraits forthose cameras?
(32:56):
Sure, but I would shoot it withjust a normal camera.
And then also, like I said, getthe best glass that you can
afford, the best lenses that youcan afford, okay, regardless of
everything else, get the shot.
In the end, the customer doesn'tcare or understand what you are
(33:19):
shooting with, and that,especially, is going for your
average everyday portraitphotographers, wedding
photographers, things like that.
You might understand thedifferences between the camera
systems and all that they don'tunderstand it.
They don't care, they just wantthe end result.
(33:40):
They want you to capture anemotion, a moment in time.
What have you?
If you're shooting e-commerce?
Of course you can shoot withany camera that you have.
Heck, you could probably evenshoot e-commerce with an iPhone.
All right, it's about lighting,composition.
Lighting and composition.
We're the two.
(34:01):
Okay, concentrate on thosethings.
Don't worry about if the camerais professional or not
professional.
I don't think there is adifference between whether a
camera is professional or notprofessional.
I can't think, like I said,unless it's a pocket camera, as
long as it has interchangeablelenses, you can use that camera
(34:24):
as a professional.
Camera that has interchangeablelenses, you can use that camera
as a professional camera.
Okay, it's in the hands of thephotographer.
You are being paid not for theequipment that you own, but for
your experience and your abilityto produce a great image.
Don't worry about all thisother stuff.
Camera manufacturers want tosell you the latest, greatest
(34:46):
camera.
They want you to spend money onthat new, shiny object.
That's what they do, that is,they try to give you gas gear
acquisition syndrome.
They want you to buy thatcamera, for instance, a couple
of years ago well, not just acouple of years ago, but they
keep on coming out with camerasthat have an F-stop of f, you
(35:08):
know, 1.2, 1.4.
I could care less about 1.2 or1.4.
If I'm doing a portrait and I'mshooting at an f-stop of like
1.2 or 1.4, the depth of fieldis so shallow that maybe one
eyeball is in focus and theneverything else is soft.
(35:29):
Okay, their nose is soft, itgoes in focus to the eye and
then everything falls off, beingsoft in the background.
I don't know about that, butnobody that I know really wants
a shot like that.
They want the face in focus,they want both eyes in focus,
(35:49):
they want to see light in theeyes they want to see.
Of course you want to maybecreate bokeh, but remember,
bokeh or your depth of field iscontingent upon really two
things.
F-stop has a little bit to playwith it.
But number one is how close yourbackground is to the subject.
The further away, the more it'sgoing to be out of focus.
(36:11):
And the second thing ismagnification.
So if I'm shooting with awide-angle lens, your background
isn't going to be as out offocus as if you're going to
compress the image withsomething like a 100-millimeter
or 200 millimeter lens, so youwant to throw that background
(36:31):
out.
When I do portrait, I'm shootingat F11, F8, shooting with a 200
millimeter lens, and then I putthe background as far away from
them as possible.
Okay, I am not worried aboutshooting at f1.2 or whatever.
If you're a low light, maybe astreet photographer, and you
(36:52):
need the speed to get as muchlight into the camera as
possible, sure, knock yourselfout.
But remember that 1.2 or that1.4 lens.
That's not the sharpest part ofthe lens.
It's going to be around f8, 11,f11, okay.
Uh, anything over f16 starts.
You start getting diffractionwhere things start to get soft.
(37:13):
Again, every lens has a sweetspot.
I could care less about a 1.2or 1.4 lens.
Okay, I'm not shooting at thatF-stop anyway, I'm controlling
my depth of field, like I said,through magnification, picking
the correct lens and separatingmy subject from the background.
(37:35):
All right, so get the shot.
Like I said, the customer inthe end doesn't care or
understand what you're shootingwith.
Okay, rarely.
Do you need a specific camerafor a specific job?
If you have a high-end cameraor you need it, rent it.
Okay, if you can't get the shotthat you need, even if you have
(37:57):
your Canon, nikon, sony cameraand let's say you're going to
shoot a portrait and you need a200mm lens, go ahead and rent it
.
Rent it for a week, all right.
So what is a professionalcamera?
As a photographer, it's thecamera that you have in your
hand at that moment.
(38:18):
What makes it professional isyour experience and talent and
knowing how to shoot the shot toget the result that you want.
All right, so until next time,we'll talk to you later.
Today, we're going to talk about what a professional
camera is.
What qualifies a camera to beconsidered a professional camera
?
Hi, I'm Curtis.
I am your photography and videoguru, and that's what we're
going to talk about today.
So what is a professionalcamera?
(00:20):
Well, when I first startedthinking about this, I was going
to comment that there's only afew cameras out there that are
really truly professional.
But as I thought about that, itreally came across as kind of a
stupid way to think about it,because all cameras today yield
superior images than what we hadjust a handful of years ago.
(00:45):
But let's talk about what Iwould consider a truly
professional camera.
These are cameras that you wouldonly really need to use at high
levels of production.
In other words, you're shootinga Rolex watch the watch itself,
(01:06):
the actual ad is a $40,000,$50,000 budget to shoot
something like this and then youget up to a certain area where
quality is expected to be at acertain level.
So what level is that?
Well, it depends right, itdepends on who you're shooting
(01:29):
for and what the requirementsare for.
But when I think of a high-endshoot like that, I'm thinking
you're shooting with aHasselblad with a digital back,
or a phase one camera anddigital back, or a phase one
digital back attached tosomething like a Cambo Actus or
a studio camera, something alongthose lines.
(01:52):
In other words, cameras thatyield high-end 16-bit resolution
files that are just absolutelystupendous.
Now can you get fantasticimages with other cameras?
Well, yes, you can.
Cameras are really designated towhat you are going to use them
(02:17):
for.
Would you use a phase onecamera with a phase 150
megapixel phase back forwildlife photography?
Absolutely not.
You would not use that.
You would need something withfast autofocus and fast shutter
speeds, which you're not goingto get with a medium format
camera, any medium format camera.
(02:37):
So you'd be looking at like aSony camera high-end camera, or
Nikon a Z9, or whatever theCanon camera is.
Also, those cameras havesupporting glass or supporting
lenses.
That would lend itself towildlife photography.
(02:59):
600 millimeters.
Maybe you'd have a tele, youknow, extender, in other words,
where you could take the focallength of the lens and multiply
it times 1.5 or two times thelens, and then you're getting
high resolution or high speedimages, multi-frame images.
So you're talking 10 frames asecond, 20 frames a second.
(03:19):
I'm not a wildlife photographerso I'm not quite sure what
they're up to now, but thefaster the better.
Plus, your autofocus is goingto need to be super sharp.
Let's say you're shooting birds.
The new cameras now canidentify the bird, look for its
eye and focus on the eye.
(03:40):
So really incredible technology.
Would that be considered aprofessional camera?
Of course it would, but you'reshooting it for wildlife.
Each camera suits a differentneed, a different purpose.
It maybe has its own niche.
But can cameras overlap?
Well, of course they can.
So what do you guys think is aprofessional camera?
(04:06):
Is there truly professionalcameras?
Are most of the camerasactually amateur cameras with
professional features?
Like I said, you know, it justdepends.
Right Now, a consumer camerawould be something like a point
and shoot, like a Sony ZV-E1.
(04:29):
These that are used for videoand not so much for photography.
But I'll be honest with you, Ican take my Sony a6400, which I
primarily use for video, but Ican take fantastic portraits
with it.
Uh, it's got fast autofocus, somaybe I could shoot uh dogs
(04:51):
with it, um, you know, and getprofessional results.
So back in the film days, youknow, we had limited amount of
uh selection or limited amountof choices, uh choices.
That was truly professional.
Nikon was the first camera thatcame out with a single lens,
(05:12):
single reflex lens, slr, singlelens reflex, where, in other
words, you look through theviewfinder and it actually looks
through the lens Before thatthey were all viewfinder or
you're looking down through thetop of the camera and through
the lens Before that they wereall viewfinder or you're looking
down through the top of thecamera and through the lens.
Roloflex, hasselblad, pentax,all those cameras, a lot of
(05:37):
those cameras.
Before you had single lensreflex cameras, you had a
viewfinder that was like a um,what do you call it?
A uh, uh, uh, a viewfinder thatwas to the side of the lens and
you were just.
It was showing you what wasgoing to be in the photograph.
Um, so you know, back in thefilm days, a professional camera
(05:57):
would be a Mamiya, like aMamiya, six by seven, uh, six45,
which refers to the format.
A 6x7 was a nice big frame size.
You know, almost square, notquite square.
A 645 was more horizontal.
Hasselblad, of course, wassquare.
(06:19):
You always took a squarephotograph with a Hasselblad.
Fuji's Fuji's had some greatcameras.
You always took a squarephotograph with a Hasselblad.
Fujis Fujis had some greatcameras.
Pentax had great cameras.
They were all good cameras.
And then, of course, you hadyour large format film cameras.
You had 4x5, 8x10.
That you sheet film.
(06:40):
Now could you use a 4x5 and8x10 to take portraits?
Of course you could.
You could take a portrait withany lens.
Would you take sportsphotography with a 4x5 or 8x10?
Well, believe it or not, backin the day they did use sheet
film.
And be to try to catch a momentwith a flash, with using a 4x5
(07:01):
or 8x10 or some sort of rollfilm camera.
Today, what do we have?
Okay, today, professionalcameras, ones that we consider
to be truly professional.
Professional would be a phaseone camera body, a phase 1, like
(07:24):
a Phase 1 XF camera body, andsome sort of Phase 1 back, a
Hasselblad.
They really kind of dropped out.
They make the X2D, which ofcourse, is a professional
quality camera and that's 100megapixels.
And then the Mimeas or, I'msorry, the Fujis.
They make the GFX 50 and 100.
(07:49):
The 50S I think they make asecond version of it and the
100S Mark II, and then they makethe GFX 100 II.
Both are professional cameras.
Now, is there a differencebetween the GFX100 and the Phase
1 XF backs?
(08:09):
Yes, but only incrementally.
In other words, would youreally see a difference between
the Phase 1 back and a Fuji GFXback?
Well, you might if you'rereally pixel peeping, but I'm
not quite sure about that.
(08:29):
What about Nikon, if I'mshooting like, for instance, I
used to shoot e-commercephotography with a Canon.
I shot it with a let's see whatwas it.
It was a Canon 5D Mark II,something like that, and it
wasn't a new camera then.
It was 24 megapixels but I wasshooting e-commerce with it and
(08:53):
I shot hundreds of thousands offrames with that camera.
I wore out a shutter.
Finally, after about four yearsof shooting, uh, shooting
stills and then shooting a videowith it, um, before, the
shutter had to be replaced.
And then they replaced theshutter and guess what?
It was good to go again, andwould I've?
(09:16):
Would it have been appropriateto use, um, a medium format
camera for it?
Well, you could.
But since I was shooting jewelry, we really were using macro
lenses and I was shootingtypically 180 millimeter macro
lens on a Canon body and, I hateto say it, medium format.
(09:40):
That's one thing they lack is atrue macro lens.
I don't think there is a macrolens out there.
That is a true one-to-one macrolens.
Fuji, you can kind of get closeto it.
You can get to one to five,something like that.
I mean it's not a trueone-to-one.
And what I mean by one-to-one?
(10:02):
When you're shooting macro lens, it's the true size of whatever
you're shooting appears on theframe of the film.
So, in other words, it's a trueone-to-one representation.
So if I'm shooting a bug, thatbug is the same size as it
appears on the frame.
Okay, that's a one-to-one.
And then you have a two-to-onewhere it're even, it's it's
(10:26):
amplifying it or magnifying ittwice as much, and it wouldn't
make sense.
The medium format would just betoo large.
It was e-commerce photography.
So do we need a hundredmegapixel e-commerce?
No, you do not.
You know you're talking aboutsmall images.
They're going to be compressedfor online use and online scene.
So when you look at it, youdon't want a high resolution
(10:48):
file that takes forever forsomebody to load.
You know you're talking likeAmazon, any major online
retailer.
Those are going to berelatively low images to be
produced online so it loadsquickly on your device, whether
it's a computer or a phone orwhatever.
(11:09):
You know, right now theprofessional cameras for Nikon
would be like the Z9 or Z8, theCanon R1, the Sony A1 or the A9.
If you're looking for highresolution, high megapixel, the
A7R5, 61 megapixel.
The A93, I think is 50megapixels, I'm not quite sure.
(11:31):
The A1, I think is only 24.
The A1 would be great for awildlife photography, but also,
when you talk about wildlifephotography, maybe you want more
pixels so you can crop in.
You're maybe too far away, somaybe the a7R V would be a good
choice with 61 megapixels.
When we're also talking, we getto the Fuji cameras.
Well, let's talk about Phase Ibacks.
(11:53):
For instance, phase I, 150megapixel back for a new one is
$30,000.
100 megapixel back is $15,000.
The XF body for the Phase I is$8,000.
100 megapixel back is $15,000.
The XF body for the Phase 1 is$8,500.
And then you're talking pluslenses, and the lenses run
between $5,000 and up for Phase1 lenses to go with their XF
(12:19):
body.
So that is a truly professionalsystem, because the average day
photographer doesn't need that.
And let's say even I let's say Ido get a job would I run out
and buy a phase one back, uh,and a phase one camera, phase
one lenses for that particularjob?
No, I would rent it, um, Iwould lease it something, uh.
(12:42):
I made the mistake years agowhen I was a commercial
photographer, I was trying toland a furniture company and
they required even though itdidn't need it, the person
required that I use mediumformat camera.
So I went out and bought aMamiya 645 with a leaf Aptus
(13:05):
back on it which was 28megapixels CCD Did in the end.
Did I need that?
No, I could have shot it with aregular camera, for that matter
.
You know it went into a catalogbut by the time you print it,
do you really need the 16-bitfile?
(13:26):
No, I really didn't.
And then that's when you runinto the kind of perception of
what people perceive isprofessional.
Is the camera using perceivedto be professional?
If I show up and I'm doingportrait photography with an A9
or a Z9 Nikon with a big pieceof glass, people will perceive
(13:50):
that as being professional.
But in actuality it's the endresult that's professional.
It's how well you can controlthe light and get the images you
want.
So you could be shooting with aAPS-C sensor.
You could be shooting with amicro four thirds sensor, like
with an Olympus, and getphenomenal results.
(14:11):
Don't feel pressured to get acamera that you think or that is
perceived to be professional Ifyou have a client, a commercial
client, that says I need, youhave to have this specific
equipment for the shoot, then Iwould rent it Now a lot of times
(14:33):
.
And this extends to lightingtoo perceived quality of the
light Will a Godox flash systemproduce as good a light as
something like a Braun Color ora Profoto?
Yeah, it will.
Some of the differences you runinto between the systems are
(14:56):
the modifiers.
I know that Braun Color hastheir own modifiers and they
make beautiful modifiers.
Profoto makes beautifulmodifiers.
You can get just about any typeof modifier you want from
Profoto for the Godox cameras.
Or, like I use Flashpoint fromAdorama and there's a reason I
(15:19):
use Flashpoint Number onebecause it's cheaper and number
two, adorama supports Flashpoint.
So if I have a problem with itI can call Adorama and they will
work with me to get it fixed.
I've never had a problem with aFlashpoint, but Flashpoints are
basically Godox branded forAdorama.
(15:40):
But that being said, that aside,there is a perception that
Broncolor and Profoto are moreprofessional and maybe that's
what's required to be on a shoot.
There is also a practical sideto Profoto and Bronco Alert and
that, if you go on set, thatyour studio managers, your
(16:03):
assistants, are all going to befamiliar with Bronco, alert and
Profoto.
They're going to know how torun them, connect them, change
settings on them, things likethat, whereas if you bring in an
off-brand flash system, theymay not understand or be able to
work with that system to changethe settings.
(16:25):
So, with that being said, a lotof commercial studios will have
the Braun color and pro photoson set If you say, well, you're
going to be doing a high-endcommercial shoot and maybe you
are going to have assistance andthings like that.
So don't go out and buy BraunColor or Pro Photo Again.
(16:48):
Rent it, rent it for the shootand then use it for the shoot.
Now, if you're shooting foryour own stuff in your own
studio, use your Godox, use yourFlashpoint.
Don't go broke buyingBraunColor and Profoto because
you think it's going to producebetter light.
Guess what it's going toproduce light.
(17:09):
It's light.
It doesn't change the physics.
The photons are the samewhether it comes from BraunColor
or it comes from Profoto.
Are those systems nice?
Nice, yes, they're beautifulsystems.
They're wonderful systems.
They work great.
I've worked with both uh, onshoots.
They're great, there's noquestion to it.
But they break just likeeverything else.
(17:29):
Um, I blew up a broncolorworking at a studio up in
wisconsin for a major, and itwasn't my fault.
It just decided to blow up.
So and then you know you'retalking some serious dollars to
fix it.
Well, they had a spare.
Of course it was a commercialstudio, it was their studio, so
they just brought in anotherunit and then replaced it.
(17:51):
And then I was on my way, andso one question was okay.
So, for instance, way, and soone question was okay.
So, for instance, if I have theGFX system, the Mamiya GFX, if
I'm thinking about medium format, the GFX 50, even if it's the
new GFX 50 S2, it's a 50megapixel sensor.
It is still only a 14-bitsensor.
(18:14):
It is not a 16-bit sensor.
To get up to a 16-bit sensor,you have to go to the 100S, okay
.
So if you're going to, whyspend the extra money on a GFX
50S?
If you can go with a Nikon,like a Z7 or Z7 II, which is 50
(18:37):
megapixels, it's going to be14-bit, just like the 50, gfx 50
.
If you already have the Nikonor the Canon or whatever, stick
with that.
You're not going to get anymore resolution depending on
pixels than or bit depth withthe GFX system.
For me, I went with the GFX 100S, which is a 16-bit file.
(19:01):
Why?
Because I wanted a 16-bit fileand I wanted the larger file
size.
To make large prints and alsomasking and things like that is
a little bit easier with morepixels that the 100S provides,
so basically double the pixelsize.
They're huge files.
Though, especially if you'reshooting in 16-bit, you're going
(19:22):
to be running out of hard drivespace pretty quickly.
Okay?
So if you're thinking aboutmedium format, I would go with
just your regular Nikon, canon,sony, fuji, olympus cameras.
And if you really want to gomedium format, then I would skip
(19:45):
the 50 megapixel, whether it'sa Hasselblad or Fuji, and then
go straight to a 100 megapixellike the 100S or the Hasselblad
X2D, like the 100S or theHasselblad X2D.
But remember your costs aregoing to go up exponentially
because the glass for those areexpensive.
Now I adapted my 100S to takesome old Hasselblad glass.
(20:08):
That's manual focus, andthey're great, works fine.
So there is that way.
So back to truly professionalcameras.
You know you have your phaseone back.
Then you can combine it withsomething like a Cambo, actus or
some sort of view camera andthen whatever lenses you decide
to put on that.
So you're talking a biginvestment for something that is
(20:29):
considered to be trulyprofessional.
Do people buy those camerasystems without being a
professional photographer?
Of course, if you have money,they're going to buy it.
Will they be able to get fulluse out of it?
If they're not, haven't beentaking photographs for years and
years?
That remains to be seen.
(20:50):
It's up to the person of howskilled they are and their
abilities right they are andtheir abilities right.
But if you're not gettinghigh-end photos or high-quality
photographs from what you'realready shooting, there's no
reason to invest in somethinglike a Phase 1 back, even though
I've been shooting commerciallyfor 35 years.
Unless I just have a pile ofcash that's laying around, I'm
(21:13):
not going to invest $30,000 in a150 megapixel back or a 15K in
a 100 megapixel back.
Will those backs yield betterimages than my Fuji GFX 100?
Yes, but only incrementally,right?
So you might be able to see thedifference between side by side
(21:34):
between the two, be able to seethe difference between side by
side between the two, but it'sincremental, you know.
You go from, let's say, a nikonlike my nikon z7, 50 megapixel
z7.
Uh, the gfx 100 is going to be,of course, a little bit better
than the nikon, and then thephase one is going to be a
(21:54):
little bit better than the gfxor the x2d is going to be a
little bit better than the GFXor the X2D is going to be a
little bit better than the Nikonor the Canon or the Sony.
So it's just little itty bittysteps and unless you have a
client that is requiring that,then I would not worry about it.
Okay, you can produce qualityprofessional images with the
(22:20):
regular mirrorless camera systemor a DSLR digital camera system
like the D850, something likethat, and they're going to be
beautiful.
So another question is why aresome of these like Phase I backs
and the Hasselblad X2Ds?
Why are they so expensive?
(22:40):
Well, they're expensive becausethere are not that many made of
those Like, for instance, thePhase back 150 megapixel back,
100 megapixel backs.
There aren't that many madecompared to something like the
Nikon, canon and Sony cameras.
So those are regular production.
(23:01):
Of course, amateurs andprofessionals use them both,
whereas there's only a smallpercentage or a much smaller
percentage of photographers whorely on the Phase 1 backs for
those high-end commercial shoots.
So the GFX and the HasselbladX2D systems, the X systems, have
(23:29):
become very popular because,even though they're still
expensive.
They are far less expensivethan those Phase I backs or the
higher end backs.
So the GFX system and theHasselblad H2Ds are more
reasonable, so more are sold andpurchased by people.
Okay, if you have the dollars,the money sitting around, would
(23:51):
I say you know, and you want toget your feet wet, absolutely,
but don't go into debt by anymedium format camera system.
You know, use what you got andthen, even if you have a
customer that requires mediumformat, like I said, you can
rent it for a week or two andsave yourself a lot of money.
So I mean, and then when welook at like video cameras, you
(24:14):
know there's more pro levelvideo cameras than still cameras
.
You know there's more pro-levelvideo cameras than still
cameras.
You know you have RED camerasystem, blackmagic, even the
Sonys.
You have a company.
You know cameras like the Z Camout there.
There's a bunch of videocameras out there that really
indie filmmakers can use forvideo production.
(24:35):
These cameras nowadays arebecoming like the Nikon Z9.
You can record raw camera filesor video files to the Z9.
You can hook up externalrecorders to like the Blackmagic
cameras so you can have harddrives to them.
(24:57):
You know the red cameras gofrom.
You know individual indiemakers, commercials for
advertisements, all the way upto feature films.
You know the Sony FX three wasused in a major, major film
because they wanted to staylight the movie called the
(25:19):
Creator.
They used a lot of footage withthe FX3, even though they did
use some higher-end Sony cameras, but the bulk of it was shot on
the FX3.
Can you tell the differencebetween an FX3 and an Aria film?
(25:39):
Digital camera?
Maybe, but it's not so muchabout the camera, it's really
about the image or the endresults, the feeling you get
with it.
So that's what's important.
Is it the camera or is it theimage produced?
Well, it's.
Or is it the image produced?
Well, it's going to be theimage produced?
It's not going to be.
(26:01):
They're not going to peoplealways.
And that question drives mecrazy.
If you've been a photographerfor a while and you take a
really great photo, people saywhat camera did you use?
Honestly, it doesn't matterwhat camera you used.
It has you know, not so muchabout the camera, as it is
(26:21):
opposed to the image Only whenyou get to specific case use,
instances where you have to havea specific equipment to achieve
a specific result, likewildlife.
Like I said earlier, you'regoing to have to have a specific
camera combined with a specificlens to get the image that you
want.
Am I going to be able to go outand shoot wildlife photography
(26:45):
with a Sony a6400 and a 35millimeter lens?
No, it's not going to work.
Caveat to that.
I did use my Nikon camera with awide angle lens.
I set it up on a uh sandbag,connected to it remotely, and
got a photograph of a chipmunk.
(27:05):
I put a big pile of peanuts onthe deck and I propped up my
camera and every time he showedup I just started shooting
photographs remotely.
So in that instance, yeah, okay, but typically, if you're
holding the camera shootingthrough the lens, uh, it's about
getting the correct lens on it.
(27:26):
Could I shoot wildlife with a6,400?
If I had the right lens toattach to it, if I could put a
600 millimeter lens on it, thenyeah, and actually on a 6,400,
since the sensor's APS-C, itwould be 1.5 times the focal
length of the lens.
So if you got a 600 millimeterlens, that would almost be a 900
(27:48):
millimeter lens attached to it,okay.
That being said, so yeah, youprobably could take full-on
photography with the A6400.
Are you going to do it with apocket camera?
Eh, not so much.
Okay, so cameras are basicallytools and every camera has
certain abilities, uh, andfeatures, and basically you're
(28:13):
trying to match up the camerawith the job.
So what tool is best for thejob?
You know, if you need a socketset, wrench set for a particular
job, are you going to use apair of pliers?
No, so you have to match up thecamera, the tool that you need
(28:34):
for the specific job you'redoing.
So I mean, and you know, when wetalk about professional cameras
, all cameras can be destroyed.
So it's not a question aboutwear and tear on a camera.
You can drop and break a camera, whether it's a Phase One or a
Hasselblad or a Fuji or a Sonyor a Nikon or whatever.
(28:54):
They can be destroyed.
Okay, there isn't one camera.
That's not.
Some of the Olympus cameras are.
You could actually take anOlympus camera into a shower,
okay, um, and it's weathersealed, that's pretty cool.
So you could go out and shootthat camera out in the field.
(29:15):
You know, you just have to knowthe limitations of that camera
system.
Uh, a phase one excess body X Fbody with lenses.
Uh, phase one.
Uh, is the autofocus going tobe like that of a Z9, nikon Z9?
No, it's not.
It's not going to be fast, okay.
So the Z9 is going to be muchfaster.
(29:37):
The Canon R1 is going to befaster.
The Sony A1 is incredibly fast.
So you know, it's just like Isaid, different things, I do
still life, a lot of still life.
So do I need autofocus at all?
No, I don't even need autofocus, so I can care less.
So my GFX 100S is really just,I'm using it as a digital back
(30:02):
attached to my Cambo Actus.
So what's important?
Well, if I'm going to spendmoney on a camera, I'm going to
spend it on the lens as opposedto the camera.
If you have a high quality lens, it really doesn't matter what
camera you put it on, becausethe lens is going to determine
more about the quality of theimage than the actual camera.
(30:24):
Now, I'm talking about moderncameras.
If you're talking, even, Icould take a Nikon D700, which
was one of my favorite camerasin the world only 12 megapixels,
and I could take that cameraand get fantastic images with it
, if I have the right lens.
If I get a cheap lens, wellthen you're going to run into
(30:46):
problems.
You know.
You know you get aberrations inthe lens.
You're going to get halosaround the colors.
Maybe the lens is probably themost important part of the
camera.
Camera bodies come and go.
Lenses are here to stay.
If I upgrade my camera system,I upgrade the camera.
(31:07):
I keep the lenses.
Now, like the Sony or theHasselblad X2D, they came out
with some new lenses for themand apparently they're fantastic
.
But the old lenses are fine too.
So worry more about compositionand lighting, because those are
the most important things thatpeople see.
(31:29):
Okay, number one if you have acamera and you're thinking about
upgrading the camera, thinkabout upgrading the lens, maybe
before the camera.
Unless you just got the moneyto burn, then go ahead and buy
yourself the new camera.
But if you don't, if it's likeeither or buy the better lens,
sell the old lens, buy a betterlens, keep the old camera.
But if you don't, if it's likeeither or buy the better lens,
sell the old lens, buy a betterlens, keep the old camera, all
(31:50):
right.
So what does it all boil down?
To?
Choose the camera that suitsthe need.
Okay, if I'm shooting a $50,000ad campaign product photography
$50,000 ad campaign productphotography I'm going to rent a
(32:12):
phase one back, uh, and a camerasystem to do that shoot, okay.
I may even rent a HasselbladX2D, okay, and I can still shoot
that with the Mamiya GFX 100 S.
It depends on the client andwhat they, what they require,
client and what they what theyrequire.
And, like I said, sometimes itall comes down to impression too
right?
So they think maybe you're notprofessional If you're not using
a phase one back, you're notusing brown color or you're not
(32:35):
using a pro photo.
Rent those items and do thatshoot, but how many of those
shoots do you actually get?
Well, not that many.
Everyday shooting is going to beproduction work.
In reality.
You know, if you're a portraitphotographer, you're going to be
doing portraits.
Can you shoot portraits forthose cameras?
(32:56):
Sure, but I would shoot it withjust a normal camera.
And then also, like I said, getthe best glass that you can
afford, the best lenses that youcan afford, okay, regardless of
everything else, get the shot.
In the end, the customer doesn'tcare or understand what you are
(33:19):
shooting with, and that,especially, is going for your
average everyday portraitphotographers, wedding
photographers, things like that.
You might understand thedifferences between the camera
systems and all that they don'tunderstand it.
They don't care, they just wantthe end result.
(33:40):
They want you to capture anemotion, a moment in time.
What have you?
If you're shooting e-commerce?
Of course you can shoot withany camera that you have.
Heck, you could probably evenshoot e-commerce with an iPhone.
All right, it's about lighting,composition.
Lighting and composition.
We're the two.
(34:01):
Okay, concentrate on thosethings.
Don't worry about if the camerais professional or not
professional.
I don't think there is adifference between whether a
camera is professional or notprofessional.
I can't think, like I said,unless it's a pocket camera, as
long as it has interchangeablelenses, you can use that camera
(34:24):
as a professional.
Camera that has interchangeablelenses, you can use that camera
as a professional camera.
Okay, it's in the hands of thephotographer.
You are being paid not for theequipment that you own, but for
your experience and your abilityto produce a great image.
Don't worry about all thisother stuff.
Camera manufacturers want tosell you the latest, greatest
(34:46):
camera.
They want you to spend money onthat new, shiny object.
That's what they do, that is,they try to give you gas gear
acquisition syndrome.
They want you to buy thatcamera, for instance, a couple
of years ago well, not just acouple of years ago, but they
keep on coming out with camerasthat have an F-stop of f, you
(35:08):
know, 1.2, 1.4.
I could care less about 1.2 or1.4.
If I'm doing a portrait and I'mshooting at an f-stop of like
1.2 or 1.4, the depth of fieldis so shallow that maybe one
eyeball is in focus and theneverything else is soft.
(35:29):
Okay, their nose is soft, itgoes in focus to the eye and
then everything falls off, beingsoft in the background.
I don't know about that, butnobody that I know really wants
a shot like that.
They want the face in focus,they want both eyes in focus,
(35:49):
they want to see light in theeyes they want to see.
Of course you want to maybecreate bokeh, but remember,
bokeh or your depth of field iscontingent upon really two
things.
F-stop has a little bit to playwith it.
But number one is how close yourbackground is to the subject.
The further away, the more it'sgoing to be out of focus.
(36:11):
And the second thing ismagnification.
So if I'm shooting with awide-angle lens, your background
isn't going to be as out offocus as if you're going to
compress the image withsomething like a 100-millimeter
or 200 millimeter lens, so youwant to throw that background
(36:31):
out.
When I do portrait, I'm shootingat F11, F8, shooting with a 200
millimeter lens, and then I putthe background as far away from
them as possible.
Okay, I am not worried aboutshooting at f1.2 or whatever.
If you're a low light, maybe astreet photographer, and you
(36:52):
need the speed to get as muchlight into the camera as
possible, sure, knock yourselfout.
But remember that 1.2 or that1.4 lens.
That's not the sharpest part ofthe lens.
It's going to be around f8, 11,f11, okay.
Uh, anything over f16 starts.
You start getting diffractionwhere things start to get soft.
(37:13):
Again, every lens has a sweetspot.
I could care less about a 1.2or 1.4 lens.
Okay, I'm not shooting at thatF-stop anyway, I'm controlling
my depth of field, like I said,through magnification, picking
the correct lens and separatingmy subject from the background.
(37:35):
All right, so get the shot.
Like I said, the customer inthe end doesn't care or
understand what you're shootingwith.
Okay, rarely.
Do you need a specific camerafor a specific job?
If you have a high-end cameraor you need it, rent it.
Okay, if you can't get the shotthat you need, even if you have
(37:57):
your Canon, nikon, sony cameraand let's say you're going to
shoot a portrait and you need a200mm lens, go ahead and rent it
.
Rent it for a week, all right.
So what is a professionalcamera?
As a photographer, it's thecamera that you have in your
hand at that moment.
(38:18):
What makes it professional isyour experience and talent and
knowing how to shoot the shot toget the result that you want.
All right, so until next time,we'll talk to you later.
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