Best Pro-quality Digital Camera?

[TwinsInParadise]

Hi there! I posted last night in the General Help Forum, but now that I've been around the site a bit more, I have a better idea what I need to ask to receive assistance. Anyway, I've been taking pictures and loving it for as long as I can remember, but only recently began to consider eventually turning my hobby into a profession. I am very much an amateur, or newbie, at this point, however, and am currently researching, learning, and practicing as much as possible. I have twin 1 year old girls that keep me very busy most of the time, though, so any direction you all can offer will be greatly appreciated.

I am looking for a professional-quality digital camera that will be used for indoor/outdoor portrait photography (of individuals and/or families). I live in the Florida Keys, so a lot of the photographs I take are in bright light, tropical situations. I will also be taking nature shots with this camera, but it will mainly be used for people pictures.

What I'm hoping is that someone can point me in the general direction of what type of camera I should be looking into, as far as what the main ingredients should be. How many megapixels? What ISO? etc. Money isn't really an object, though $5,000 or less would be nice.

Any information at all to guide me in all this would be greatly appreciated, including any books, websites, articles, etc. that will enhance my learning experience. Thank you so much for your time!

[Reminisce]

Hey TwinsInParadise, you sound like me not too long ago, plus you live south of me

In any case, with the price tag you mentioned and the type of photography you want to do, its obvious a DSLR (Digital Single Lens Reflex) camera is what you're looking for. Just understand you dont HAVE to spend close to 5000 dollars to get the top quality images you want, mostly any DSLR will do, but then you have to break it down to lens compaitibility of the camera body, and the features it comes with. DSLR have interchangeable lenses, meaning you can switch lenses on your body to accomodate what kind of pictures you want to take. The reason I say DSLR over a typical or prosumer Point and Shoot camera, is that DSLRs offer much more in the way of growth and expandability, as well as image quality, feel, speed, and versatility.

On to that, Megapixels really depend on what size prints you plan to do, but most entry-level DSLR cameras can handle around 5MP (give or take) or so. If you plan to just do regular sized 5x7s, dont worry much about MP. If you plan to do up to 8x10s and slightly larger without degrading quality in your prints, you'll need a 6MP camera and so on. I dont remember the exact formula, but remember MP does NOT equate to the quality of your image, but rather the maximum size your image can without quality loss.

ISO, in the Digital world, your camera will have built in ISO modes, as opposed to film where your ISO is based on the film you use. This makes it easier to get the pictures you want, learn, experiment, and adjust to any situation without slowing down or wasting a roll of film. A typical DSLR camera can go as low as ISO 100 and up to 3200ISO (some higher than that).

Personally, I'd say start off with a good entry level or enthusiast DSLR camera and work from there. I'm partial to Nikon and Canon, and in that case, the Canon EOS 20D which just came out is an incredible buy for the money. Its about 1500-1600 or so with the kit lens, has superb image quality, and all the features of its predecessors (300D, 10D, D60, etc) plus more. Check out the review at http://www.dpreview.com/articles/canoneos20d/

For Nikon, the D70 is a no-brainer into the enthusiast world. Also a very remarkable camera with superb image quality and features galore. You can buy the body with the kit lens for 1200-1300. Check out the review at http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/nikond70/

You must understand, photography starts with the camera body, but the available lenses for that camera body are whats going to take you where you need to go. I'm no expert at all, I just entered the DSLR world not too long ago, but I've been a photographer at heart for years, studying, researching and waiting til I can afford to get what I want to follow my dreams. I have a lot to learn, and I learn something everytime I turn my camera on. I just try to share what I have learned.

if you want some good places for some good information, always start at this place right here plus the following:
www.dpreview.com
www.dcresource.com
www.photography-on-the.net (Canon camera site)
www.photozone.de

Those should get you started. Im sure someone with much more experience and knowledge will have a better answer here, but I hope I helped a little bit.

EDIT:
I forgot to add, and with the leftover money, you can buy yourself some high quality lenses to suit your needs.