I am a reporter and need a recommendation for a dSLR. There are my needs..

Hello everyone,

I am a reporter from NYC and want to buy a dSLR. It would be great to get some recommendations from the experts.

I shoot pictures of people, either indoors or outdoors, either day or night, usually from a distance of 10 to 20 feet.

Any advanced options will most likely not be used since I will be sharing it with a couple of other people; it's most likely gonna be used as a point and shoot.

There is little to no post-processing in photoshop, except for levels or brightness or red eye or something simple like that.

Camera will be used frequently, everyday most likely.

Since my needs are very basic, I am thinking an entry level should suffice.

What do you guys recommend?

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nycrep]Hello everyone,

I am a reporter from NYC and want to buy a dSLR. It would be great to get some recommendations from the experts.

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I am going to assume that you are free lancing. The new papers here provide the equipment to their photographers.

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I shoot pictures of people, either indoors or outdoors, either day or night, usually from a distance of 10 to 20 feet.

Any advanced options will most likely not be used since I will be sharing it with a couple of other people; it's most likely gonna be used as a point and shoot.

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For quality media photos you are probably going to have to get out of P&S mode and learn about exposure. Full manual may sometimes be needed to get an exposure that will be printable. AV or TV modes would usually do, but you will need to be able to see and understand that tough lighting shot and switch to what you need.

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There is little to no post-processing in photoshop, except for levels or brightness or red eye or something simple like that.

Camera will be used frequently, everyday most likely.

Since my needs are very basic, I am thinking an entry level should suffice.

What do you guys recommend?

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Most of the papers in this area are shooting Canon 1D series bodies and L glass. Quite an investment. The reason. They just keep working day in and day out being dragged around by a bunch of press photographers that are always on the run. My guess is that you are not looking to invest $10,000.00 in this so I would suggest a mid range consumer body. Nikon 80D, Canon 40D and some fast glass. The two most popular lenses are the 16-35 f2.8L and the 24-70 f2.8L in that order. Again very pricey. The Tamron 17-50 f2.8 is an nice lens that is quite sharp at a fraction of the cost and gives you that 16-35 range. That will probably be the most usable range for what you are doing. Since you are shooting at night as well I am going to suggest that you go top line on a flash unit. 580EX (Canon), 800SB(Nikon) quality. You can dial a flash down if it has too much power, you can't dial a weak one up past it's range.

For a body selection, go to a photography store, Your in New York go to B&H. Handle the bodies and find what feels the best to you. Control layout, function layout etc. Personally I prefer Canon. Nikon makes an outstanding line as well. Sony, Pentax and Olympus also make good camera's, but their line is limited as far as lenses etc compared to Canon or Nikon. Keep in mind, you are buying a system, not a camera, so what ever you choose, make sure the line of lenses and accessories will meet your needs in the future. Good Luck.

I would buy either a Nikon D200 or D300 and some good wide angle lenses (Tokina's fast 11-16mm f/2.8 and Nikon's 17-35 for example). The cameras I suggested have magnesium frames yet are lighter than the D3's and EOS 1D Mark III's most photojournalists are using. For night photography you'll need a top notch flash: namely the Nikon SB800. Flash power is important outdoors at night so the SB600 won't do. The two lenses I suggested are rugged and fit your specifications. Chances are you'll never be a good photographer if you shoot only in P&S modes. You'll need to master apperture priority for most of your work (shallow DOF for portraits/candids and deep DOF if you're background's important by manipulating apperture). Some shots will have absurd lighting conditions and you'll need how to eyeball manual mode and compensate for what your meter tells you.

An entry level DSLR will get thrashed if you're shooting where other PJ's are shooting. That's why you need a durable metal body SLR and durable lens.

I would check out the cameras in person at BH or Adorama and then buy online from NJ or out of state so you can save a bit on sales tax.

Guys, thank you so much for your answers.

I forgot to mention that 99 % of the pictures will be used on the web (online publications) so I think it's a little more forgiving, low dpi, etc..

Would entry level cameras be okay (under $1k)?

I think entry-level will be fine. Canon, Nikon, Sony, Pentax, and Olympus will all work. I generally go against the grain and embrace entry-level digital SLRs. I've had all kinds of cameras and for the past couple of years I've been using almost exclusively entry-level digital SLRs to shoot sports, product, and outdoor photography. I believe the entry-level DSLRs are way better than most people think. They're making money for me. I only recently bought another pro camera. And that was only because I needed a faster frame rate. I would have preferred to buy a second "beginner" camera.

If you're going to be shooting in low light a lot, I would encourage you to look at the Sony and Pentax digital SLRs. They have built-in image stabilization systems, which will help you get sharp photos even in low light. Olympus has built-in image stabilization, too. But unless you buy their pro E-3 body, I think you may have some noise problems. The Sony and Pentax cameras should work really well for you. Of course, most pros use Nikon and Canon and most people will tell you to go with those brands. I mostly use Canon and Olympus, although I get to use everything. And I encourage you to take a look at the Sony and Pentax cameras. I think they may be a better choice for you.

Great. Thanks Photo-John! I will check them out!