Ok can i ask a REALLY dumb question please?

[BEGM83]

Ive just been reading one of the stickys up there ^^^ and associated links and a lot of them, understandably, are about equipment and what camera to get etc.

Now for the dumb question.

What makes a camera and associated gubbins professional grade rather than beginners/amateur grade other than the price tag ?

[Woody]

Hello Begm83,

See posts on full frame cameras.

eg Canon 5D etc.

Cheers,

John W.

[nathanbarlow]

not only is there a divider between full frame and crop sensor, but the 'pro' cameras are generally faster in focusing, have faster shutter speeds, higher FPS in burst mode, bigger memory buffer, more autofocus points, better ISO range and performance, and last but not least, are more durable.

Simply saying "FF cameras are professional cameras" isnt really an indicator, as I have seen many professionals sporting a 50D or a 20D, and equally have seen many amatuers with a 5DII. Havent seen too many amatuers with a 1D though :P

[Xposurepro]

You also have to think about the fact that professional models tend to save you time in creating quality. White balancing features are normally much better .. metering systems .. etc. The problem I see most often with consumer level cameras like the digital rebels is that the exposures are off and they are not properly white balanced .. normally a washed out blue tint is produced. This means more time in RAW or custom measurements when shooting ... Shoot with a pro level body for a week or two and you will be amazed at how much more you get done in less time. Not a big deal for the hobbyist but if you are tying to increase profits in a business environment, the pro model pays for itself in no time at all.

[sk66]

The biggest thing IMO is ease of use/functionality and DURABILITY.
A pro camera can take some abuse and still be reliable. They are meant to be used and used hard...they are "tools".

[Swisstony10]

As previous posters suggest, it's definitely a combination of things from my point of view. While the same factors are still the most important (the person behind the camera, and the glass on the front of it), I'm certainly noticing improvements in my photography since I got my 50D. It has more functionality, and that functionality is more flexible and gives me more creative headroom. At the same time, it's also more robust, having a stronger chassis and stuff.

It's funny, but it's something I always noticed with musical and recording kit too the - the more accomplished you become, the more you can afford to invest in better-quality equipment, and the better-quality kit also gives you much more headroom, which means you can generally get away with making more mistakes..