Gear Advice for Pregnancy & Infant Photog.

[MarianHeart]

Hey all, I have a dear friend who is due in April of '10, and I am really hankering to start getting more serious with my photography so that I can take pictures of all that little infant cuteness, as well as some family portraits. But, I have a problem. The main thing is that I have a small budget. I'm using a Kodak point and shoot right now (see sig.), and while it works well for me, I would really like a little more freedom. So, I'm going to try and focus the next few months on saving up and making the DSLR plunge. In other words, I need helllp! Now I know that photographers aren't known for their dedication in reading lengthy forum posts, but try and bear with me here:

1: I don't want to spend too much on the body. I like sharp quality, but I don't want to get obsessed over it. I'm thinking of buying a used Canon 20D body from KEH.com. With a good lens, do you think that the 20D would be adequate enough for me to create pleasing pictures, or would you suggest a different body? I'm not too worried about getting one that is dinged up a bit, just so long as it doesn't effect picture quality. Thoughts?

2. Lenses. I really don't know all that much about them, and I want to remedy that, but I have no idea where to start. I would really like a lens that will be good for both portrait and full body photography, and give me the ability to get good depth of field. Basically, I'd like a versatile lens for "people photography". Does anybody have some good suggestions for a lens like this, or pointers on what to look for in a lens for child/portrait photography.

Please, I'd love some opinions on this, so feel free to suggest different combinations of bodies & lenses.

[CaptainNH]

Welcome Marian,

The 20D was a great camera in its day and - provided the sensor and shutter are both still in good order - there's no reason why you shouldn't continue to get some excellent shots from one.

I still use my even older 10D for detail shots when I do weddings - fantastic at producing sharp images when paired with a good sharp prime.

The 20D isn't the camera to use if you're looking for big poster prints, but for regular sized prints, it would serve your purpose more than adequately.

If you're looking for a great cheap lens, you should look no further than the EF 50mm f/1.8 II - you'll be able to get some very pleasing images with that combination.

[inkista]

The only thing I'd be worried about with a 20D is how many clicks it's been through (i.e., shutter life), and if the sensor is still in good shape.

For lenses, sorry, no way around it, you're going to have to do your homework to learn the basics. I recommend this website, particularly the first three sections on focal length, prime vs. zoom, and max. aperture.

Also, you're going to want to be a little clearer on "good depth of field". For landscape photographers, deep deep DoF is very very good. I gather you want shallow, though. A wider max. aperture (smaller f-number) will do that for you.

The 50/1.8 is great if you're on a very limited budget, but it's not the only choice, or necessarily the best one. If you're working in small spaces or you want to work close to your subjects, the 50 on a crop body, like the 20D, can be a little long.

[MarianHeart]

Wow, thank you both for very informative posts!

@inkista: yes, that is my worry as well. I may end up just deciding to splurge and get a new XTI, but for now I'm just thinking about other possibilities.
Thank you for the website! That'll be a great place for me to start.
Yes, haha, I do mean shallow DoF.
What do you mean by saying that the 20d can be "a little long"?

Once again, thanks all for taking the time to read and respond.

[inkista]

Originally Posted by MarianHeart

What do you mean by saying that the 20d can be "a little long"?

It has to do with what's called "the field of view"--or how wide the angle of view in the shot is. The smaller your focal length, the wider the angle gets and the further back you feel, the longer the focal length, the smaller the angle gets and the closer you feel. (See: demo).

All of the Canon lenses that are designated as "EF" (rather than EF-S) were designed for film. And give the same field of view on a film camera or a full-frame sensor body (e.g., a 5DMkII). But when an EF lens is mounted on a "crop body" digital camera, like a Canon xxD/xxxD/xxxxD body, because the sensor is smaller than a frame of film, will give you a narrower field of view.

The effect is similar to zooming in or cropping, which is why it's sometimes called a crop factor or a crop body. With Canon dSLRs, the crop factor is 1.6x. So a 50mm lens on a crop body has roughly the same field of view that an 80mm lens would on full frame.

If you're sitting across the table from someone, a 50mm lens on a crop body is likely to get you a head shot. If you want to get more of the person into a shot, you'll either have to move the camera back, or use a shorter lens. A lot of people find that 50mm is "too long" for portrait work in social situations. A lot of people don't. This is a matter of personal taste that includes how you like to compose, and what kind of working distances you prefer or have to work in. Smaller spaces usually require wider lenses, because you have to work closer in.

50mm, btw, is also a relatively special focal length for photography, because it's what's called "normal" or "standard." It gives the same magnification that your eye does. If you have a 50mm lens mounted on the camera, and you open both eyes the view through the camera viewfinder and the view with your bare eye will match. Any other focal length, and it won't. That remains the same, irregardless of whether you're using a crop body or a full frame body.

[Toronto111]

Sometimes with kids an on-location photographer works really well. The child can stay in an element where he/she is comfortable. Marcia Woods is GREAT with kids and she will come to you. She is a mother of three so she knows all about how those little think. She works under the name Moving Stills. She's got some pictures on the internet but I forget the website name. Call her at ###-###-####.

[CaptainNH]

Originally Posted by Toronto111

Sometimes with kids an on-location photographer works really well. The child can stay in an element where he/she is comfortable.

All of the best portraits I have done with kids have been on-location, I can't ever get the same level of relaxation or expressions in a studio setup - even if I have taken my portable stuff to their home.

[hibou]

Originally Posted by MarianHeart

2. Lenses. I really don't know all that much about them, and I want to remedy that, but I have no idea where to start. I would really like a lens that will be good for both portrait and full body photography, and give me the ability to get good depth of field. Basically, I'd like a versatile lens for "people photography". Does anybody have some good suggestions for a lens like this, or pointers on what to look for in a lens for child/portrait photography.

Please, I'd love some opinions on this, so feel free to suggest different combinations of bodies & lenses.

I have done almost all my shooting with my 50 mm 1.8 with very pleasing results. It's a nice versatile lens, especially outside. Also had great results using the 100 mm shooting children outside in a large backyard (plenty of room for me to far enough away for full-body shots, and close for frame-filling faces. Love.) I'm also shooting with a crop body, no problems.

If you do a lot of work inside though, you might want something wider.