What camera you need for portraiture photo shooting?
What camera you need for portraiture photo shooting? | ||
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There are a few special requirements for a digital camera that will be used for portraiture. Here's a list of the key things to look for in a digital camera that are ideal for portraiture. Lots of megapixelsPortraiture is one type of photography that places a premium on resolution. Even if you plan on making prints no larger than 5 x 7 inches, you'll find a 5 to 8 megapixel (or more) camera useful, because those extra pixels come in handy when you start retouching your portraits to make your subjects look their best. I think you'll find it hard to resist making 8 x 10 and larger prints of your best efforts, too, so you'll be glad you sprung for a few million more megapixels when you bought your camera. A modest zoom lensDigital cameras with no zoom lens (generally only the lowest of the low-end models) or which have only a 2:1 zoom may not be your best choice for shooting portraits. That's because for the most flattering head-and-shoulders pictures you'll want a lens that has a zoom setting in the 80mm to 105mm (35mm camera equivalent) range. Shorter focal lengths often produce a kind of distortion, with facial features that are closer to the camera (such as noses) appearing much larger in proportion than features that are farther away from the camera (such as ears). By the time you zoom in to the 135mm to 200mm (or longer) telephoto settings, the reverse effect happens: The camera's perspective tends to flatten and widen the face, bringing nose and ears into the same plane. The 80 to 105mm settings are just about perfect. Some way to use multiple flash unitsIf you want the most control over your lighting, you'll want to use several light sources. Electronic flash is often the best option, so your digital camera should have a way of triggering one or more external flash units that are used separate from the camera. You may be able to connect extra flash units with a standard PC connector (the PC is said to stand for Prontor-Compur, two early shutter manufacturers, not "personal computer"), a hot shoe connector that can accommodate either an external flash or an adapter you can plug an external flash into. Some more advanced digital cameras, particularly digital SLRs, might be able to work with flash triggered wirelessly. Filter threadAlthough not an essential feature, having a camera with a thread that will accept screw-on filters and other accessories can be very useful. There are some offbeat things you can do with filters, such as put petroleum jelly on the edges of a skylight filter to provide blurry edges, that are a lot harder to duplicate in Photoshop than you might think. If your camera meets these minimum specifications, you're all set.
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