A quality camera for album cover pictures

What's good people?

I'm interested in knowing what is a great camera to purchase or to rent for Album cover pictures?? I'm interested in high quality photos of landscapes or people.

Any recommendations??

From the cheapest to most expensive.

Please share your experience.


Thanks

I agree that you can get good pictures from 7mp digital camera but there is another level of quality that I'm looking for in this case.

get a nikon. they are damn pricey but are top of the line. i dont know how much it would be to rent.

It's not the camera. Not to sound rude, but if your pictures look sucky, then it's entirely the operators fault. Good pictures take a keen eye. Professional photographers have an eye for getting picture from unusual angles. Lighting is also very important. You have to know how to set a camera up also. I take pictures, and I can tell you that a $2000+ camera will not take a better picture compared to a $400 camera with the right person behind it. If you don't know anything about ISO/ISA, F settings, proper exposure, and (in this day and age) photoshop, DO NOT spend the money on a decent camera. You will only be satisfying your need to want one if you buy it.
On the same note, if you want to learn about taking good pictures, look for a camera that can grow with you. What I mean is I wouldn't buy a camera that looks like a deck of cards. Make sure it has a decent selection of adjustable settings. I started on a Sony DSC-H1. Great camera. The H9 is out now and can take some wonderful shots. It's entry level, but I would definitely stay out the DSLR range of camera's right now (at your point). Even if you start to outgrow it, it can still be kept as a backup. It shoots video also, so that a nice addition too. Kodak has a decent entry camera also. Look for something that looks like a real camera, but I wouldn't spend more than $500 for a new one. You can get them used all day for probably less than $200. Most of the work you see on album covers is photoshop, so keep that in mind if you already have a camera.
PS. There is a really good book called, The Digital Photography book" by Scott Kelby. There's 2 parts. Only $24.99 each. I highly recommend it.

roxstar wrote:It's not the camera. Not to sound rude, but if your pictures look sucky, then it's entirely the operators fault. Good pictures take a keen eye. Professional photographers have an eye for getting picture from unusual angles. Lighting is also very important. You have to know how to set a camera up also. I take pictures, and I can tell you that a $2000+ camera will not take a better picture compared to a $400 camera with the right person behind it. If you don't know anything about ISO/ISA, F settings, proper exposure, and (in this day and age) photoshop, DO NOT spend the money on a decent camera. You will only be satisfying your need to want one if you buy it.
On the same note, if you want to learn about taking good pictures, look for a camera that can grow with you. What I mean is I wouldn't buy a camera that looks like a deck of cards. Make sure it has a decent selection of adjustable settings. I started on a Sony DSC-H1. Great camera. The H9 is out now and can take some wonderful shots. It's entry level, but I would definitely stay out the DSLR range of camera's right now (at your point). Even if you start to outgrow it, it can still be kept as a backup. It shoots video also, so that a nice addition too. Kodak has a decent entry camera also. Look for something that looks like a real camera, but I wouldn't spend more than $500 for a new one. You can get them used all day for probably less than $200. Most of the work you see on album covers is photoshop, so keep that in mind if you already have a camera.
PS. There is a really good book called, The Digital Photography book" by Scott Kelby. There's 2 parts. Only $24.99 each. I highly recommend it.

Excellent reply Roxstar

Thanks for taking the time to break things down for me. This will definitely help me make a good decision on what to do.

No problem. I've been exactly where your at. I'm on my 3rd camera right now and was about to get the Canon 40D (or D40) but that's miles ahead of what I really need it to do. I has a photo shoot over the weekend and the camera man next to me had a DOPE camera, but in the end, the people felt my pictures a lot more (so did I, but I don't wanna toot my own horn!) haha
If you can manually adjust the settings on your camera (lighting and shutter speed) you may already have a camera good enough for what you need. Photoshop has turned 'blah' pictures into something special, and if you get the plugins and use multiple layers, your limitless to what you can do with a simple picture.

sheeit i seen a 12.1 mp jawn that thing took crazy pics! sony, nikon, and canon are all good joints

" i seen a 12.1 mp jawn that thing took crazy pics!"

All camera will take good pics. The mega pixels has nothing to do with the picture quality. The more pixels, the bigger your pictures can be and still look good. Example, you can take a nice poster sized picture with a 7mp camera, but you can take a nice picture the size of a bus stop poster with a 12mp camera. If your a pro photographer, then you will need to keep up with the specs becaue you never know what a company/customer will need. As far as staying the the realm of shooting album covers, posters, and 8mp camera should be more than good enough for anyone.

funny nobody mentioned photoshop...

process it... i guess if u want something original its really useful... YES : the source material (picture resolution) has to be dope from the start, but with good processing and effects, it can give u some pretty dope results!

Ldizzy wrote:funny nobody mentioned photoshop...

process it... i guess if u want something original its really useful... YES : the source material (picture resolution) has to be dope from the start, but with good processing and effects, it can give u some pretty dope results!

this is true. even wit a 3.5mp camera photoshop can work wonders if that person kno's what he's doin wit it.

I did mention photoshop earlier.
I've seen dope pics with a phone camera and photoshop before. Talent with the most basic tools can yield amazing results.

oh then we're all dope

roxstar wrote:" i seen a 12.1 mp jawn that thing took crazy pics!"

All camera will take good pics. The mega pixels has nothing to do with the picture quality. The more pixels, the bigger your pictures can be and still look good. Example, you can take a nice poster sized picture with a 7mp camera, but you can take a nice picture the size of a bus stop poster with a 12mp camera. If your a pro photographer, then you will need to keep up with the specs becaue you never know what a company/customer will need. As far as staying the the realm of shooting album covers, posters, and 8mp camera should be more than good enough for anyone.

This is what I was getting at from the very beginning, but people are caught up with the latest and greatest. 7mp is perfectly fine.