Camera recommendations for mainly potrait photography.

[ariester]

Hi! Wanted to pick up a camera and start doing some cosplay/portrait photography, with some landscape and videography thrown in the mix sometimes.

I was eyeing the x-t30ii but the kit lens it comes with isn't the best for portrait and I'm really new to cameras so I have no idea where or what lens/camera I should be looking at lmao. Budget wise I would say keep it under 1.5k if possible (the lower the better without sacraficing any image quality) as I want to pick up a dry box as well.

Some things that I'm looking for in the camera.

MUST HAVES

1. An interchangable lens camera
2. Mirrorless
3. Decent autofocus

Good to have

1. Shoots raw
2. Flip out screen
3. Viewfinder
4. Image Stabilization (Not a must but I would highly prefer something with this)

That's all I can think of when it comes to features I would like. Really appreciate any recommendations at all. If yall could drop some shop recommendations too that'll be great! I'm partial to MS color at Causeway rn the uncle there was really nice the last time I went HAHAHHAHA

 

[keenklee]

IMHO.
If mainly portrait, also need to consider the lens quality and availability.
Not all lenses are sharp and available for a particular camera mount.

 

[ariester]

IMHO.
If mainly portrait, also need to consider the lens quality and availability.
Not all lenses are sharp and available for a particular camera mount.

Was looking at the Fujifilm XC 35mm f/2 Lens if I went with Fujifilm body

 

[keenklee]

Was looking at the Fujifilm XC 35mm f/2 Lens if I went with Fujifilm body

IMHO.
If it is APS-C, the crop factor is 1.5x.
35mm on it will become 50mm.
Portrait lens begins from 70mm onwards to 135mm.
At 50mm, there will be slight distortion .

 

[ariester]

IMHO.
If it is APS-C, the crop factor is 1.5x.
35mm on it will become 50mm.
Portrait lens begins from 70mm onwards to 135mm.
At 50mm, there will be slight distortion .

I'm gonna be using it for other things as well, not as heavy as portrait of course. Should I still aim for 70mm onwards?

 

[keenklee]

I'm gonna be using it for other things as well, not as heavy as portrait of course. Should I still aim for 70mm onwards?

IMHO.
You have to decide what you want to use it for and choose the lens.

I am not familiar with Fuji thus use Nikon as an example.
For APS-C, i will not get the kit lens of 18-55mm ( 27mm to 82.5mm )
Instead, I will opt for the 18-140mm ( 27mm to 210mm )
Then I will get a fast 50mm lens ( 75mm equivalent ) to start portrait.

The first lens is very important. If you do not have a very versatile one, likely you will give up photography.
Some folks say, you can zoom in or out by using leg power - that are many instances that it will not be possible.

 

[francisjon14]

Get a second hand Sony A6000 series (like the A6500) then get a Sigma 30 F1.4 (good for portrait) and Sigma 16 f1.4 (good for landscape). All this i think 1.5K is enough if buy used or second hand. Brand new will be a different story.
For versatility lenses, Tamron 17-7- f2.8 or Sigma 18-50 f2.8 are good.
Hope this helps!

 

[ariester]

Get a second hand Sony A6000 series (like the A6500) then get a Sigma 30 F1.4 (good for portrait) and Sigma 16 f1.4 (good for landscape). All this i think 1.5K is enough if buy used or second hand. Brand new will be a different story.
For versatility lenses, Tamron 17-7- f2.8 or Sigma 18-50 f2.8 are good.
Hope this helps!

Thanks! Ive only been searching on carousell for second hand stuff, is there somewhere else I should be looking at? Also I found a listing for an A6500 + Sony 35mm f1.8 lens for 1.3k is that a decent deal?

 

[numzkull]

fujifilm user since x-e2 era here but what i say below applies to all brands since kit lens are usually quite good s an all-rounder lens.

i suggest going with the x-t30 with the kit lens since it wiill allow you some flexibility to discover your preferred style and focal length.assuming the kit is an 18-55mm its actually a very decent kit lens and 55mm at 1.5x crop factor is ok for portraits. f4 at 55mm it won’t give you the best dof separation but it sould be good enough.

you may want to consider looking at prime lens only after you’re more certain about what you need. otherwise you’ll fall into the buy-sell cycle and end up losing money in the long run - the amount lost could add up to the price of a really good lens.

 

[numzkull]

forgot to mention about fujifilm’s film simulations. that’s something you may not get straight from the camera with other brands and that’s something handy to have if you’re planning to achieve a certain look or style based on color profiles.

again this can be achieved with other brands by using photo editing software rather than straight out-of-cam.

 

[RyanJ]

Wider lenses + a closer focusing distance tend to make the nose larger in relation to the ears, telephoto lenses will help give that tighter more compressed look and eliminate that distortion.

Lenses with larger apertures can give you the handy option of potentially better subject isolation

Starting with a kit lens and learning from there is a good suggestion

 

[Cheese666]

hello! Fuji user here. X-T30 definitely will do what you need. Pair it with a 35mm, or a viltrox 56mm will be perfect for your portrait needs. Feel free to pm me if you have more questions about Fuji, happy to help