Canon EOS 500 D Considered A Professional Camera To Work With ?

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plainman007

Well-known member
Hi,

I just got my new Canon EOS-500d. Im new to DSLR photography and planning to add photography to my list of services primarily to complement my webdesigning services. Maybe for clients that dont have and might need small video profolio or an image portfolio.

I was wondering to professional photographers work with cameras like the EOS-500d or is it considered prosumer and maybe even consumer. Id just like to know this before i add PHOTOGRAPHY as an added service as i dont want someone to end up like a joke trying to use this cam for pro work and have a client say, hey nice cam, my daughter has one too. :)

The second thing i wanted to discuss was about the HD video feature on this cam. Ofcourse given its inherent autofocus goof ups during video recording and the noise etc. But purely from image point of view, is the recorded image comparable in quality to dedicated hdv camera ? A lot of people say the enhanced optics of a dslr combined with the HD resolution can even rival full fledged HDV cams. I mean even from the compression viewpoint. Is it more heavily compressed than say HDV compression offfered by a sony HDV cam. Or is the compression the same, because i noticed most videos i recorded from the 500D over the last few days has a bitrate of 25-27 Mbps. Roughly the same as standard HDV. So i want to know if im lookiong for just 30fps in 720p will this replace the need of having a full fledged HDV cam to make some techincal training videos. Or client videos advertising their services with a video demo kind of.

All your inputs will be extremely valuable.

Thanks
 
Yeah and my $100 point and shoot camera can also produce devastatingly professional images in your hand, and your clients im sure would pay you well enough and treat you seriously with one in your hand at a professional gig. You sound like you have actually done that, good for you. Why was i was almost expecting an answer like this. For people who can really understand what im intending to ask, there are sure more serious minded answers that i hope members can share. No trick answers please. Mine was a question as to how seriously this camera is taken in the photo industry and some other real technical doubts. If you didnt understand them due to your expansive knowledge on the subject, i apologise.

I think if i asked you how one could achive good depth of field with an 18-55 IS lens , you'd say "WITH DIFFICULTY". And that makes you clever ?

And if i gave you a paper plane, youd use it 'professionally' and actually fly to another country with it. Joke ?
 
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If you come here looking to be offended you probably will be. Or you could think for a few seconds. To elaborate further, my answer is that the camera will be perceived as professional, but only if your work reflects that. It really depends on who you want to impress and how much they know. My clients wouldn't care as long as I had an SLR of some sort. Getting defensive and butthurt because someone wasn't clear enough for you doesn't help your questions get answered any better.
 
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I don't think so. Its part of the Rebel line of cameras - considered by many as the "consumer DSLR".

Video will be fine, photos will not...at least if the clients have any experience with professional photographers.

Kegan
 
Going to have to side with Cassius on this one. His response was short and to the point, but to elaborate - if in your hands you can deliver a professional grade image with that camera you should add it to your services.

You say you are new to DSLR photography, is it just DSLR photography you are new to or photography in general? Equipment means nothing without the skill.
 
I don't think he's talking about the results. I think he's asking two things - do professional photographers use this camera and is the camera considered a professional camera. Neither of those have anything to do with the images it outputs.

Sounds like a fairly straight forward, appearance-related question to me.

Correct me if I'm wrong plainman,

Kegan
 
Im not offended by what the other poster said etc. Ive already apologised to him if i didnt explain clearly. :).

Its absurd to say if your a professional then the camera is professional. He gave me an abrupt cagey answer, to which i only responded.

If you see the forum there are so many valid questions where people ask, "Is Vegas a professional editing software ?", "Can i make a professional documentary using MovieMaker as my NLE'. For a newbie these are valid questions and we seem them all the time. I would rply by telling someone that MovieMaker is ok if you like to edit standard dv in a simple way and that Vegas is really Good and powerful but not industry niche and that AVID symphony or media composer would be a better choice for a full fledged professional studio setup and if you want to get hired by third parties. He should have said something like that which is a serious answer that befits a forum like this.

Kegan > Your right on !. Thats exactly what i meant. I mean with all the philosphy of "you are what it takes to make a work of art than the tools involved". We certainly cant expect to reach the moon in a cessna. The right tools for the right kind of job. Irrespective of how professional the astronaut is. So i wanted to know if the EOS 500D is used for serious work. Or maybe for corporate brochure photography. For webdesign imagery. Or for actual model photoshoots. Rather do you know anyone who uses the EOS-500D for commercial work ? If yes, what kind of work has it been used for ? You have understood the question perfectly and this is exactly what i meant. And i thought it was pretty straight foward honestly, as youve also noted.

For example ive heard the 5d Mk2 has been used for shooting parts of "House" and or "24". Is it a professional camera ? YES !. Will it be used to shoot commercial primetime episodes and replace film or motion cameras. People would say probably NO. But it has been used in such situations. So im just asking if the 500D has /is being used for any level of photowork. If its not and its only used to take pics of our own pets and is a family holiday camera thats crap. Fine. At least ill know.

Noel > Yes im new to DSLR photography. And new to professional still photography. But what do i do, i need to start somewhere ?. So i bought a EOS-500d and am planning to practice with this. Its my first camera after a $100 point and shoot, so thats my past experience with photography. Apart from having read lots from 3 point lighting to ruke of thirds in framing and composition i wudnt say im at level 0. Im a littel ahead of that in that i at least understand what f1.2 means in aperture. What DOF is. What ISO is. So im done some home work thats all. But im only starting so this is all i could get. + its not going to be my main line of work. Just an ancillary to my main work. Ive not even advertised such a service on my website, and will not until i learn enough and am sure i can do a good job at it. If i dont get good at it, ill just let it remain a camera for home use. If it contributes even 10% of returns to my business steadily then i will instantly buy a EOS- 5d mk2 or EOS-7D. Anything within about 4000 USD for the cam body is ok. But to buy that range now would be idiocity for me.
 
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plainman007 said:
Hi,

I just got my new Canon EOS-500d. Im new to DSLR photography and planning to add photography to my list of services primarily to complement my webdesigning services. Maybe for clients that dont have and might need small video profolio or an image portfolio.
Thanks
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First off, are you talking about 500D (Rebel T1i) or the 550D (Rebel T2i) ? You speak about video... which I believe the 550D (T2i) only supports that feature. Anyways -- I know the other guys are mocking you a bit here, but the truth is that no - this camera is usually not regarded as a "professional" camera. However, more so than the camera, the lens is definitely the weak point.

On a funny note, this camera/lens was featured on a Judge Joe Brown episode:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=js7RzcdDcMs

If you bought yourself two nice prime lenses (1 in the 20-35mm range, and the other a 50mm) you would be able to produce consistency better images with more ease. Make sure you buy Canon EF (not EFS) lenses, since these lenses will support a full-frame sensor should you ever decide to upgrade your camera body to a bigger sensor employed by the 5D or 1D series.

With that advice I give you a bit of warning too: You better get damn good at using this camera (I'm talking full manual mode, knowing everything about ISO/Aperture/Shutter) before you should even think about upgrading to a better camera. The better technology will not make your pictures better if you don't understand the nuts and bolts about photography.

On the note of video: The visual quality of the video stream is definitely better than HDV. However, using a DSLR for 'on the fly' for wedding/ENG/whatever videography is a real pain sue to several reasons:
1) no proper audio inputs
2) expensive lenses required to produce good imagery will easily put your camera into the price range of a 'real' video camera
3) shallow depth of field produced by said good lenses requires extreme skill to get right in such uncontrolled environments, and add to the fact that the viewfinder on the camera is not very sharp and will further make focusses extremely hard. These cameras are most useful in a controlled (ex. film set) environment, since good DSLR cinematography requires more overhead than using a consumer/prosumer video camera.
 
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Yes im talking only about the 500D as in my original post. The 550D is relatively newer and i dont have that. The reason i came to this camera is because as a beginner in DSLR photography i cannot invest in a super high end camera. This seemed like a good entry level DSLR.

The clients i handle dont know what DSLR means and they couldnt care less. They are mostly small time one man ownership businesses that are just getting a website done for themselves.

Anyway i just wanted to ask, what are the cameras used for professional work, 7D, 5D Mk2 ?? Are those good enough for pro work with the default lens they come with, unlike the 500d which seems to have a limited quality lens. When you say switch to a better lens, is it basically because of the focal length or the quality of the optics itself is mediocre ? Id like to know what the basic shortcoming is in the 18-55 IS Lens.

Regarding impromptu video, i dont think that will be an issue i hardly need to do any impromptu video. Most will be well planned shots that will show case a product or an offcie building. Most a are situations where we can wait and get that shot doing it over n over if neccessary.

For the kind of clients im handling i think its just suuport photography and not fashion model photography for magazines and that kind of work. So will i be able to use this camera itself if the end target client is going to be in this range ?
 
Ah, the 500D...I misread anyway. I don't know how comfortable I would be with the 500D, but people have produced some good video with it.

A lot of people use cameras from the 40D, 50D series as well as the 7D, 5Dmk2 and above for professional work. For video, cameras like the 7D and the 5Dmk2 are used quite frequently, with the T2i being considered more and more.

People upgrade lenses for a variety of reasons. One major drawback with the 18-15mm IS lens is that its a variable aperture lens. The iris closes as you reach the end of the focal range. I believe its 3.5-5.6?

It's a great starter lens, but people outgrow it because they want faster lenses which equal nicer bokeh and DOF control (blurry background, sharp foreground), contrast, colours, sharpness, or a different focal length (wider or longer) or they want constant aperture - in the case of a zoom, they want the aperture to remain constant throughout the zoom range.

In terms of support photography...I'm not exactly sure what that is. Could you clarify please? As for the video, I don't have enough experience with the 500D to give you an accurate answer. Maybe someone with more experience with the camera can help you out.

Kegan
 
Hi Kegan,

The mention of the 500d and not 550d in my first para of the last post was for the poster just above (Or last post on previous page i should say as he didnt get what camera i was discussing).

OK so the 5Dmk2 and 7D etc are in the pro range. Lets see. I dont know how well i will fare in photography but if i do get good at it and enjoy doing it then i will invest in one. Its not practical to buy one now. Its worth buying one if i can at least recover the camera cost thru some gigs to do some pictures for my clients websites.

Why do they call some of these as "faster" lenses ? And what is "Bokeh". Of course DOF im well aware of.

Focal length is the mm of the lens right 188-55mm is the focal length. So when you say some want longer, you mean they want tele/ or long range zoom ?

I understood constant aperture from what you explained. But why would people want constant aperture, to control their DOF despite the zoom level ?

I just support photography, i was just mentioning to point out that i will be using photography to as an add on to my webdesigning work. Its not like im becoming a pro photographer or launching myself into the photography business. If im making a website for a client who doesnt have a good picture portfoio for his gallery section or would like to have maybe a video gallery of him rendering his services, then i can just for a very nominal add on fee do some work on that so that we will have material for the website.

Thanks
 
The lower the f-stop number, the faster the lens - ie: f1.4 is "faster" than f4, because it allows more light in. Bokeh is just how the aesthetic of the blur.

Yes, I was referring to longer meaning tele or long range. People want constant aperture to have control simply because...well, say you want to shoot at the end of a focal range, but you need more light due to what you're shooting. You get to the end of the focal range (for simplicity's sake we'll use your 18-55) and you find you're at f5.6. Suddenly you're aware that the image looked fine at f3.5 (the beginning of the focal range), but not at f5.6 at the end. A constant aperture lens would allow you to lock your aperture at whatever f-stop you wanted and it would remain throughout the zoom. f3.5 all the way through? No problem on a constant aperture...but not possible on a variable aperture lens.

As for support photography, I'd say give it a shot then. See how well it works out for you and if you find that you're getting more and more photography work, then at that point you can upgrade. Remember, any glass you purchase should be with the intent on using it for multiple camera bodies.

Kegan
 
So what happens on a variable aperture lens ? When you go wide the aperture can open to its widest and when you zoom in (ie, towards 55mm) then the aperture iris also closes up. Is my understanding correct ?
 
It's a professional camera if you use it professionally.
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Well said.

The rebel series is considered entry level or consumer level, but nobody will care if your work is excellent. And your average client won't know the difference between a 1Ds Mark III and a 500D.

And I second the suggestion above to get a 50mm prime. Probably the Nifty Fifty, or Plastic fantastic, Canon 50mm 1.8, for about $100 bucks. It makes a nice portrait lens on a crop body like the rebel series.

Have Fun, get ready to start buying more expensive lenses. Gear lust, it never ends.

-Kevin
 
If thats a 50mm meaning theres no zoom at all ? 18-55mm covers 50mm right ? Whats special in this lens ? What sort of obvious difference will this make to the imagery. Ok it has a bigger fstop 1.8 so that will allow opening the aperture more ?. Other than that ? If its worth maybe i can buy a 50mm lens.
 
Well, its arguable that primes look nicer and that bigger f-stop is huge...alongside colour, contrast and sharpness it makes it worth it. Again, it all depends on if its worth it to YOU.

Go to a camera shop and play with some lenses - you'll notice the difference glass makes fairly quickly.

Kegan
 
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