When I first started the Phoblographer, I used to answer certain reader emails in the form of a post. Because the site grew so fast, i cut it out. But today I received a message via 500px that made me chuckle and also think to myself just how confused many consumers are. And trust me, there are tons of them. This letter came from a woman whose daughter is travelling around and who became very confused with what camera to get. Her daughter is a model, and her photographer shot with one camera but a company advised her to get another one.
So which direction does she go in?
The Letter
Editor’s Note: this message was edited for grammatical mistakes
Dear Chris,
My daughter fell in love with the Canon 1Dx with L series lens, and another person tried to talk her into the 6D instead. She models and lives in Japan, and Canon suggested to buy the camera in Japan instead of USA. My questions are: Is there much difference between the 6D and 1D x as far a lighting, and would the end photo in terms of a fashion shoot look the same using the same lens? Do you know of a good place to purchase in Tokyo? If not what is the best place to get these cameras in the US? She is looking to start chronically her journey in Japan in addition to more blogging. Her agency has just signed her for another two years so we are trying to figure out what the best camera is and where to secure it. As I mentioned earlier her favorite photoshoot was done with a 1D X. Thank you for any suggestions you may have.
Kind regards, Kate
My Response
First off, thanks so much for the email Cathy and I can tell you right now that it sounds like both you and your daughter are extremely confused. It’s okay though, because this happens in the customer service world all the time.
Let’s look at this right now: the Canon 1D X is the company’s top of the line DSLR for the still photographer. High end professionals who make their living off of photography use it, photojournalists use it, etc. The Canon 6D is the company’s entry level full frame DSLR. The image quality from this camera is more than good enough for professional work and Canon rates it as the second best in the lineup for high ISO shooting (which means taking pictures in low light without a flash.)
Now I need to harp on something absolutely major: you’re asking about only purchasing a camera and nothing about lighting. If you want to purchase lights, Canon makes some excellent speedlite flashes but keep in mind that the photographer who photographed your daughter has years of experience with lighting, editing, and a creative vision. While the 1D X is the tool that he/she is using, it is because they’re using it to make a living off of it. The Canon 6D would be a better choice as it sounds like you nor your daughter have any experience with photography. As it is, there is no automatic mode at all on the 1D X and the closest thing would be program mode.
But to get back to your question, straight out of the camera, the image would look the exact same for sure if the lighting and exposure levels were consistent in each photo–and no one would be able to tell the difference.
The fashion photographer that photographed your daughter also invested a lot of time in Photoshop, Lightroom and maybe Capture One use. There was retouching involved, attention to detail that was carefully done, and lots more work that once again requires extra knowledge to deliver the image that you’re seeing in the final product.
And then you want to talk about lenses. Well, Canon has some very good L series lenses for sure, but we’re not even sure which one the photographer shot your daughter with. There are loads of different lenses, but in general L series lenses are too heavy for most people to carry around except for professionals or very serious enthusiasts. The company produces other non-L series lenses that are indeed very good and the photographer could have used a multitude of lenses to photograph your daughter.
In the end though, I really recommend that your daughter invest in a Canon 6D, the Canon 50mm f1.8, Canon 32mm f2 IS, and the Canon 85mm f1.8. Otherwise, she could purchase the new 24-70mm f4 L IS (which is an L lens, but most likely isn’t the one that the photographer that photographed your daughter used.) But more importantly, I really recommend that your daughter looks into photography lessons as well. It isn’t the camera that creates the photos, it is the photographer and their knowledge of lighting combined with post-production software knowledge.
And to get into that, she’ll need to spend loads more time working.
If this were all up to me, I would recommend that she springs for a Sony NEX 5R. We reviewed it and loved the image quality. Plus it is small for travel and delivers professional image quality (I’ve used it for some of my pro work.)
Thanks for reading, and if you’re going to make a purchase, we can’t recommend any place better than B&H Photo Video Pro Audio right here in the USA. I hope this helps.
