Which camera to choose for portrait

[Sunnywind]

Hello, everybody! I want to buy a camera to make portraits. I wanted to buy Canon EOS-M6 [Link Removed per Forum Guidelines] Is it good enough for this purpose or you can recommend another one?

[Tronhard]

First a few questions...

What is your purpose in taking portraits?  Social sharing (e.g. family & friends), semi-pro, fully-professional (now or in the forseeable future)...

Under what conditions will you be shooting?  For example, out and about, street style, formal studio with a tripod, with lights etc.

What gear are you using right now? Especially lenses?

What lenses do you intend to shoot with?

What output do you intend to produce?  Social posts, books (like graduation or year books with small photos), digital display, medium prints (up to 8x10), high-quality large prints (significantly greater than 8x10).

Why do you suggest the model you specified?  Did you mean the EOS M6 (which is quite old) or the new M6 MkII?

Roughly, what is your budget for the body and lens?

[ebiggs1]

IMHO, I would not buy that (M6) camera and I would not buy if from Amazon.  My recommendation would be the new 90D.

Also. IMHO, the 'M' line is a dead end. If you absolutely want a mirrorless go for the new 'R' series.

Just to be clear if you don't like my advice make sure where you buy your camera is a Canon USA authorized dealer.  Some on Amazon or eBay are not.  Some dealers don't make it clear either but a Canon USA dealer will say so.

[Tronhard]

I'm inclined to agree, but I am waiting for answers to my questions.  Especially what kind of portraiture the OP is getting into.

I would not go for any M series for portrait-specific work.  The lenses just aren't there.  I would definitely go for an EF or EF-S mount and a good prime lens.  But really it's hard to make specific recommendations on the sketchy info available, not least of which will be budget...

[ebiggs1]

Actually you do know several of these things. A M6 is around $600 and a lens is somewhere near $400. Since the OP is asking and choosing Amazon you know they are a beginner.  I was going to suggest the T7i which with the kit lens is close to that figure give or take.  The 90D will be around $500 more.

[Tronhard]

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@ebiggs1 wrote:

Actually you do know several of these things. A M6 is around $600 and a lens is somewhere near $400. Since the OP is asking and choosing Amazon you know they are a beginner.  I was going to suggest the T7i which with the kit lens is close to that figure give or take.  The 90D will be around $500 more.

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I had followed the same logic, but I have been putting these questions to make the OP think about what they need.  So many people buy a random camera that appears to be a good deal somewhere without going through a logical process to know what they need and the cost/.benefit relationship.

[Waddizzle]

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@Sunnywind wrote:

Hello, everybody! I want to buy a camera to make portraits. I wanted to buy Canon EOS-M6 [ LINK DELETED ] Is it good enough for this purpose or you can recommend another one?

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What is up with the link?

[Sunnywind]

I want to make portraits, mainly in studio, sometime outside. The purpose then to print them, A4 size. The budget 600, this model my friend proposed me, he uses it for not professional photography. That's why I want to know if it's good for portraits. Thank everybody for answers! 🙂

[Waddizzle]

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@Sunnywind wrote:
I want to make portraits, mainly in studio, sometime outside. The purpose then to print them, A4 size. The budget 600, this model my friend proposed me, he uses it for not professional photography. That's why I want to know if it's good for portraits. Thank everybody for answers! 🙂

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If you think someone is going to click on your link, then you are mistaken.  Posting links to stuff for sale is against the forum rules that you agreed to when you registered a username.  

First and foremost, you budget is too small.  Figure spending at lest twice that amount by the time you buy accessories that you would need.  Are you located in the US?  If so, I recommend buying directly from Canon in their Online Refurbished Store.

As for a camera, I would not recommend the M6 for portraits.  For most digital cameras less than 10 years old, just about any Canon DSLR can do the job.  But, the lens selections for the M Series do not include a classic portrait lens.  I would recommend the Rebel T7i, which is the best selling camera, DSLR or mirrorless, on Amazon.  Except, do not buy it on Amazon.

Lens quality is the most important thing to consider.  I think a "must have" lens for any beginning photographer is a wide aperture lens.  The Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 STM is the least expensive lens Canon offers, but it is capable of very high quality images, and would be a pretty good portrait lens on a Canon Rebel.

Of course, you will want a camera bag of some kind.  But, you can get by with a padded backpack. A quality tripod is another item you will eventually want to have, as well as an external flash. I would look at budget tripods in the $100 - $150 price range from Oben or Sirui.  Manfrotto makes excellent tripods, but I am not a fan of their budget tripods.

[Tronhard]

Thanks for making the effort to respond to my questions.  Based on what you have indicated I would agree with Waddizzle.  The EOS M mount is not really suitable to the lens types normally associated with good portrait photography.

I also agree that a DSLR would be a better choice - the cheapest way to go is for a crop-sensor camera like a Rebel (something with an i in the name (like t7i  not  t7) - they are a better quality camera.  Since you quote metric paper size I suspect you are outside the North American market, so the cameras you are looking for would have a ###D (700D, 750D etc.) model name.   I would think anything issued within the last 4 years would be able to do the job.  I have some Canon 60D's (Canons with an ##D value are usually a step up from a ###D of the same period) that still render great results and they are 9 years old!

As was said the money should go to a decent lens.  If you are sticking purely to portraits then you want something with a small f-value: this allows  you to isolate the subject from their background by having a narrow depth of field.  A prime (i.e. non-zoom) lens like the 50mm Waddizzle suggested is the best bang for your buck.  You want a lens that is in the slight telephoto range.  On a camera such as we suggest the 50mm lens has that characteristic field of view.

I am curious how much experience you have in photography - if you are considering embarking on a professional path you need to  know that by being paid to take photos you have a responsibilty when you are being paid to deliver decent results, consistently and on time.  Customers who are paying are usually fairly unforgiving and bad references travel fast in this social media age. 

So if you are not confident in doing so, start doing portraits for free (starting with family, who are usually forgiving), and learn your craft - check out both Youtube and Lynda.com (you can get a free month's membership without commitment, you may have free access via your local library).  Also look at videos and books of great portrait photographers and learn from their work.

You don't necessarily need to get flashes etc. right away, but you will likely need a tripod.  Depending on what types of  portraits you shoot, and where  you shoot, you can learn to use available light and reflectors - again watch and learn.