Photojournalism and Documentary Photography Equipment and Technology
Before I really dig into this subject matter, let me first answer the question this way: whatever camera you have is good enough for photojournalism. Please don’t use having an inexpensive or "bad" camera as an excuse for not shooting or not shooting well. About half of my portfolio was shot on a camera you can buy for about $150. YOU and your SUBJECT are far more important than the camera.
The most important things to consider when investing in a camera body that you will use for photojournalism or documentary photography is durability, shutter lag time, frame rate and low light capabilities. Durability is a no-brainer; you want your camera to actually work when you’ve just spent two weeks and $2,000 to get to a small village in Africa to shoot a story.
Shutter lag time is the time it takes the camera from when you push the shutter button to when it actually takes the image. When you put your little point-and-shoot up to your face and press the button and it takes about two seconds for the image to capture—and you missed the shot—you just got your first lesson in shutter lag. Since timing is so important with photojournalism and documentary photography, you want your camera to capture images as quickly as possible. You also want to be able to shoot several frames in a relatively short period of time, as it will allow you to capture the perfect moment when you subject is acting natural and the person in the background has stopped picking their nose.
If you like shooting anything other than outdoor tourism shots in peak sunlight, you want a camera that does well in low light. Low light capabilities in a camera are usually judged by the highest ISO, or film speed, that the camera can shoot at without becoming too noisy (noise is basically a digital grain but is not as attractive as film grain). You should be able to use your camera at ISO 800 and even 1600 and get usable pictures out of it. I will talk about post processing and noise reduction in later posts as well as selecting the proper lens for low light work.
As far as the whole Canon vs Nikon debate goes, just pick one and stick with it. One year Canon will have the best camera, the next year Nikon will improve on the Canon, etc., etc. Invest in the best lenses that your chosen manufacturer makes and then update the bodies as you see fit.
The choice for photojournalists, at least in the Canon realm, usually boils down to the Canon 1D, 1DS or 5D. If you are at all abusive with your equipment or plan on working in extreme environments, I would immediately rule out the 5D. Although it is a wonderful camera, it is just not built to deal with abuse, extreme temperatures and humidity. If you have a nice Nikon lens already and want to get a better body, I would look at the D3 line, which is what I would shoot if I shot Nikon. I will give advice on buying used, demo and refurbished gear in a future Camera Corner post.
The Canon 1D is probably the most common camera carried by photojournalists and documentary photographers. It has an extremely fast shutter frame rate capable of capturing a large number of frames in just a few seconds, and there are obviously times when this can come in handy. Unlike the 5D, the Canon 1D is environmentally sealed, meaning it has a lot of rubber washers and other seals that keep moisture and dust out. It also has an extremely strong metal frame capable of taking quite a lot of abuse. If you plan on doing the majority of your work overseas, I can not emphasize enough the importance of having reliable equipment. Remind me to tell you the story about how I shot the entire Asian Earthquake aftermath in 2005 while holding my camera upside down because the mirror was broken and it would only take pictures when held with its top-side facing to the ground...
Because of stories like the one above, I now shoot with a Canon 1Ds MKIII as my primary body with a wide lens and a Canon 1Ds MKII as my secondary body with my long lens. I will talk more about my lens selection in another segment (along with other important issues such as RAW vs. JPEG, memory cards, etc.)
For me, shooting with Canon 1Ds bodies has been the obvious choice. Resolution is extremely important for me and the 1Ds is the leader in the category (at least it was about a week ago…who knows what is best now!). Resolution is important for a number of reasons but for me the editability and cropablility of higher resolution images is the deciding factor. I often shoot in conditions that are not ideal and the ability to sit down later and crop down an image, straighten the horizon and still have enough pixels to dodge and burn without making a terrible mess of things is essential. To come out with an image that can be printed large and hung on a gallery wall after all of these processes is really wonderful.
Before you buy ANY camera, spend a few hours visiting dpreview.com. If it is too technical for you, just go the camera review sections and look at the conclusions for the cameras you are interested in. There is no better way to research your purchases than on this site.
To sum up: Whatever camera you currently own is good enough for photojournalism, so just get out there and shoot with it. When you have the money to upgrade, make sure it is rugged and environmentally sealed, has a short shutter lag time, high frame rate and works well in low light conditions (has low noise at higher ISOs.) Take the time to research your purchases on DP Review.
Every camera I have ever purchased I have purchased used, and personally I think it is better to buy a used $8,000 camera for $4,500 than a brand new $4,500 camera. You get a lot more for your money and you wont be as worried about giving the camera its first scratch!
Great peace of text and I had to laugh lout about the broken mirror. Nice story!
Posted by: Ben Fredericson | May 06, 2009 at 17:15
Good info. I was wondering if you've had the chance to check out the Canon 5DMkII. My primary camera was the 5D, which I've been extremely happy with but, last week, I purchased the 5DMkII and I will be taking both of them on my next overseas trip. The plan is for my 5D to use the Canon 70-200mm,f/2.8L IS lens and the 5DMkII will be carrying the Canon 24-70mm, f/2.8L lens.
Posted by: Shawn | May 06, 2009 at 18:36
Thank you Zoriah!
spider
Posted by: spider | May 07, 2009 at 06:14
Great write-up, Zoriah. I think too many people are captivated or even misguided about having the latest and greatest in professional bodies. Perhaps hearing it from a working professional will help to alleviate some of the confounding ideologies that only a better camera makes for better results. Maybe then people will reallocate their funds into taking classes and learn the fundamentals of photography instead. There are far too many bad photographers with high-end equipment.
Posted by: Matt | May 07, 2009 at 16:47
Zoriah,
I really enjoyed this article, a pro photojournalist of your caliber sharing your thoughts on camera's and durability is very much appreciated. I'm hoping to upgrade soon to something substanstially better than my present digital camera. Thanks for the great resource too, so I can make an informed decision when it comes time to buy.
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Very interesting. I'm really looking forward to hearing about your lenses! Please don't forget to do so. Thanx.
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Posted by: esskaypolymers | January 25, 2010 at 12:55
Thank God.
I purchased Nikon's entry level D3000, took 2000 pics with it in Haiti, came back to Jersey, bought 2 more lenses and a grip, and have been studying picture-taking everywhere online every chance I get. Thankyou Zoriah, for finally making me realize my (entry level) rig is where it's at. Hooah Sir.
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