Announced yesterday, the 7D is a very interesting camera.  

On paper, there appears to be a lot to like, including:

• A totally revamped auto focus system, with 19 cross-type sensors. Assuming it works, it appears to be the most advanced auto focus system on any Canon camera - in some ways even more sophisticated than the 1-series.
• A totally new sensor with improved signal-to-noise ratio.
• A bigger, brighter viewfinder with 100% coverage.
• A new metering system.
• Integrated infrared off-camera flash trigger system.
• Better weather sealing.
• Movie mode that's a significant upgrade to the 5DmkII.
• Two Digic IV processing chips for significantly faster operation.

Here's a quick snap I made of Theresa (my 8 year old princess) with my Canon Powershot A710 point-n-shoot. I bought it a couple years ago for $130 and now it's worth about $20.

The image would have come out cleaner if I hadn't used the fully auto setting, which for some reason set the ISO at 400 when I could easily have shot this at ISO 100. But in my opinion it doesn't really matter. I like it just the way it is.

Notice the shadow/highlights on Theresa's face. It looks like I lit this with a large softbox camera right. Nope. This was just natural light. Studio quality light without strobes is super easy to do on a sunny day. Just put your subject under cover with light coming from just one side, like on the porch of a house. This was taken with Theresa sitting under the shade of an awning in front of a restaurant on a sunny day.

If I had taken this image with $9,000 worth of gear (say, a 1DsMkIII + 85mm f1.2L) but with Theresa in open shade instead of closed shade the image wouldn't be nearly as good. It still would have been a nice picture, but the open shade would have destroyed the shadow/highlights.

Great gear is good. Good technique is even better.

What do you do if you need to take a headshot on location in a room full of clutter? If you're lucky, you'll have a large, plain white wall to shoot against. More often than not, however, you won't.

The Westcott Illuminator background is the answer.  It's light, portable, and two sided - white / black.  With this portable background, you can create studio-quality headshots at practically any location.

The background folds into a disk 28" in diameter:

It comes in several sizes. The model I have is 6' x 5'.  Not enough for a full body, but good for a headshot or head & torso.

I love the white side for headshots. When you place your subject 3' in front of the background, it turns it into a nice medium grey.  Of course, you could light the background if you wanted a high key portrait.

The black side also makes a great background. This was shot with all natural light, just a sheer white shade pulled down over the window which diffused the sunlight, turning the window into a natural softbox.

As I've said before - simple, relatively inexpensive items like this Westcott background ($176 at Adorama) or Alien Bee monolights will make a MUCH bigger difference to your images than buying an $8,000 1DsMkIII.  The first portrait (of my little girl Annika) was taken with a 30D and 50mm f1.4 lens. The second with a 20D and 50mm f1.4 lens.  Not expensive gear by any means.  If I shot them with a 1DsMkIII + 50mm f1.2L combo ($9,500) but WITHOUT the background, the images would not be nearly as good.  Good technique combined with just the right gear will get you the results you want.

Imagine rummaging through shoebox after shoebox looking for photos like you did 10 years ago.

Imagine rummaging through stacks of CD cases looking for a particular song. In my case, most of my CDs are either out of the case (and thus scratched) or have been stored in the incorrect case (thanks MaryBeth!), making finding a particular CD a nightmare.  

Not a pretty picture, right? That's because you've long recognized the benefits of digitizing your media - photos and music.  The Amazon Kindle 2 is to books what iTunes is to music.  

Here's the Kindle 2.  As you can see, it's only slightly taller than your average paperback:

And it's about the same thickness as a magazine:

What's so great about the Kindle?

• Like the iPod, you can carry your entire library with you everywhere you go.  The Kindle 2 stores 1,500 books.
• Never lose a book again.  Ever spend an hour looking for a book in a box in your attic somewhere? Those days are gone.
• It's cheaper than buying books. Yes, the device costs $350.  But once you've purchased the device, buying books is much cheaper. You can get a book for $10 that's currently in hardcopy for $25.  And paperbacks are usually available for $6 or $7.
• It's much easier to read than a book. Unlike a hardcopy, you can adjust the font to any size you like. I read mine at the "old man" setting, the second largest font available. Regular books are now almost unreadable by comparison.
• The screen is very crisp, as crisp or crisper than most printed books.
• You never lose your place. When you turn the device off or switch to another book, it returns back to the page you were reading once you go back to it.
• It has a built in audio reader. No, it's not like having James Earl Jones read a book to you, but it does sound much better than most computer speech you're used to hearing.
• It has a built-in 3G wireless reader (no extra cost or subscription required) that let's you buy books anywhere and wirelessly download them to your kindle in one minute.
• You can read for about a week before needing to recharge the battery.
• If you lose your Kindle it's not a disaster. Sure, you'll have to buy a new device but you haven't lost your library. All the books you've purchased are archived by Amazon.
• You can subscribe to newspapers, magazines and blogs and have them automatically download to your Kindle.
• > 300,000 books available, with hundreds of new ones online every day. Amazon's stated goal is to have every book ever printed available on the Kindle.

I receive emails every day from photographers around the world, and every single question I get is about gear!  That's kinda strange, since I rarely discuss gear on this blog.

Anyway, since that appears to be the topic of interest, I'll answer the most common question I receive: "What gear should I buy to start a wedding photography business?".  

Of course, there's no correct answer to this question. Some of you, for example, prefer primes while others prefer zooms. All I can say is what I'd buy for any given budget if I were buying today.

So here it is:

Questions:

What's the deal with the Panasonic LX3?

As I explained in this post, the Panasonic LX3 (or any other similar high quality point-n-shoot) is a superior tool for macro shots, especially rings.

For the middle budget Nikon option, why choose the D90 instead of the D300?

The D90 has identical image quality to the D300, it's lighter and it's half the price.

For the lowest budget option, you chose a used Canon 30D for the Canon version but still stuck with a new D90 for the Nikon version. Why?

Prior to the release of the newest Nikon bodies (D300/D90/D3/D700), Nikon's sensors were useless for anything above ISO 800. I would simply not shoot a wedding today with one of the older sensor Nikon bodies. While you can find some used D90 bodies on eBay, it's still too new for used bodies to be widely available from reputable dealers like Adorama or B&H. If you find one at your trusted local dealer, then go for it.

Why choose the 40D instead of the newer 50D?

Because the 50D was a backwards step in image quality at anything over ISO400.

Can I get in the business for less than $4,000?  

I suppose you can, but I wouldn't want to. About mid-way through shooting a wedding with a Rebel w/kit lens and hauling my gear around in a big backpack I'd probably want to pluck my eyeballs out. It's just not worth it.

If you had the money would you spend it on a pro body like a 1DsMkIII or D3?

No. Why spend double the money (or more) on a piece of equipment that won't make a bit of difference to your images and won't make you a dime more $$$?  If you're a rich amateur then go for it. If you're trying to run a business then don't.  Look at this example:  Today's Nikon D90 at $900 has superior image quality to the D2x, which up until a couple years ago was Nikon's top pro camera that cost well over $5k. 'Nuff said.

What about battery grips?

I don't use battery grips because (a) they cost money, (b) they make the camera bigger and heavier, and (c) I shoot most of my weddings on a single battery - battery power simply isn't an issue. I suppose they have an advantage for vertical shooting but I'm content to simply shoot vertical the old fashioned way.

What about pocket wizards and gear for off-camera lighting?

I didn't include it because I consider this gear to be "nice to have" but not absolutely essential. I shot a wedding yesterday without using any off camera lighting because I didn't need it.

For the big-budget option, why did you choose a 35mm prime lens for Canon but the 24-70 zoom lens for Nikon?

If Canon made a 24-70 zoom that was anywhere near as good as Nikon's then I'd probably use it. I chose the 35mm 1.4 because it's just such an awesome lens.  I shoot entire weddings using just this lens and the 70-200. Nikon's comparable lens (the venerable 28mm f1.4) is no longer available and costs $3k on eBay if you can find one.

What are you shooting with now?

Canon 5D and 30D bodies, 24mm 1.4L, 35mm 1.4L, 17-55mm f2.8 EFS (for the 30D) and 70-200mm f2.8L IS.  

Are you going to upgrade?

Not this year. The cameras I have, including my 4 year old 30D, still take beautiful pictures.  I'll probably retire the 30D next year and upgrade it to a 5dmkII, leaving my existing 5D as my backup.

As a general rule, when would you upgrade?

Today's best wedding cameras - the Canon 5dmkII and the Nikon D700 - are so good that I think the notion of "upgrading" has become obsolete. I'd simply replace them once every 4-5 years or so when they begin to wear out.  There are simply too many things I'd rather do with the money, like taking my family on a nice vacation, contributing the extra $3k to my retirement account or buying 350 more books for my Amazon Kindle.