I’m updating my research into cameras for creating HDR photos. As of this writing, I’m putting 360-degree HDR imagery on hold. To be completely frank, you will want a Nikon D300 or a Canon Mark III series camera in order to produce adequate HDRs with the minimal amount of work involved. You may ask why, but my reasoning involves fast shutter speeds/frame bursts for minimal blur and artifacts, greater AEB range, and full-sized frames.
Presently, the Canon Mark III 1d retails for $4,000-$4,500. Even the Mark III 1d doesn’t have a full-sized frame which means that your images are going to be cropped making 360-degree panoramas more work. To add to this, the professional camera lines do not take Canon EF-S lenses (which are generally of lower quality glass compared to Canon’s L series lenses.) This means that you will probably be dishing out $1,000 for each EF lens you need for a Mark III - and to get a full range of lenses, you’re probably looking at 3-4 lenses which means an additional $3,000-$4,000 on top of the Mark III 1d price tag.
All said and done, that’s a $7,000-$9,000 camera rig that I can’t currently justify.
Come late July of 2008, I am predicting a major price drop in all the high-end cameras from Nikon and Canon. Sony (which is partnered with Minolta) will be releasing a 24-megapixel Alpha camera that will be priced extremely competitively. Estimates put this camera at around the $3,500 range. For those that don’t know, 24 megapixels is huge and destroys any megapixel out there. The quality of lenses it can accept is unknown to me. However, I can only think to expect a major price-war and drop in professional level camera prices as this will be a flagship camera.
For now, my temporary solution is to get a Canon Rebel XSI (gasp) while stocking up on EF L IS level/quality lenses. This way come late July or August when the price war does begin, I can upgrade my camera body to a higher level then at a fraction of it’s current costs. It makes sense to have great glass/lenses and a not-so-powerful camera, versus the other way around.
My personal opinion (and that of many professionals), is that the XTI/XSI are actually remarkable cameras that can do an amazing job in the right-hands. However, you do need great camera lenses to get high-quality results. As for my own work-related purposes in creating HDRs, they just can’t do what I want them to do as easily as a professional series can. For now however, owning a XSI will fill in those summer months of taking ordinary photographs.
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