Camera for professional photography?

What's a camera to use to take professional photos at a wedding? And open your own photography business for events and occasions? I've heard Nikon's good but what specific things are you supposed to be looking for with professional cameras?

HD cameras.

Browse cameras here: http://www.snapsort.com/...apsort.com

Nikon or Canon
and get a good lens!

Your question is so absurd on so many levels I do not even know where to start.

I can boil a hot dog. Guess that means I'm ready to buy lots of "professional" cooking utensils, call myself a chef, and open a restaurant.

. Sheesh good grief all mighty…

First of all for clarity, HD refers to video and only uses about 1 mp of the cameras sensor. Full HD uses about 2 mp.

The most used APS-C dSLR used by pros used to be the Nikon D300s. Until the new D400 arrives sometime in the fall of 2012, the D7000 seems to be the favorite.

If you plan on using a full frame dSLR, the Nikon D3s or the new D800 (arriving some time around the first of the year) are going to be the favorite full frame Nikon dSLR's

I'm surprised that you did not already have the beginnings of a camera system when you started learning the business under a wedding and event photographer as an assistant

Oh god not another one.

1- HD is for video, has nothing to do with still photography.
2- For weddings, you'll need over 8000$ in gear (2 cameras, fast lenses, flashes, memory cards, backup lenses, batteries… ) and that's a BARE MINIMUM and we're cutting corners!
3- If you are asking this question then you don't have the photographgic skill needed to do a wedding… Don't ruin a brides important day!
4- Brands don't matter (mostly).

A typical wedding kit is (using Canon as an example but it's about the same for Nikon or other brands, just using Canon cause that's what I use and know best)
1 - main camera (typically a 7D or up in Canon for example) [2000$]
1 - backup camera (T3i or 60D) [1200$ - 1800$]
1 - 24-70 f2.8 [1600$]
1 - 70-200 f2.8 [2600$]
2 - TTL Flashes (430EXII - 580EXII) [400$ - 500$ each]
… Tons of batteries, memory cards, spare batteries for the cameras…

Plus taxes.

But I'm telling you right now, if you go out and buy an entry level DSLR and a kit lens and try to do weddings, you will find yourself in court… Not because your gear is inadequate (well not JUST because of that) but because you have no fricking idea what you are doing.

I look back at pictures I was taking 5 years ago when i got my first DSLR and they are pure GARBAGE… That's what you'll create as well and when you hand your blurry, under/overesposed, wrongly white balanced shots that have no composition to your "client" they will blow a fuse and sue you to hell and back. That's if they don;t physically beat the living *** out of you for ruinning the brides important day.

Why does everyone on here think that professional photography is just owning a good camera?

If you want to see what FAUXtogs can do, just head over to http://www.youarenotaphotographer.com

For now, just buy yourself an entry level DSLR with a kit lens and LEARN THE TRADE. Then in 3 years, when you can consistently produce quality images in fluid environments, you can think about starting a business.

Canon, Nikon, etc. Will do as long as you know how to use it properly.

Taken with Canon 5d Mark II

What if I said:

I want to be a rock and roll star, but I don't know anything about music. What kind of guitar should I buy that will play professional songs?

Because that is exactly how your question comes off.

BTW: Steve: best answer ever. Boil a hot dog. You should send that to whattheduck.com.