Is the Nikon D7100 Good For Portraits?
I'm highly interested in buying this camera. I'm an aspiring portrait photographer, and I wanted to know if anyone knows if this camera is great particularly for portraits?
If you had to ask, you probably aren't ready for one.
Any dSLR can be made to shoot anything. It's how you set it up.
The D7100 is undoubtedly a fine camera. However, we don't generally talk of a "portrait camera", but a "portrait lens". It's the lenses you need to think about, not the camera itself.
Before I get into the lenses, one thing about the D7100: it has no AA filter. This means, in theory anyway, that it will pick up more detail than a DSLR which does have an AA filter. With portraits, this is not always an advantage, especially with ladies who won't want every detail amplified. That being said, it's not likely to be a dealbreaker, as the difference is only seen in a fairly small set of situations and with certain settings.
As for lenses… There are a number of lenses which could be good for portraits. On a DX sensor like the D7100, a good 50mm lens (say a 1.8 or 1.4) will give you a 35mm equivalent of around 75mm, which is close to the classic portrait length of 85mm. You could go with an 85mm as well, which makes it a little long, but probably still useful. The 1.8 or 1.4 will be fine, the former being much more affordable than the latter. There are two rare but excellent lenses - a 105mm and 135mm, both f2, with the "DC" appellation which are going to be great for portraiture because they produce superb background blur. The 105mm, on a DX, might be a good choice if you can shoot from a distance to get the perspective right, but you have to find and afford it first. They're not that cheap.
Do some research on portrait photography, especially the best focal lengths for the various shots (headshots, shoulders, three-quarter, etc) and then look at lenses which fit your budget and requirements.
The D7100 is an excellent dSLR
If you have any experience shooting portraits, I'm surprised you have to ask.
The D7100 with a AF-S 50 mm f/1.8 lens will produce brilliant portraits as long as you are up to the task and know how to light your subjects
You don't even need such fine camera to learn how to shoot portraits, you could do that using a 12 year old Nikon D100 and the same lens. What is most important is lighting and your ability to direct the subject.
All the answers so far are spot on…
The camera (any camera) is just a tool… How good your portraits turn out… Would be down to how good you are…
Creating quality images is a skill, if you know and understand how to operate camera equipment properly or are prepared to learn how to use it… Then it is worth investing in a camera like the D7100.
For portraits, it is all in the lighting. At minimum, buy the equipment for the classic 3 light system (key, fill, and background lighting).
I have a D7100 and use a Nikon AF-S 85mm f/1.8 for portraiture. Even on a cropped camera, there's just no substitute for an 85mm lens. Even that you have to backup a bit, for head shots, you are still only about 10ft or so away, so it is not really a big deal.
The D7100 would be a fine camera for portraiture - but only if you have the lens and lighting to go with it as no camera by itself can provide acceptable results.
Professionals will likely go with a full frame camera such as the D800, however, they are also using the 85mm f/1.4 and a full blown studio lighting system.
Virtually ANY camera is OK for portraits. It's down to the user's experience as to whether the portraits are good or not.
It's fine - but what's more important is good lenses & good lighting for portraits - plus the skill & knowledge of how to use them.
NO! But the lens you chose to take your portraits is! You want a lens equal to about 80 or 90mm (in 35mm terms) for youg people. For older people a more flatering focal length comparable to 35mm would be a 70mm or 80mm (digital) . The f/stop is influenced by your desire to use the lens with available light.