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PHOTOGRAPHY PROGRAM EQUIPMENT REQUIREMENTS - FIRST YEAR
Miscellaneous equipment and supplies
Below is more detailed information about the equipment specified above. We REQUIRE either the Nikon and Canon digital SLR cameras and a camera with at least 6 mega pixels. Nikon and Canon have been producing professional quality film and digital cameras and are the most established in the profession. Another advantage of concentrating on these two brands is that other students are likely to have lenses and accessories they may share with their friends. Six mega pixel cameras break a barrier in digital imaging where digital capture compares with film capture. Therefore we recommend a DSLR with a minimum of 6 mega pixels, however a three mega pixel camera would perform acceptably for student assignments and as a learning tool.
Digital Photography Review is a good site to compare different brands and models What the Faculty Have... Currently Recommendations may change in the future and even currently on the lower end the two manufactures are similar with Canon possibly being preferable. LensesThis recommendation has become more difficult in digital SLR's because of the different sensor sizes. What defines the desirable focal length is the angle of view. AcceptableA fixed focal length lens with an angle of view of 47 degrees BetterA high quality fast zoom lens
with an angle of view range that includes the normal 47 degrees
but is also wider and narrower than the normal. BestA high quality, fast wide angle zoom
lens with an angle of view range of approximately 85-72 degrees
Sites that have lens quality ratings for many of the better lenses.
We are recommending students have (3) smaller storage cards to begin the program. These cards should probably be 1 gig cards minimum. In the beginning the actual cards may be submitted with assignments and returned when graded. One card should be capable of storing the images exposed for that assignment. Images will be transferred to CD, DVD and portable hard drives clearing the cards for reuse. Portable FireWire Powered Hard Drive A FireWire Powered Hard Drive is required for students to store their images while working on them for current assignments. This drive will be required after the third or forth week. When these drives are plugged into the FireWire ports on the computers, the need for AC power is eliminated. We require this specfic type of drive to avoid the excessive wiring needed for non-friewire powered drives. It is simply impossible to provide the number of AC outlets for all the computers, monitors, printers and scanners and still have AC for each students hard drive. It would simply be a wiring nightmare. FireWire is also the fastest method of saving files. If a student owns their on computer with a FireWire port (preferably FireWire 800), it is also the easiest method of transferring files from computer to computer. The Smartdisk Firelite Firewire, Lacie Mobile Firewire and OWC Mercury On-The-Go Pro are some acceptable drives for this requirement. After assignments are finished, students can back them up on CD or DVD and recover space on their Portable Hard Drives for future assignment work. -Not Acceptable- The following items are required in the 1st year but are covered in more detail during classes and it would be recommended that students wait until tthey are better informed before purchasing.Although a ball head is fine for 1st year/35mm work, a pan/tilt type head is required for 2nd year 4x5 camera. It is financially more economical to purchase one tripod that will serve both first and second year providing support for both 35mm and large format (4x5) cameras. However, it may be more desirable to have two tripods, a lighter tripod for 35mm/120 format cameras and a heavier tripod for second year (4x5). Suggested brands: Heavy duty (First and second year) Gitzo, Bogen, -- Benro, Feisol (Chinese) Lighter Tripods (35mm or 120 only) Vivitar, Slik, Velbon (Bogen & Gitzo also make light weight models) 2. A reliable multipurpose flash/ambient light meter. Invest in a quality one. A good ambient flash meter will serve the student for both first year, second year, and after graduation Some suggested flash/ambient brands are: Gossen - Luna Pro F or Multi Pro Sekonic *L-508 Zoom Master, L718, Digimaster L328, Digilight F L778 Dualspot F Soligar (Spotmeter) Minolta - Autometer IV F, Flashmeter IV or Minolta Spot Meter F EQUIPMENT REQUIRED SECOND YEAR: In the second year of the program extensive work is done with a large format (4x5 inch) view camera. We recommend that student lease the equipment from us rather than purchasing their own.CMC has (20) 4x5 view camera available for lease to students. These cameras are equipped with 210mm lenses. This equipment may need to be shared with others as student numbers dictate. Students who choose the lease option still need to purchase Polaroid film and a good quality focusing Loupe We have additional lenses and accessories for those people leasing the cameras from us.Second year students enrolled in the Photography curriculum will be required to have the following camera and laboratory equipment beginning with the first day of classes of any semester. This information will be covered in more detail in the Spring Semester before second year. In addition to the same equipment & supplies as required for the first year students. A
tripod suitable for Large Format (4x5) Camera Firewire powered portable hard drive Computers (Not a requirement) Many times we are asked to recommend a computer for use in the program. Understand that in the 1st year of the program most work is done on a Windows system, in the 2nd year most work is done on a Macintosh computer. Personal recommendation would be a Mac because it is most compatible with the work done in the most advance classes, but it is possible to use either platform provided you own the appropriate software. The Monitor is another important consideration. Laptop screens are not acceptable for most digital imaging work. I work on a laptop 90% of the time but when working on photo images I usually connect the laptop to an external monitor. So if purchasing a laptop be certain you can connect an external monitor. Another consideration is that laptop computers aren't as fast as desktop computers. Whatever computer you may choose, the computer doesn't help if you don't have the software. Microsoft Office (primarily Word) and Adobe Photoshop CS2 are crucial (It is important to have the same version as we are using in the program) and some optional programs like iView Media Pro. The portable firewire drive listed earlier allows easy transfer of files from your personal computer to our lab. Special NoteWhile all the needed items of equipment seem to make the cost
of the program expensive, this cost should be considered in
its proper perspective. The student who graduates from this
program and elects to operate a private business will have a
good deal of the equipment to start such a business upon graduating.
The student who does not elect to be self-employed after graduating
may no longer need some of the equipment because the employer
will furnish what is needed on the job. This student can sell
the equipment and regain a sizable portion of the total investment,
thereby reducing the program cost considerably. It is common
practice for a number of our graduating students to sell equipment
to freshmen at the year's end. Students having difficulties securing items of making decisions on various products can obtain advice by writing or calling a member of the photographic faculty or lab technician. Note: Information contained herein is subject to change without notice. Prices for equipment and supplies are not given in this list because they vary considerably from location to location, dealer to dealer, and whether they are new or used. In general, students spend in excess of $3000 for new camera hardware over the two-year period. Consumable supplies (film, paper, etc.) expenses also vary with each individual and are dependent upon how conservative each student is and how much photographic work is produced. Several Manufacturers provide special pricing
for students enrolled in a photography program. These include
Gitzo, Bogen, Sekonic, Gossen, Mamiya, Tenba and Toyo-view.
Bensenville, Illinois 60106 Global Imaging B & H Photo USED Equipment: |
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