5 Good Cameras for Dental Photography
By CDPayet on Dec 23, 2009 in Dental Macro Lenses, Dental Photography, Ring Flash
Now to the real question: Which camera/flash/lens combination should I buy?
I’ll start off with what I think are simply THE standard lenses and flashes to get, as these won’t change much over time, even though the camera bodies will.
For Canon lenses (overall, more dentists use Canon than any other brand in my experience), you want EITHER the:
There is only 1 Canon ring-flash commonly used (while the twin-light flash is really nice, it’s trickier to learn and definitely more expensive), and that is the Canon MR-14EX ring flash.
For Nikon, the comparable lenses are:
As far as I know (which is a lot less about Nikon that Canon, admittedly), Nikon does not make their own ring flash comparable to the Canon MR-14EX. The one I’ve seen commonly recommended is the Sigma EM-140 DG TTL Macro Ring Flash for Nikon.
So does this mean that these are the ONLY combinations of DSLR lenses and flashes that you can get? NOPE, not by a long shot! However, they are the most common selections used by skilled dental photographers, and so.…if you happen to need help from a colleague, it’s easiest to get help on these. So rather than give out every single combination of lenses, bodies, and flashes that could be used, to keep it simple, these are the ones I recommend you consider.
Remember that the most important feature in the lens is it MUST BE A MACRO. Otherwise, you will not be able to get close enough to the teeth to photograph them well.
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Now on to the Camera Bodies:
For Canon, as of today (12/18/2010), I recommend the Canon T2i for 1 very simple reason: not only does it have all the nice features necessary to take high-quality pictures, it ALSO has 1080p HD video recording capabilities. And with the Internet rapidly becoming a major force in reaching both new and existing patients, video can be a powerful tool for influencing them; follow this link to see some of my patient testimonials on YouTube! The sheer convenience of having both a video camera and a DSLR in 1 is just too nice. And, if you happen to be a microscope-using dentist (which I also highly recommend), you can hook up the T2i to your camera adapter and record both video or still images.
Of course, you can also use any of the following Canon camera bodies: 10D, 20D, 30D, 40D, 50D, 60D XT, XTi, XS, XSi, or even go really upscale with the Canon 5D, 5D Mark II, or 7D. However, I don’t recommend those because of the price.
For Nikon, I recommend the (for the same reasons as above) Nikon D5000 or the D90. If those don’t float your boat, you can choose any of the following (just be aware that none of these have the video either): D40, D60, D80, or D200. Again, if you want upscale, go for the D300s or D700.
OK, if you count up all those possibilities, you’ll realize that’s actually WAAAAAAY more than 5 possibilities. I’ve given you the criteria I use when recommending, though, so you should be able to make your choice. If not, please ask questions!
I’ll cover some of the alternative DSLR camera bodies, lenses, and flashes in a future post.
merry christmas
I just got a 5DII to replace my 20D, since I wanted to do more landscape photography, but I still want to use the new body for IO shots. Do your recommended settings change? Also what flash setting are you recommending? I have Canon 14-EX and Canon 100mm macro. Thanks.
The settings for intraoral dental photography really don’t change, regardless of the camera body or brand, because those settings are based on your fundamental principles of photography — aperture, shutter speed, ISO, white balance, etc. The MENU settings may be somewhat different from one camera body to another or from one brand to another, but whatever settings you used for your 20D, assuming you got good results, will give you equally good results for dental pictures.
I hope you do enjoy it a lot more for your landscape shooting, as it has gained a superb reputation in that arena.
I must say, though, that’s one expensive dental camera!
Good article!
But I still confused with these 2 lens: Canon 100mm f/2.8 macro & Canon 60mm f/2.8 macro lens. What’s the difference between them when work in the dental office?(I use Canon T1i not FF)
Which is better or more suitable?
Thank you very much~
Dr. Payet, thanks for all the info. I have a rebelXT with all necessary dental attach and have loved it for too many years. I have the itch to upgrade, and have been looking at the 7D (not for dental, just hobby). I have several lenses, 70–300, 28–135, 50 1.4, 60 2.8, Would I get more impact from spending $1500 on a new 7Dbody, or about the same for a nice L lens(maybe wide angle L lens)? I initially was focusing on new lens, but after reading how far the 7D has come, especially over my old Rebel XT, I’m wondering if a new body would be in order. Thanks for your advice.
Richard, the question really always comes down to, “What exactly do you want to shoot with it?” If you are looking for sports and/or low-light capabilities, then you will do far better with a new 7D (that’s one reason I got mine — shooting a teenage duaghter doing competitive cheer in big, poorly-lit arenas except bright light on-stage). If you’re more interested in improving the quality of family pictures, landscapes, general stuff, then you should look at a “L” glass; the 70–200 f/2.8L is a standard for pros. The IS version is sweet, but the Mark II version is a lot pricier than the original or than the non-IS version. The 24-70mm f/2.8L is also a great first “L” glass.
Hope that helps!
Chip,
Nikon has made several models of ring flash for better than 10 years. I have the SB-29. they also have the r1-c1 dual point.
Bill
Bill, thanks for the info! I really don’t know a lot about Nikons, so I am always grateful when Nikonians contribute info.